A review by mweis
The Iron Children by Rebecca Fraimow

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

*I received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This was an interesting novella that packed a punch but still left me wanting. The plot is tight. It follows a novice who is quickly thrown into a position of power while traveling with a group of soldiers because the commander is incapacitated, except someone in the group is not who they seem.

I loved the atmosphere here. Rebecca Fraimow does a good job of setting up the cold isolated setting and I liked the way she utilized first person perspective to give us insight into the imposter and create that tension. This book also touches on a lot of themes like religion/faith/ideology and autonomy and humanity.

I did find the start a little jarring because Fraimow doesn’t hold back from the worldbuilding so by the time I felt settled into the world the book was basically over. I also found the non-perspective characters a little flat for my tastes, though that could be because of the length.

Overall, I thought this was spam interesting thought experiment and would love to read more from this author or in this world.