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A review by valpyre
Crier's War by Nina Varela
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
[audiobook]
this book was just kind of "eh", to be honest. it didn't really blow me away, and that's fine, but i honestly just never even felt invested in the story or the characters. this book had all the well-written bones of a good read -- i though the concept of the automae were really interesting, and the political plot was coherent and drew me in quite frequently. it's clear that varela thought deeply about the history of the world they built, and i enjoyed learning about it through the timeline, and historical excerpts at the beginning of chapters.
however, as much as i liked ayla and crier's relationship, i personally found there to be a lack of development in the romance. crier was, overall, honestly too naive/childlike for me to be invested in her pining. i felt like i didn't get enough onscreen instances of their relationship that added depth to the insta-love vibe, which sucked because, again, it really has the bones of a good romance.
this book was just kind of "eh", to be honest. it didn't really blow me away, and that's fine, but i honestly just never even felt invested in the story or the characters. this book had all the well-written bones of a good read -- i though the concept of the automae were really interesting, and the political plot was coherent and drew me in quite frequently. it's clear that varela thought deeply about the history of the world they built, and i enjoyed learning about it through the timeline, and historical excerpts at the beginning of chapters.
however, as much as i liked ayla and crier's relationship, i personally found there to be a lack of development in the romance. crier was, overall, honestly too naive/childlike for me to be invested in her pining. i felt like i didn't get enough onscreen instances of their relationship that added depth to the insta-love vibe, which sucked because, again, it really has the bones of a good romance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, Child death, and Death of parent