Dugu Qieluo& Yang Jian: The female and male pilots, respectively, of the White Tiger Chrysalis. Qieluo is cold and hostile toward Zetian's attempts at friendship. a b Singer, Jessica (29 August 2021). "BookTok's novel approach to books is helping Canadian authors, retailers attract new audiences". CBC News . Retrieved 11 May 2022. Chue, James (26 September 2021). "Empress Smashes Alien Mechas in Chinese-Canadian Author's New Book". Radii . Retrieved 24 October 2021.

Scott, Alec (16 June 2022). "Xiran Jay Zhao uses the power of #BookTok to find new audiences". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 26 June 2022. a b "Winners of the 2022 CCBC Book Awards revealed". Quill & Quire. September 30, 2022 . Retrieved September 30, 2022. A Girl Prepares Her Brows for Battle in This Excerpt From Iron Widow". Gizmodo. July 27, 2021 . Retrieved 2022-05-12. B&N Children's, YA Book Award Winners Announced". Publishers Weekly. 2 May 2022 . Retrieved 13 May 2022.You know those memes that are like "Would you live in Gotham if rent was 5 dollars a month?" That is basically this book. I mean, the titular city of nightmares is literally called NEWHAM. But I'd say Newham is even worse than Gotham because it's in You know those memes that are like "Would you live in Gotham if rent was 5 dollars a month?" That is basically this book. I mean, the titular city of nightmares is literally called NEWHAM. But I'd say Newham is even worse than Gotham because it's in a world where people have a chance of physically and permanently transforming into their worst nightmare when they sleep--unless they take drugs to stop themselves from dreaming. But the drugs are nullified by alcohol, so Prohibition is in place and the world very much has the vibes of that 1920s era, though with more POC and queer characters living their best lives in waistcoats and dress pants. As good of lives as they can make in a world of living nightmares, anyway. This is a society that's terrible to a hilarious degree. The mayor openly keeps a nightmare-pterodactyl as a pet to unleash on her political opponents. Bribery is mandatory if you want to get anything done. Mail can be expected to get stolen if you don't deliver it yourself or with your own employees. Every time you go out you gotta worry about some kind of monstrous creature showing up to gobble you up. An Lushan: Chief strategist for the Sui-Tang frontier. He treacherously seeks to remove Zetian and Shimin from battle by sending them on suicide missions and is later interrogated by the two for his knowledge of the Chrysalis pilot system. Wu Zetian: a peasant girl who becomes the titular "Iron Widow" and co-pilot for the Vermilion Bird Chrysalis. She seeks to topple the sexist society of Huaxia after her sister is sacrificed as a pilot.

Ling Xiao possesses the Landscape martial soul which finally became The Heavenly Tyrant Martial Soul in Chapter 1454. B&N Children's, YA Book Award Winners Announced". Publishers Weekly. May 2, 2022 . Retrieved 2022-05-13. Alexander, Allison (2021-10-12). "Moving Beyond Binaries in Gender-Based Magic Systems: The Wheel of Time and Iron Widow". Tor.com . Retrieved 2021-11-03.

Wu Zetian enlists as a concubine to avenge her older sister, who died co-piloting a Chrysalis. She resents her uncaring family, who only value their daughters for the money their deaths as concubines will fetch them. Despite being in love with a wealthy childhood friend, Gao Yizhi, she resolves to avenge her sister even if it will likely mean her death. Zetian successfully arranges to be paired with her sister's co-pilot, Yang Guang. While piloting, Zetian sees his memories of the many girls he's abused. Zetian overwhelms and kills him. Her survival has her branded a dangerous and rare "Iron Widow". Her spirit pressure now registers at extraordinarily high levels. Feared, but conscripted, she resolves to destroy the Chrysalis system and its reliance on the sacrifice of female pilots. Nawotka, Ed (24 September 2021). "Publishing in Canada 2021: Novelist Xiran Jay Zhao on Blending SciFi and Chinese History". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved 24 March 2021. Rights Report: Week of March 16, 2020". Publishers Weekly. 16 March 2020 . Retrieved 24 October 2021.

Nawotka, Ed. "Publishing in Canada 2021: Novelist Xiran Jay Zhao on Blending SciFi and Chinese History". PublishersWeekly.com . Retrieved 2021-11-03. Chrysalises are piloted by young men with high levels of spirit pressure who can release their qi, following the five classical Asian elements. Treated like celebrities by the media and adoring public, male pilots rely on "concubines", female pilots who supply them with additional qi at the cost of their own lives. Male-female pairings that don't risk the concubine's death are called Balanced Matches, but are rare and treated as celebrity marriages. The strongest male pilot in history was the legendary emperor Qin Zheng, rumored to be frozen in stasis within his Chrysalis, the Yellow Dragon, to stave off an illness until a cure could be found. This location was lost to Hunduns centuries ago. To keep her under control, the army pairs her with their strongest male pilot: the conscripted criminal Li Shimin. She and Shimin are a Balanced Match, and their mental bond causes them to learn more about each other. Zetian discovers that Shimin is actually a gentle artist who murdered his family for gang raping a young woman and that the army forced his alcohol addiction to control him. Though their relationship starts as a show for the public, the two fall in love. When they are relocated to the capitol, Yizhi pulls strings to be able to assist their training, in an effort to keep Zetian alive. Yizhi helps Shimin break his addiction, and Zetian and Yizhi secretly rekindle their love. Yizhi, Shimin, and Zetian secretly enter a polyamorous relationship.

Is Heavenly Tyrant – Xiran Jay Zhao | PDF free to download

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed. Zetian attempts to retrieve Shimin's body, but the Heavenly Council has taken it. A secret government document reveals that Huaxia is not on Earth, but actually a colony on another planet. The Hunduns are the native species, defending themselves from invading humans. Before Zetian can share this horrifying information with the public, the Heavenly Council advise her that if she serves them, they will revive Shimin. Fiorillo, Katherine (December 21, 2021). "The 20 best young adult books of 2021, according to Goodreads reviewers". Business Insider . Retrieved 2022-05-12. a b Armstrong, Vanessa (11 May 2022). "Here Are the Finalists for the 2022 Locus Awards". Tor.com . Retrieved 12 May 2022. Xiran Jay Zhao immigrated to British Columbia from a small town in China in grade five. [2] Their father is of Hui heritage. [3] Zhao would imagine stories growing up, but did not put any on paper until being encouraged to at an anime convention when they were 15.