Scribe Tribe | Iron Widow
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Iron Widow
Xiran Jay Zhao
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The instant #1 New York Times bestseller, now available in a stunning new paperback look with bonus content.
Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in this blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction for YA readers.
The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall of China. It doesn't matter that the girls die from the mental strain.
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But when she gets her vengeance, it becomes clear that she is an Iron Widow, a rare kind of female pilot who can sacrifice males to power up Chrysalises instead.
To tame her frightening yet valuable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest male pilot in Huaxia, yet feared and ostracized for killing his father and brothers. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily.
She will take over instead, then leverage their combined strength to force her society to stop failing its women and girls. Or die trying.
This deluxe new paperback edition features eight pages of Chrysalis concept art and a discussion guide.
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Posts about this title from Scribe Tribe
Scribe Tribe\ \ Jahid\ \ • Aug 6 2024
00:00 Intro 03:06 Most Surprising Read of the Year 04:36 A Book I Thought I'd Love That I Didn't 06:11 A Book I Thought I'd Hate That I Loved 08:42 My Most Disappointing Read of the Year 11:20 My #10 Book of the Year 12:22 My #9 Book of the Year 13:50 My #8 Book of the Year 16:01 My #7 Book of the Year 17:40 My #6 Book of the Year 19:10 My #5 Book of the Year 20:24 My #4 Book of the Year 21:45 My #3 Book of the Year 23:21 My #2 Book of the Year 25:46 My #1 Book of the Year 27:48 Outro
23 books
Scribe Tribe\ \ Jahid\ \ • Aug 6 2024
Books I Devoured and Books I Nibbled At
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Posts about this book from across Bindery
Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • May 29
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Top 5 trans & non-binary authors who inspired me on my author journey
Let me know your favourites! #booktok #pride #pridemonth #bookrecommendations
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Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • Mar 12
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25 book recs for the Trans Rights Readathon (and all year round!)
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The Bibliothecary\ \ Samantha\ \ • Feb 10
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first reads of the year | EARLY ACCESS
In which I discuss what books I started the year with...
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Boneyard Picnic\ \ Natalie Meagan\ \ • Jul 6 2025
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Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • May 4 2025
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Queer East and South East Asian book recs
Read and loved all of these! Books listed: Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min Cafe con Lychee by Emery Lee Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee Portrait for a Thief by Grace D. Li In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo Silver Under Nighfall by Rin Chupeco Iron Widow by Xirin Jay Zhao Books for ESEA heritage month (UK), AAPI month (US) and Asian heritage month (CA). #booktok #aapiheritagemonth #asianbooks #mmromance #eseaheritagemonth
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Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • Apr 29 2025
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An introduction to my Bindery! Who I am, what members can expect from Discotopia, and a quick rundown of some of my favourite diverse books.
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Bookish AfroLatina's Library\ \ Gabby\ \ • Apr 2 2025
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\ \ I took a little break from posting & now I'm back to celebrate We Need Diverse Books Day! This is the very first for this virtual celebration so I'm kicking it off with 36 amazing book recs for y'all.\ \ Learn more about this celebration here: https://www.diversebooks.org/celebrate-we-need-diverse-books-day\\ \ As my og followers know, I started my bookstagram in order to promote diverse books back in 2021. So I'm gonna give y'all a ton of book recs (old & new) by and about BIPOC, disabled, LGBTQ+, and neurodivergent folks. I hope y'all find something that interests you!\ \ \ \ Books shown:\ \
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Daph's Reads 📚✨\ \ Daphne\ \ • Mar 25 2025
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Feminist science fiction! I also wanted to recommend The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi but I did not hit record when I meant to film that entire part 🙃
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Daph's Reads 📚✨\ \ Daphne\ \ • Mar 25 2025
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Book series' I love but probably won't finish...
Book series' I love but probably won't finish...
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Tattooed Bibliophiles\ \ Zee\ \ • Mar 21 2025
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\ \ As I lay here in bed, cozy with my family all tucked into their warm beds, my mind can't help but drift to the trans kids who aren’t as lucky. Whether they’re stuck under the roof of unsafe people, trapped in a family that won't accept them, living on the streets, in a country hell-bent on demonizing them—these kids aren’t safe. They’re not warm, they’re not happy, and that just devastates me.\ \ Earlier today, I posted a video with one book for the Trans Rights Readathon because, frankly, I don’t have the spoons to get into it with all the trolls and bigots on these apps. Instagram’s a dumpster fire, TikTok’s gone through more transformations than a changeling, and let’s be real—the thing that was supposed to be a safe space for millions is now quietly shifting gears to help the billionaires. But tonight, as I lie awake thinking about my trans neighbors, I know I have to dig deeper. I must find the spoons, even if they’re buried under the weight of it all. Because here’s the thing: this is how it always starts. Nazis didn’t just go after Jews—they came for trans, gay, and disabled people first.\ \ I’m terrified. Not just for trans people, but for all of us. The thing that terrifies me most isn’t just the rise of hate, but the silence from people who won’t stand up until it directly affects them. By the time it does, it’s already too late. That’s the road to ruin, and I refuse to walk it.\ \ So, I’m vowing right now to find the spoons. To dig deeper. To fight tooth and nail, because, quite frankly, this is the only thing that matters now. Not my survival—but everyone’s survival.\ \
- *\ \ Fighting the Good Fight: The Trans Rights Readathon \ \ And in that spirit, I’m throwing my full weight behind the Trans Rights Readathon. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an annual call to action for readers to uplift books written by or about trans, nonbinary, 2Spirit, and gender-nonconforming authors and characters, in honor of Trans Day of Visibility on March 31st. From March 21 onward, the goal is to read, amplify, and, of course, raise funds for causes that support the trans community. This year, I’m aiming to raise $400–$500 for Point of Pride, an amazing organization that provides financial support for trans folks in need of health and wellness care.\ \ If you want to join me in this mission, subscribe to any of my paid tiers this month, and all of my proceeds will go directly to Point of Pride. After this month, you can drop back down to the free tier—I get it, times are tough right now.\ \
- *\ \ Privilege, Self-Care, and the Fight for Marginalized Voices \ \ I want to take a moment to acknowledge my privilege. I’ve got a job that feeds my family comfortably, and trust me, I don’t take it for granted. (And let’s be real, this job is thanks to DEI initiatives—yep, white women benefit from affirmative action the MOST.) This platform, though, this is my side gig. My hobby. My self-care. It’s where I can channel all the rage and frustration and do something to push back against the hate machine. Everything I make from this goes right back into promoting marginalized authors. Sometimes that’s buying books by marginalized authors to read and review, and sometimes it’s donations to other Bindery creators like @michael.laborn and @fromthemixedupdesk. One day, I hope to fund a marginalized sci-fi author’s audiobook or help with marketing costs. This month? It’s going to Point of Pride.\ \
- *\ \ The Fight for Independent Bookstores and More \ \ As an extra incentive to subscribe this month, EVERY subscriber, both paid and free, will be entered into a giveaway for a $50 gift card to Bookshop.org, an online bookstore that supports independent booksellers—the true rebels fighting for their lives against the Amazon empire. If you’re not down with the corporate machine, this is where you want your book money to go. (Or if you're an audio nerd like me, Libro.fm is a great resource!)\ \
- *\ \ Read for Trans Rights, Read for All of Us \ \ Trans people are people. It’s as simple as that. If you’re not reading books by trans, queer, disabled, Black, Brown, and Indigenous authors and featuring those characters all year long, what the hell are you doing? Reading about people who aren’t like you expands your world. It helps you see things from their perspective, helps you walk a mile in their shoes. And guess what? That’s the real reason people want to ban these books. They can’t stand it when we normalize the humanity of trans, queer, and marginalized folks. They need us to stay divided, to dehumanize, and they need it to feel powerful. And they need to convince you that queer people aren’t real people so they can justify their bigotry. Because the billionaires are making them feel powerless and those billionaires know it - so they create media to point the hate of the weak minded at the marginalized. \ \ But we see through it. We know better. So read, keep reading, and lift up these voices. We’re not just reading for the plot—we’re reading for justice. We’re reading to smash the system that thrives on hate.\ \ As always: FUCK NAZIS, fight the system, and be the revolution. Read books by trans authors, with trans characters. Keep pushing back against the machine. This is our fight, and we’re not backing down.\ \ K thanks, byeeee. ✌️](https://tattooedbibliophile.binderybooks.com/item/hPWnorEWov8dRCkKlEgV/)
Rage Against the Machine: Read Sci-fi Books for the Trans Rights Read-a-Thon
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Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • Mar 11 2025
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Angry Queer Book Recommendations
Books listed: Blackheart Knights by Laure Eve Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Cinderella is Ded by Kaylnn Bayron Iron Widow by Xirin Jay Zhao The Final Strife by Saara el-Arifi #booktok #winterboots #resistance #fantasybooktok #sapphicbooks
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Trash Panda’s Universe\ \ Trash Panda Leon\ \ • Nov 20 2024
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Explaining #ironwidow To Others
#ironwidow
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Trash Panda’s Universe\ \ Trash Panda Leon\ \ • Nov 20 2024
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#ironwidow
1 book
Trash Panda’s Universe\ \ Trash Panda Leon\ \ • Nov 20 2024
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love this book. ignore my shirt. I no longer support SJM. This review is from the beginning of 2024. I repeat i no longer support SJM. I wish i could somehow block out the shirt in the video.
1 book
Tattooed Bibliophiles\ \ Zee\ \ • Nov 13 2024
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11 books
Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Oct 17 2024
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My full stack from our book swap yesterday! I forgot to take a photo of my donation pile, but I definitely left with ones that I am way more excited about. I did pass along some very loved books that I know I will never read again and deserve a spot in someone else’s library–whoever got To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, I hope you love it as much as I did.
Do you have any favorites in this stack?
Also, check out my cute new earrings! Shout out to makers who have clip on options for those of us with metal allergies.
✨ When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya Queen ✨ The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley ✨ O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker ✨ Graceling (graphic novel adaptation) by Kristin Cashore ✨ My Throat an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino ✨ Belladonna by Adalyn Grace ✨ Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao ✨ The Year of Witching by Alexis Henderson ✨ Burial Rites by Hannah Kent ✨ Black Hole by Charles Burn
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Scribe Tribe\ \ Jahid\ \ • Aug 6 2024
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Scribe Tribe\ \ Jahid\ \ • Aug 6 2024
Books I Devoured and Books I Nibbled At
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Sapph-Lit\ \ Nina\ \ • Jun 28 2024
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Pride Month Reading List: FANTASY
Sharing the slide I forgot to include in my IG carousel, now expanded to 10 incredible sapphic fantasy reads.
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Fairly Queer Books\ \ Fareeha\ \ • Jun 4 2024
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Some of my favorites for pride month !
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Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Mar 10 2024
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Books with Netflix's Damsel Vibes
Love it or hate it, the vibes in Netflix’s adaptation of Damsel were immaculate. Here’s some other books full of revenge-fueled anti-heroines and dark fairytale vibes.
The Fireborne Blade and Someone You Can Build A Nest In will be published later this spring, but I love them both too much to not include.
What are your favorite anti-fairytales?
#bookrecommendations #readthisnext #whatshouldireadnext #diversebooks #youngadultfantasy #fantasybookrecommendations #fantasybookstagram
12 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Mar 9 2023
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tier ranking your fave book tropes & recommending books based on them
Check out G2A's deals here from March 1-20th, 2023: https://www.g2a.com/best-deals/girl\_power?banner=main
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faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
48 books
Fantasy & Frens\ \ Zoranne\ \ • Mar 3 2023
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i love these bracket videos so much 😂 how did i do? #bookbracket #bookishstruggles #zorannereads #yabookrecs
16 books
Ezeekat Press\ \ Jaysen\ \ • Feb 20 2023
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It was the right choice, but it hurt to get there! 😩 #booktok #yabooks #youngadultbooktok #yabookbracket #bookbracket #ironwidow #books #legendborn #gildedones #theybothdieatthenend
8 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jan 7 2023
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If you like this, read this book! | BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
Use my code STORY to get your first Book of the Month box for only $9.99! (U.S). In Canada, grab your first box for $14.99 with code SNOWFLAKE! https://www.bookofthemonth.com/?utm\_source=youtube&utm\_medium=video&utm\_campaign=This\_Story\_Ain%27t\_Over This video was sponsored by Book of the Month.
Let me know your recommendations for me in the comments below!
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💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
21 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Dec 31 2022
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every book i read in 2022 rated & reviewed in 1 sentence
join as a channel member to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJn0v3OAEAX3-V4crjcHtRA/join
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
63 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Feb 8 2022
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Tell me one of your five star predictions for this year!! ✨
Read 002 of 2022 | Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Iron Widow was one of my five star predictions for 2022 and while it definitely had some really cool aspects to it (giant robots, very cool fantasy/sci-fi world, incredible twists) and delivered on the smash the patriarchy vibes, I did wish the world building, romance, and characters were developed a bit more. Although I wouldn't rate it five stars, it was still an enjoyable read, especially as a debut, and I'd be curious to see where the romance and twists go in the next book.
This was my Patreon book club pick of the month for January 2022 and I've got a whole exclusive vlog there as well as the replay of a liveshow we did discussing the book if you're interested in hearing more thoughts!
I'd recommend this to anyone looking for an action packed read with a slightly unhinged and badass main character. It examines unchecked misogyny and women who uphold patriarchal values and takes a deep look into addiction via one of the main characters as well.
Will be going a little more in depth with my thoughts in my wrapup on YouTube on Friday so make sure to turn on notifications for my channel ✨
Thank you @penguinteenca for the finished copy!
1 book