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A review by bibliorama
Crier's War by Nina Varela
dark
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
3.5
Enjoyment - 3.75
I quite enjoyed this book. I don't really reach for sci fi often, but this struck a nice balance between the sci fi elements and the fantasy ones. With all the alchemy and clockwork mechanics, it felt like it had a dash of steampunk strewn in, which I don't read as much as I should. The story kept me intrigued and I liked the historical document pieces that came after Crier's chapters, it was a nice touch and helped build the world. This world did feel like it had a history behind it and that the characters are living with the past's decisions. It wasn't a story that completely sucked me in to were I could forget that I was reading, but it wasn't one that I kept putting down either.
Start - 4
This start was strong and the world around these characters was built up quite well. Nothing ever felt like an info dump and information was revealed in a natural way.
Characters - 3.75
Now here I have to say Ayla was the least interesting POV to me, and if this book were told from just her perspective I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much. She starts the book out by wanting revenge against the Automae ruler because humans are in the lower class. That's a completely understandable want/desire, but it's a pretty common one in stories today. So she felt more bland and like other characters I've read. She did still have a personality that was consistent though, so it wasn't like she was poorly written just not the special sauce in this book.
Crier on the other hand was my favorite. I liked getting to learn about the automae and how they lived and what their thought process was like. They were the unique part to this book and I thought they were well done. It also doesn't hurt that most of the tension comes from Kinok and Hesod because they always are a little unhinged, and Crier has a close proximity to them. That makes her scenes pretty interesting especially since Crier is technically one of them, but never is fully brought in to that Automae circle.
With Ayla and Crier together, they were cute and pretty wholesome really. I found they were easy to root for.
Atmosphere - 2.5
I did like the history of how the Automae were created and the characters that went along with it. They built the world, but as far as the actual setting, it wasn't super vibrant. It was enough to let the characters to their thing, but not a showstopper in itself.
Plot - 4
At the heart of this story is a romance, but ultimately the plot is way more complex and deep than many YA fantasy romances I've read. The side characters have a lot of their own motivations going on. I'm excited to see where the second book takes the story.
Ending - 4
Left me wondering how the next book would proceed, so I'm definitely continuing on.
Style - 3
The writing was good and didn't distract from the story. I could see some differences in the writing for each perspective which was nice. It just wasn't something distinct from other stories, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Overall - 3.5 rounded down
I quite enjoyed this book. I don't really reach for sci fi often, but this struck a nice balance between the sci fi elements and the fantasy ones. With all the alchemy and clockwork mechanics, it felt like it had a dash of steampunk strewn in, which I don't read as much as I should. The story kept me intrigued and I liked the historical document pieces that came after Crier's chapters, it was a nice touch and helped build the world. This world did feel like it had a history behind it and that the characters are living with the past's decisions. It wasn't a story that completely sucked me in to were I could forget that I was reading, but it wasn't one that I kept putting down either.
Start - 4
This start was strong and the world around these characters was built up quite well. Nothing ever felt like an info dump and information was revealed in a natural way.
Characters - 3.75
Now here I have to say Ayla was the least interesting POV to me, and if this book were told from just her perspective I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much. She starts the book out by wanting revenge against the Automae ruler because humans are in the lower class. That's a completely understandable want/desire, but it's a pretty common one in stories today. So she felt more bland and like other characters I've read. She did still have a personality that was consistent though, so it wasn't like she was poorly written just not the special sauce in this book.
Crier on the other hand was my favorite. I liked getting to learn about the automae and how they lived and what their thought process was like. They were the unique part to this book and I thought they were well done. It also doesn't hurt that most of the tension comes from Kinok and Hesod because they always are a little unhinged, and Crier has a close proximity to them. That makes her scenes pretty interesting especially since Crier is technically one of them, but never is fully brought in to that Automae circle.
With Ayla and Crier together, they were cute and pretty wholesome really. I found they were easy to root for.
Atmosphere - 2.5
I did like the history of how the Automae were created and the characters that went along with it. They built the world, but as far as the actual setting, it wasn't super vibrant. It was enough to let the characters to their thing, but not a showstopper in itself.
Plot - 4
At the heart of this story is a romance, but ultimately the plot is way more complex and deep than many YA fantasy romances I've read. The side characters have a lot of their own motivations going on. I'm excited to see where the second book takes the story.
Ending - 4
Left me wondering how the next book would proceed, so I'm definitely continuing on.
Style - 3
The writing was good and didn't distract from the story. I could see some differences in the writing for each perspective which was nice. It just wasn't something distinct from other stories, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Overall - 3.5 rounded down
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Nothing super graphic or overly described that I noted.