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adancewithbooks's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
Thank you to Netgalley and Rebellion Publishing for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
The cover of The Iron Children is an instant attention grabber for those of us who love a good bit of Science-Fiction. Because what is better than a cyborg? We don't get real cyborgs but if you push through, this story will be worth it.
Let us start with what I think is the biggest let down for this novella is. And that is the amount of information you have to absorbe to get a good grasp on things. Especially in the first few pages terms like Sor-Commander, Dedicate and a control panel are being thrown at you. I had to go back to the synopsis to feel like I didn't miss a few installments. After the first 10-20 pages it gets better but I know that a steep learning curve like that will and can make some readers stop reading. Not everyone wants to put in that effort for a novella.
Having said I do think this novella is worth pushing through those first few pages. Ones you get a handle on the terms and the setting, a whole new world opens up. While we don't get cyborgs we get a type of hybrid. Humans that are in exoskeletons. The Sor-Commander is the leader of an unit who can control the Dedicates by a control panel. The dedicates are foot soldiers.
THis novella is about the foot soldiers. About the unit. About losing those around you. About what they had to give up (voluntarily or otherwise) to become a Dedicate. And while we get Asher mostly as a main character, the focus often lies on the Dedicates. She doesn't focus on keeping herself alive but on how to keep the unit together. And I think the strength of the novella lies with that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death
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