In particular, Zhao in a Twitter thread said the story was written partly in response to their disappointment in the direction DARLING in the FRANXX took in its later episodes. It's been incredibly fun to reimagine her as instead a teenage peasant girl in an intensely misogynistic world who suddenly gains access to giant fighter mechas-how would she change her world?' Numerous anime shows, such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Digimon, and Attack on Titan served as inspiration for Iron Widow. In an interview with Publishers Weekly, Zhao stated that 'there's no other woman in Chinese history who had a rise through the harem as iconic as hers. Iron Widow, Zhao's debut novel, was released on September 21, 2021. Rock the Boat, the children's imprint of Oneworld Publications, acquired the UK rights in May 2021. In March 2020, Xiran Jay Zhao signed a two-book deal with Penguin Teen Canada for a reimagining of the rise of Wu Zetian, empress of China during the late 600s. It won the 2021 BSFA Award for 'Best Book for Younger Readers' and has been nominated for two 2022 Locus Awards and the 2022 Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book. Iron Widow is a New York Times Best Seller as of July 2022, the book has remained on the list for 34 weeks. The novel is a mecha reimagining of the rise of the Chinese Empress Wu Zetian set in the nation of Huaxia, a futuristic reinterpretation of Medieval China.

Iron Widow is a 2021 Canadian YA science fantasy novel by Xiran Jay Zhao.

Babette’s Feast by Isak Dinesen