The trouble with reviewing a book you really like is toning down the firehose of feelings into a readable piece that isn't just a bunch of heart emojis and squeeing. I'll give it a go however for the sake of the Iron Widow because I really enjoyed this book for very specific reasons.

The Rage - This is by far the best thing about the story. Women just don't get to be ANGRY in stories for very long and certainly not to their benefit. The main character of the Iron Widow is furious from the moment we meet her with damned good reason and instead of tripping her up it fuels her rise to greatness. God its so refreshing.
Even better - that reason is not because someone raped her. Yes, world, women can be angry about a number of things just like real people.

The Battle Scenes - Having been bored silly by fight scenes in several books this year, it was so fun to find a some that delighted and excited without bogging down into bloodthirsty detail for the sake of it. This is a book about giant battle suits after all so the temptation to take them out for a spin more often than the plot needed must have been enormous.

The Non-Romance - Don't get me wrong, there is love in this book and sex, but there is no Romance. Love doesn't make the main character suddenly re-evaluate her life goals. Sex doesn't make her weak. Relationships don't spring forth fully formed at first kiss. It is in fact wonderfully free of the love-at-first-sight tropes which get shoe-horned into so many unsuspecting books.

There were some minor things some readers might find an small issue with which I will outline only to show I haven't been driven entirely uncritical by my enjoyment of this deadly romp. The tone of the dialogue can be glib at times, and the ending feels rushed - so much happens but there is no time to really sit down and explore all the rapid fire events which crowd the last few scenes. And the ending leaves you with more questions than it answers, which might be a feature not a bug for some readers.

Final thoughts - I read the book in practically one sitting and I loved every minute. I hope it brings such joy to many others!