Description
IRON WIDOW meets SIX CRIMSON CRANES in this immersive YA fantasy inspired by Chinese legend, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Chloe Gong.
Aihui Ying's life is viciously torn apart when her father is killed by a masked assassin. Left with only his journal and a jade pendant snatched from his killer, she vows to take her revenge.
Seeking answers, Ying infiltrates the prestigious Engineers Guild - the ancient institution home to her father's secret past. There, she begins to navigate a world fraught with politics and treachery.
Soon though, Ying's quest for vengeance turns into a fight for survival and she'll have to stay one step ahead of everyone. . .if she's to make it out alive.
Review
Set in an imagined world where there are flying airships and metal mechanical dragons, Aihui Ying shares her father’s passion for engineering and invention. When he is ruthlessly assassinated her world is shattered. They live in the outer reaches of their kingdom, but to uncover what happened to her father she must travel to the capital.
Luckily, along the way she meets and impresses a prince called Aogiya Ye-yang with her scientific knowledge, and he offers to sponsor her to enter the competition that could see her enter the coveted Engineers Guild.
Obviously, she had to dress up and pretend to be a boy, as women could not possibly be accepted in such an esteemed guild. She soon realises that her Dad was very highly regarded within the Guild, and that his work was quite groundbreaking. He still had links within the Guild and was working on things that could have had him killed...
But with the kingdom at war, the importance of new weaponry is paramount and Ying, who was mentored so well by her father, becomes an important player in this quest.
This is a world building 'silkpunk' fantasy novel with a strong female lead character who loves science. Ying is strong willed and witty and faces many challenges head on in her attempt to avenge her father’s death. With themes of war, betrayal, female inequality, science, remaining true to your beliefs and just enough romantic angst, this book will appeal to those aged thirteen and up.
