Iron Widow

This is a YA sci-fi novel that takes Imperial China and puts it into a very tech-forward future. Our protagonist is a re-imagined version of Empress Wu, the only female Chinese empress. The world is at war with a mysterious alien presence, and they fight in giant mechanized animal-shaped structures called Chrysalises. For a reader of my age, it brought up lots of Power Ranger/Transformer vibes. But, of course, there are also enemies within a pretty messed-up military structure.

It's a bit hard to describe the mood of this book, but I will say it feels like it would translate really well into anime or manga. Very fast-paced with some pretty dramatic moments, some of which really did catch me off-guard. I thought I knew what direction this story was going to go in until a Big Event about a quarter of the way through, so that was fun. (I did see the Big Surprise at the end about a mile away, though.) It is also a pretty straightforward look at misogyny and how it impacts both men and women. Overall, I really liked it and have already told K she should read it.