Scan barcode
A review by elwirax
Crier's War by Nina Varela
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
3.0
3.5/5 maybe?
PROS:
The writing style was very easy to get into. It flowed nicely and wasn't too flowery (although it seemed rather serious and lacked humour)
I liked the romance between Ayla and Crier. While it wasn't entirely a slow burn, it was a true enemies to lovers (back to sort of enemies). The moments of passion between them were tense and it was great.
The author did a great job of addressing power dynamics and privilege (specifically looking at the oppressed becoming the oppressors).
While Crier was not my favourite character I very much admired her determination to voice her own beliefs in politics despite her controlling father. I hope this is something that is explored more in the second book.
CONS:
The start of "Crier's War" was saturated with info dumping as opposed to having things revealed gradually. This made the pacing very jarring and siffting through the information was much more difficult by the half way point. While the flashbacks were relevantly placed they weren't all smoothly incorporated into the text and I was almost thrown off by the sudden change in timeline. (This did get better over the course of the book though)
The world building was very well done however character development and relationships weren't all there. At times Crier was far too naive and trustworthy for a character I thought was meant to be the complete opposite. I was supposed to be invested in her character the most (she is the lead after all), yet I found myself more interested in the side characters. As much I enjoyed the romance between Ayla and Crier I didn't think it was established enough for me to be fully invested.
I saw many of the plot twists coming (granted this is more my own fault for being so skeptical and questioning of everything)
Overall, I think this was a very good debut with intricate worldbuilding and an interesting plot. I enjoyed "Crier's War" enough for me to be invested in the second part of this duology and I can't wait to see how everything plays out.
PROS:
The writing style was very easy to get into. It flowed nicely and wasn't too flowery (although it seemed rather serious and lacked humour)
I liked the romance between Ayla and Crier. While it wasn't entirely a slow burn, it was a true enemies to lovers (back to sort of enemies). The moments of passion between them were tense and it was great.
The author did a great job of addressing power dynamics and privilege (specifically looking at the oppressed becoming the oppressors).
While Crier was not my favourite character I very much admired her determination to voice her own beliefs in politics despite her controlling father. I hope this is something that is explored more in the second book.
CONS:
The start of "Crier's War" was saturated with info dumping as opposed to having things revealed gradually. This made the pacing very jarring and siffting through the information was much more difficult by the half way point. While the flashbacks were relevantly placed they weren't all smoothly incorporated into the text and I was almost thrown off by the sudden change in timeline. (This did get better over the course of the book though)
The world building was very well done however character development and relationships weren't all there. At times Crier was far too naive and trustworthy for a character I thought was meant to be the complete opposite. I was supposed to be invested in her character the most (she is the lead after all), yet I found myself more interested in the side characters. As much I enjoyed the romance between Ayla and Crier I didn't think it was established enough for me to be fully invested.
I saw many of the plot twists coming (granted this is more my own fault for being so skeptical and questioning of everything)
Overall, I think this was a very good debut with intricate worldbuilding and an interesting plot. I enjoyed "Crier's War" enough for me to be invested in the second part of this duology and I can't wait to see how everything plays out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content and Emotional abuse