Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Iron Heart by Nina Varela

9 reviews

bergha1998's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Ayla has run to the Mad Queen’s court in hopes of finding her brother & fighting against Kinok’s evil plan. Crier’s wedding is upon her & she is still trying to get out of marrying a horrible man like Kinok. 

LGBTQIA+, Enemies to Lovers

“If the Universe were static, I could stand anywhere in this world and I swear my line of sight would end on you. I swear I’d find you in the dark.”

“Because you are brilliant and have never once used it to cause harm.”

“You can’t read me once and know everything.” “Then I will read you again and again.”

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some_random_person_hi's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful reflective sad
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 This is so YA Fantasy, in all the good and not so good ways. This includes being full of tropes and this book is packed to the brim with tropes. 

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oliverreeds's review

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adventurous tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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ceresper's review

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adventurous hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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cemeterygay's review

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adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I really loved the first book and I somehow adored this book even more. 

I honestly don't have much to say negatively about this book. Instead I'm going to focus on why this was a five star read for me.

I loved how Ayla and Crier's relationship was explored in this book. I adored the way Ayla and her brother's interactions were portrayed specifically how much their relationship has changed since childhood and how that's reflected. 

I adored how the complications of war were portrayed in this book and how Crier interacting more with the world was portrayed. I especially adored Crier's time spent with the rebellion. I love the reveal about the Iron Heart and what actually helps Automae run and the horror behind it. It's so satisfying to watch so many people who have been subjugated and had their autonomy stripped from them regain their autonomy and truly rise to the occasion. The most satisfying example of this is the conclusion of Faye's story. Watching her become a pivotal character in this book after having so much stripped from her is phemomenal.

The explorations of what it means to be human, conversations about the complexity of privilege and what revolution actually entails is so beautifully handled. I love the hopeful messaging and the emphasis on the beauty of life and love. I think the political intrigue was so well handled and came to a satisfying conclusion in this book. I also adored the explorations of trust in this book and how it impacted everyone's interactions with each other and specifically the importance of trust and solidarity in revolutionary movements.

The epilogue is probably one of my favorite parts of the book and wraps up the intense journey Crier and Ayla go through so well.

Everything about Crier's love for both humanity and Ayla is so beautifully written and will stick with me for a while. 

If you're looking for a duology that heavily features a sapphic romance that doesn't involve homophobia and centers the beauty of humanity and regaining autonomy in the face of oppression, I could not recommend this book enough.

This is a beautiful read that will stick with me for quite a while.

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recycled_personalities's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Literally the PERFECT ENDING! This series was very well written and the characters are phenomenally written as well! PLEASE READ IT!!!

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alyxinthestars's review

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adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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offbrandclubsoda's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Similar to the first book in this series, I found the Iron Heart to be an enjoyable sapphic YA fantasy. It was light-hearted and pleasant. I found the writing to be somewhat weak, and the pacing to be odd (slow then rushed). There wasn’t enough spice for my taste (only a couple kisses), but I suppose that goes with the YA territory.

Spice level: 🌶/5

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caidyn's review

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

What a solid end to this duology. While I'd like more in the story since I know it's just the beginning, I really enjoyed that this wrapped up neatly and without a whole bunch of queer pain.

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