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lisamcc514's review against another edition
1.0
Only made it to page 33. In those 33 pages there were FOUR points of view. And omg she’s in love with a robot. I can’t. Maybe I should give it more of a chance, but I’m not going to. DNF.
I will say that the OwlCrate edition is beautiful with the purple stained edges.
I will say that the OwlCrate edition is beautiful with the purple stained edges.
christajls's review against another edition
4.0
Originally reviewed on Women Write About Comics
I’m a little overdue on actually writing about Heart of Iron, but I’ve been singing the praises of this book since February to anyone who will listen. Trust me when I say it’s the science fiction retelling of Anastasia you didn’t realize you’d been waiting for.
The novel takes the reader on a wild space adventure alongside 17-year-old Ana. At a young age, Ana was taken in by a space pirate and her crew, and ever since she has been kicking butt and taking names alongside her best friend, a sentient android called D09. So when D09 starts glitching their new mission is clear: find a way to save him. Along the way, their paths cross with an Ironblood, who happens to be a member of the royal family, and soon the entire kingdom is after them. If they all want to make it out alive they’ll have to find a way to put their differences aside and work together.
Now there are a number of reasons you should read this book. It has great action, it’s fast-paced, and you’ll fall in love with every one of the protagonists. There are four different POVs in this book: Ana, D09, Robb, the Ironblood, and Jax, the roguish pilot of the pirate crew. Each character has a distinct, unique voice and they are all fabulous in their own way. Ana and D09’s lives are so intertwined, but there are some difficult obstacles standing in their way (like his dwindling lifespan); yet, it was actually the relationship between Robb and Jax that I was truly obsessed with. If you ship Finn and Poe than you are going to love these two.
Six months and many, many books later, this is still one of my favourite reads of 2018, and I think any fan of the Star Wars expanded universe novel Lost Stars or the Defy the Stars series, both by Claudia Gray, will feel the same. The only downside is we have to wait until 2019 to find out what happens next.
I’m a little overdue on actually writing about Heart of Iron, but I’ve been singing the praises of this book since February to anyone who will listen. Trust me when I say it’s the science fiction retelling of Anastasia you didn’t realize you’d been waiting for.
The novel takes the reader on a wild space adventure alongside 17-year-old Ana. At a young age, Ana was taken in by a space pirate and her crew, and ever since she has been kicking butt and taking names alongside her best friend, a sentient android called D09. So when D09 starts glitching their new mission is clear: find a way to save him. Along the way, their paths cross with an Ironblood, who happens to be a member of the royal family, and soon the entire kingdom is after them. If they all want to make it out alive they’ll have to find a way to put their differences aside and work together.
Now there are a number of reasons you should read this book. It has great action, it’s fast-paced, and you’ll fall in love with every one of the protagonists. There are four different POVs in this book: Ana, D09, Robb, the Ironblood, and Jax, the roguish pilot of the pirate crew. Each character has a distinct, unique voice and they are all fabulous in their own way. Ana and D09’s lives are so intertwined, but there are some difficult obstacles standing in their way (like his dwindling lifespan); yet, it was actually the relationship between Robb and Jax that I was truly obsessed with. If you ship Finn and Poe than you are going to love these two.
Six months and many, many books later, this is still one of my favourite reads of 2018, and I think any fan of the Star Wars expanded universe novel Lost Stars or the Defy the Stars series, both by Claudia Gray, will feel the same. The only downside is we have to wait until 2019 to find out what happens next.
paragraphsandpages's review against another edition
4.0
“She was a girl born in fire and raised in the stars, and she would burn against the darkness.”
Stars (Out of 10): 8/10 Stars
Favorite Character: Di!
Spoiler Free: Overall, this book kept surprising me with how well developed it felt! I haven’t read this author’s other book yet, but this really makes me want to!
This book was chock full with action and plot! The first 25% of the book could’ve been an entire book on its own almost, in terms of quantity of plot and action. For the most part, I loved the fast pace and the way this book constantly kept me on my toes, but I can also see how it’s super overwhelming/overdoes the twists, and it keeps getting harder and harder to surprise the reader. Additionally, nothing that happened was all that surprising, but I do like the set up this book does for the rest of the series (especially the villain!!)
In terms of world and characters, I also felt the author did a fairly good job! She tackled a very complex world with many races/ideologies that all were an important part of the story, as well as a sea of different characters as well. While at points some things were under explained or certain characters were not given enough meaning before their death, I was overall quite impressed with the author’s general ability to show and not just tell!
I honestly cannot wait until the next book, and am excited to see where the plot continues to go!
Careful! Spoilers beyond this point!
Spoilers:
Stars (Out of 10): 8/10 Stars
Favorite Character: Di!
Spoiler Free: Overall, this book kept surprising me with how well developed it felt! I haven’t read this author’s other book yet, but this really makes me want to!
This book was chock full with action and plot! The first 25% of the book could’ve been an entire book on its own almost, in terms of quantity of plot and action. For the most part, I loved the fast pace and the way this book constantly kept me on my toes, but I can also see how it’s super overwhelming/overdoes the twists, and it keeps getting harder and harder to surprise the reader. Additionally, nothing that happened was all that surprising, but I do like the set up this book does for the rest of the series (especially the villain!!)
In terms of world and characters, I also felt the author did a fairly good job! She tackled a very complex world with many races/ideologies that all were an important part of the story, as well as a sea of different characters as well. While at points some things were under explained or certain characters were not given enough meaning before their death, I was overall quite impressed with the author’s general ability to show and not just tell!
I honestly cannot wait until the next book, and am excited to see where the plot continues to go!
Careful! Spoilers beyond this point!
Spoilers:
Spoiler
Only thing I wanna say here is that I really like where the story is going with the romances. For the first 75% of the book, it all felt like it was coming together so easily. But now I know that Jax sacrifices his life whenever he touches/kisses Robb, and Di and Ana are in a super tough situation at the moment (understatement much?) I just love the fact that we are already given pairings to cheer for, and now get to see them struggle (hopefully together instead of apart!)enzan's review against another edition
1.0
At first glance, this book was ideal for me. A robot romance, thoroughly mixed with action. At first, the heavy exposition used towards the beginning put me off. However, as this was a book recommended to me for a professional project, I persisted through to about three-fourths of the book. The romances advanced very quickly and the motivations of the characters were hard for me to empathize with. Often their motives didn't seem backed with much substance. The plot definitely could have used some more work in the editing stage, as there was great potential. The main character was likeable, and the whole cast had a lot of potential to be likeable. The queer themes and robot just weren't enough to keep me engaged. DNF
ladywestfall's review against another edition
4.0
"I’ll always come back for you. I promise you on iron and stars."
This is basically Ana in space! And I love the movie, Anastasia! So that is a +++
The plot was interesting though reading the first few chapters was weird. I was so confused about everything. I feel like there was a problem with how Poston dumped all the info and the world building in her writing. It took me a long time to finish this book though time isn't really in my hands these days so idk if that's the problem. I had so many questions about every thing but tried to just brush it off as I go along because I'm pretty invested on the characters already so might as well just continue reading.
I love the dynamics of the characters! Personal fave: Di. I actually didn't know how to feel about all the robot stuff and D09 being a robot "with feelings" but halfway through the book, I fell inlove with the Ana-D09 ship. They are just so adorable.
Jax and Robb are fcking cheesy. But nevertheless, I adore them.
This is basically Ana in space! And I love the movie, Anastasia! So that is a +++
The plot was interesting though reading the first few chapters was weird. I was so confused about everything. I feel like there was a problem with how Poston dumped all the info and the world building in her writing. It took me a long time to finish this book though time isn't really in my hands these days so idk if that's the problem. I had so many questions about every thing but tried to just brush it off as I go along because I'm pretty invested on the characters already so might as well just continue reading.
I love the dynamics of the characters! Personal fave: Di. I actually didn't know how to feel about all the robot stuff and D09 being a robot "with feelings" but halfway through the book, I fell inlove with the Ana-D09 ship. They are just so adorable.
Jax and Robb are fcking cheesy. But nevertheless, I adore them.
bookworm097's review against another edition
4.0
About half way through this book, I was planning on giving this a 3-star rating. I had super high expectations for this book. I adored [b:Geekerella|30724132|Geekerella|Ashley Poston|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476734515s/30724132.jpg|50652411], Ashley's first book. Because that was such an amazingly written book with lovable characters and an wonderful plot, I expected this book to be the same. I was a bit disappointed, but the ending of the book helped it out a lot.
At first, this felt kind of like a cheap [b:Cinder|36381037|Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)|Marissa Meyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507557775s/36381037.jpg|15545385]. Very similar world, and from the beginning, the whole (SPOILER ALERT) lost princess thing was a dead giveaway. I knew Ana was the lost princess as soon as it was mentioned (also, she supposedly died in a fire, know she's living under a different name with no memories, sound familiar). Plus, there's an android that seems far more human than they should. Also, a mysterious, incurable plague was devastating humanity. See the similarities? So I wasn't super impressed with this book in the beginning.
The plot twist near the end about how the Metals came about was enough to bump this rating up to 4 stars. I'm very interested to learn more about the history of the plague and how the Metals truly came about.
That being said, I still have issues with this book. The beginning was pretty confusing. There wasn't enough set up and background. I'm still confused as to why Ana thought she needed those coordinates and how she knew where to get them, etc. I also don't think we got enough time with the crew of the Dossier. Too many of them died before we even really got to know them. I would have liked a slower beginning. Some things throughout the book did seem to move a bit too fast for my taste. I would have liked a little more explanation, and definitely more world building. I have a hard time picturing the image on the front cover being what it's supposed to be. I don't think things were described well enough. There was a lot of talk about the 'Great Dark' however we have NO idea what it is. I would have liked some more explanation on what it is, where it came from, what it's going to do, etc.
My complaints aside, I'm still quite intrigued about this story and will definitely be picking the next book up when it comes out.
At first, this felt kind of like a cheap [b:Cinder|36381037|Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)|Marissa Meyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507557775s/36381037.jpg|15545385]. Very similar world, and from the beginning, the whole (SPOILER ALERT) lost princess thing was a dead giveaway. I knew Ana was the lost princess as soon as it was mentioned (also, she supposedly died in a fire, know she's living under a different name with no memories, sound familiar). Plus, there's an android that seems far more human than they should. Also, a mysterious, incurable plague was devastating humanity. See the similarities? So I wasn't super impressed with this book in the beginning.
The plot twist near the end about how the Metals came about was enough to bump this rating up to 4 stars. I'm very interested to learn more about the history of the plague and how the Metals truly came about.
That being said, I still have issues with this book. The beginning was pretty confusing. There wasn't enough set up and background. I'm still confused as to why Ana thought she needed those coordinates and how she knew where to get them, etc. I also don't think we got enough time with the crew of the Dossier. Too many of them died before we even really got to know them. I would have liked a slower beginning. Some things throughout the book did seem to move a bit too fast for my taste. I would have liked a little more explanation, and definitely more world building. I have a hard time picturing the image on the front cover being what it's supposed to be. I don't think things were described well enough. There was a lot of talk about the 'Great Dark' however we have NO idea what it is. I would have liked some more explanation on what it is, where it came from, what it's going to do, etc.
My complaints aside, I'm still quite intrigued about this story and will definitely be picking the next book up when it comes out.
glyf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
isabro414's review against another edition
5.0
I went into this book very interested in the premise, but I’m not gonna lie the first few chapters were very off-putting (I wasn’t sure I could get behind a robotxhuman romance for personal preference reasons).
I am so glad I preserved. After the first hundred pages or so the plot grabbed me- I am not usually a plot-driven reader as much as I am a character-driven one, so this book was exciting for me.
I liked the characters and the friendships. I am a huge fan of how she looked at redefining family. I’m still unsure if I liked the pacing of the romantics. Ultimately: I loved the plot enough to buy the next book and give this 5 stars
I am so glad I preserved. After the first hundred pages or so the plot grabbed me- I am not usually a plot-driven reader as much as I am a character-driven one, so this book was exciting for me.
I liked the characters and the friendships. I am a huge fan of how she looked at redefining family. I’m still unsure if I liked the pacing of the romantics. Ultimately: I loved the plot enough to buy the next book and give this 5 stars
petalish's review against another edition
3.0
Review to come.Portrayed as a sci-fi retelling of Anastasia, this novel takes you on a swash-buckling adventure with Ana and the outlaw crew of the Dossier, as they try to find a way to fix her failing robot, D09, commonly called Di. Secrets are gradually unraveled and the stakes are risen, as An learns more about her past, and her best friend, Di.
For a book that has gone to print, there were a surprising number of typos throughout the book, and even some wrongly printed names that made a confusing world all the more difficult to navigate. The world building is one of the aspects that definitely fell short in this novel with so many things referenced with little to no explanation or context as to what they meant. I found myself having to re-read several passages and even chapters just trying to get an understanding of what is going down.
The story is told from multiple points of view, and at times the frequent shifts between them really seemed unnecessary, and I feel that the story could have benefited by dropping some of them. It was very jarring and it made it difficult to relate and connect with many of the characters.
The pacing slow at a number of points, but the ending certainly picked up the pace, but I found that most of the plot twists were predictable with little in the way of surprises throughout. Things progressed exactly how I thought they would, and that made it difficult for me to continue to the end.
What I did love though was the characters and the representation, the building relationship between Jax and Robb was adorable and fun to see. And I while I did love Di and Ana individually, I wasn't sold on the whole insta-love and I would have loved to have seen a bit more of a build there, and got a few more glimpses about what makes their relationship what it is.
For me, this was a 3 out of 5 stars. Maybe 3.5.
For a book that has gone to print, there were a surprising number of typos throughout the book, and even some wrongly printed names that made a confusing world all the more difficult to navigate. The world building is one of the aspects that definitely fell short in this novel with so many things referenced with little to no explanation or context as to what they meant. I found myself having to re-read several passages and even chapters just trying to get an understanding of what is going down.
The story is told from multiple points of view, and at times the frequent shifts between them really seemed unnecessary, and I feel that the story could have benefited by dropping some of them. It was very jarring and it made it difficult to relate and connect with many of the characters.
The pacing slow at a number of points, but the ending certainly picked up the pace, but I found that most of the plot twists were predictable with little in the way of surprises throughout. Things progressed exactly how I thought they would, and that made it difficult for me to continue to the end.
What I did love though was the characters and the representation, the building relationship between Jax and Robb was adorable and fun to see. And I while I did love Di and Ana individually, I wasn't sold on the whole insta-love and I would have loved to have seen a bit more of a build there, and got a few more glimpses about what makes their relationship what it is.
For me, this was a 3 out of 5 stars. Maybe 3.5.
whitreadslit's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t typically read much sci-fi, but I really enjoyed this book! I thought she did a great job with using four narrators. Sometimes that can be difficult to balance, but I enjoyed every perspective. I really want to pick up the sequel now! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2