Iron Widow

Xiran Jay Zhao's spectacular YA-novel "Iron Widow" is the story of 18-year-old Zetian, a young woman in the historically inspired sci-fi world of Huaxan.

ln Huaxan teenage boys are chosen to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming battle robots made for fighting aliens. Every male pilot must have a female co-pilot, who is expected to become a concubine and sacrifice herself for the men. Zetian's sister was a concubine-pilot and Zetian decides to follow in her footsteps - in order to assassinate the male pilot, who was responsible for her sister's death!

When Zetian defies expectation and survives her first battle, people start to call her an "Iron Widow". Suddenly the most feared pilot of the bunch, Zetian becomes more powerful than she ever had imagined. Her goal is no longer to achieve revenge. Now she seeks to help every other girl in Huaxan by putting a stop to the sacrifice of young girls.

"Iron Widow" by Xiran Jay Zhao is the first book in the Iron Widow-series.