MICRO-REVIEW ARCHIVE LOG

I'm still reeling from the sheer awesomeness that is Iron Widow. Going into it, I had no idea what to expect - the blurb didn't give much away, and my expectations were all over the place. But holy cow, @xiranjayzhao.bsky.social absolutely blew me away with this one. The fusion of Chinese history-inspired elements with futuristic scifi and kaiju robots was a game-changer, and I loved how it all came together to create something so uniquely fascinating. And let's not forget our protagonist - Zetian Qin, the Iron Widow herself - who is basically the human embodiment of "I don't care what you're doing, I'm going to take over and kick some butt". I was completely invested in her journey from start to finish. What really stood out for me, though, was how thoughtfully @xiranjayzhao.bsky.social approached the themes of trauma, identity, and societal expectations. It's clear that they did their research on Chinese history and culture, and it shows in the way the story incorporates elements like footbinding and cultural pressure into Zetian's narrative. The result is a protagonist who is both fiercely individualistic and deeply rooted in her heritage - it's a really compelling balance to strike. And don't even get me started on the action scenes - I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, devouring page after page as Zetian took down robot after robot with ease. All in all, Iron Widow is an absolute must-read for anyone who loves scifi, robots, or just a good ol' fashioned story about a girl who's got attitude to spare.