Rating: 3.5 / 5
I read CRIER’S WAR by Nina Varela a few months back and I enjoyed the world that the author created. I was curious to see where the story went following the end of book one so I put the audiobook for IRON HEART on hold with the library when it was released.
IRON HEART is set after the War of the Kinds, a war which left humans subservient to the automae they once designed and built. In the first book human Ayla was on a mission to kill Lady Crier, daughter to the Sovereign, to exact revenge for the cruel death of her own family. Instead, Ayla finds herself drawn to Lady Crier. This second installment in the duology begins not long after the events of book one and tensions between humans and automae is higher than ever as humans seek to reassert their own lives and agency.
I did enjoy this novel as well. The world Nina Varela has developed is well built and an interesting look at a time when technology has flipped the scales with humans. Following the action of book one, the characters are a bit more split up at the beginning of this novel dealing with some of the aftermath. We get to see them in a variety of settings and get to see more of life in the outside world where relationships between humans and automae are a lot more varied.
Much as with the first novel, this was an easy and entertaining read, though not one that fully sucked me in. I wasn’t entirely hooked into the relationship between Ayla and Crier in the first book as it could have used a bit more development in my opinion, so I think that colored my reading of them in this book. Still, the politics and the world is much more of a focus and that part of the story held my interest well.
If you enjoyed CRIER’S WAR, then I definitely recommend finishing off the story with IRON HEART!
DG Reads 