Iron Widow

This YA science fiction, described as The Handmaid's Tale meets the Pacific Rim, was loosely inspired by the first and only female emperor in Chinese history, Empress Wu. Young female soon-to-be-warrior Zetian is out to avenge her sister's wrongful death. While few concubine-pilots survive a battle—their life force basically gets sucked dry by the pilot—Zetian not only survives, she kills the pilot who murdered her sister. And she’s not about to stop there. Zetian is feisty and she can be mean in her fight to show her people that women deserve better than having their feet bound and dying as concubine-pilots. Because her feet are bound, she sometimes uses a cane or wheelchair. There’s political intrigue and misogynous advisors who would rather see her dead, on top of fighting battles against Hunduns. And if all that wasn’t enough, there’s a polyamorous love triangle with Shimin, the pilot she’s paired with, and Yizhi, her only friend.