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A review by coolkatzz
Crier's War by Nina Varela
3.0
Hmm I feel kind of conflicted on whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. On one hand, this was a really entertaining read and I enjoyed my time with it, but on the other hand, there are some aspects to the story that were so frustrating to sit through. I think I'll rate it a 3 star, but it's pretty much a 3.5 to me.
The world building was rich and lush, and this is heavily in part due to Nina Varela's stunning writing style. Everything had so much detail without feeling like a bore, and it really put me in the center of the action, as if I was watching the scenes of the book unfold in front of my eyes. I was blown away by the creativity of how Automae were made and came to be, and the mystery of their origin was well crafted as well.
I think the characters were just okay, nothing really stood out to me about their aspects, but I didn't think they were boring and 2d either. Ayla was a little stereotypical when it came to the being driven by revenge aspect, but it wasn't unbearable to read either. I liked Crier a bit more, and I think her inner turmoil was something that I really enjoyed reading. I also liked how the book swapped back and forth between a focus on Crier and a focus on Ayla, with certain chapters intermingling the two.
The romance was a bit of a let down. For the lead up that there was, there was all too little pay off, and it felt like a bit of a waste to see such obvious hints of their desires for each other but the result was kind of anticlimactic. I'm hopeful to see more of their romance develop and grow in the sequel, and if there's not then . idk
The plot was interesting, and I found that my attention was held throughout the book after the exposition, but it was interesting, because it didn't entirely feel like there was ever a climax, or that the plot was picking up, or some form of a resolution. Or at least it felt like that to me. It doesn't really change my opinion on the book because I enjoyed it nevertheless, but that was a bit strange to look back on.
I had a fun time reading this, and although there are quite a few aspects that lowered my enjoyment reading this book, I'm still really excited to see how it all plays out in Iron Heart.
The world building was rich and lush, and this is heavily in part due to Nina Varela's stunning writing style. Everything had so much detail without feeling like a bore, and it really put me in the center of the action, as if I was watching the scenes of the book unfold in front of my eyes. I was blown away by the creativity of how Automae were made and came to be, and the mystery of their origin was well crafted as well.
I think the characters were just okay, nothing really stood out to me about their aspects, but I didn't think they were boring and 2d either. Ayla was a little stereotypical when it came to the being driven by revenge aspect, but it wasn't unbearable to read either. I liked Crier a bit more, and I think her inner turmoil was something that I really enjoyed reading. I also liked how the book swapped back and forth between a focus on Crier and a focus on Ayla, with certain chapters intermingling the two.
The romance was a bit of a let down. For the lead up that there was, there was all too little pay off, and it felt like a bit of a waste to see such obvious hints of their desires for each other but the result was kind of anticlimactic. I'm hopeful to see more of their romance develop and grow in the sequel, and if there's not then . idk
The plot was interesting, and I found that my attention was held throughout the book after the exposition, but it was interesting, because it didn't entirely feel like there was ever a climax, or that the plot was picking up, or some form of a resolution. Or at least it felt like that to me. It doesn't really change my opinion on the book because I enjoyed it nevertheless, but that was a bit strange to look back on.
I had a fun time reading this, and although there are quite a few aspects that lowered my enjoyment reading this book, I'm still really excited to see how it all plays out in Iron Heart.