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jokehelldo's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I need more violence and gore for it to be perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality
Moderate: Death of parent and Xenophobia
Minor: Cultural appropriation
some_random_person_hi's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This book:
-made me so emotional that I screamed out loud at one point and cried during the end of the Acknowledgements
-was a learning experience that I personally should not read something without spoilers
-was a pageturner
-has a very exciting ending
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Hate crime, and Racism
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and War
kell_xavi's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
3.0
Crier’s War introduces a winning concept: a land in which a queen unable to birth a child commissions a girl to be made (the first automa), and soon the upper classes all desire automai, and soon the growing numbers of automai revolt their threatened position as subpar and dangerous to humans, and so there is a war. Years later, in a kingdom run by an automa who has appropriated human customs even as he takes joy in their fearful servitude to him, a teenage girl works toward revenge for her family’s senseless death in the war, and the sovereign’s daughter comes into an understanding that her father’s and her fiancé’s hatred of humans and conspiracies among their own kind are dangerous and worth standing against.
I must admit, none of immersive fantasy, revenge stories, or romance are a draw for me, so I can’t say these elements we’re successful. I do look for unique narratives and ideas though, and Varela has certainly created something I haven’t come across before. I was curious about the automai as a computer/robot analogue or as a live automaton, a doll come to life. They seem, more than anything, given the natural elements they need to live, to be sentient creatures created by magic. Their pillars, though, are created more like AI might be coded. They’re Pinocchio x an algorithm, I guess, meant to be perfect according to some (European Enlightenment) version of the strong, symmetrically beautiful, reasoned man. This idea, taken further with a power dynamic of servitude and control, mastery through abjection and cultural genocide, is a story told many times in history, in many voices and truths. It is also a twist on the clever machine, a story of humans playing god and being killed by their creation. It is a story of the Enlightenment, Modernism, and the Computer Age, distant from any mention of divinity, a battle of gilded things, intellects, and emotions.
It is here that the print gets smudged a bit. Why is this a love story, why does the relationship become what Varela wants to say? The descriptions of Crier and Ayla listening to each other breathing, feeling each other’s warmth, being stung and angry and worried and desperate and hateful of each other, thinking of each other and holding the other’s belongings… were not new. They were sluggish in the story, overwrought and tropish, slowing down the court intrigue, the uncovers of secrets, allies and enemies. The winding and conflicting passions bring the story back to Earth (or wherever they are), away from the brilliance spinning out from all directions. Crier’s jealousy and Ayla’s sense of betrayal, unrelated to their feeling for each other, are similarly sticky, repetitive, sentences to skip past until the plot comes back in.
The events of the plot are great! The threads pull apart and stitch together and fray so many times, and I loved the weaving. There’s folktale in the lines, there’s music and dancing, murder and memory, feathers and stones, apples and ocean, a compass and black dust. The symbolism is wonderful, spinning up a creeping Victorian dread, a liveliness, a rich and storied history to the world we enter. I wanted more. I wanted Ayla and Crier to sink in, rather than floating out into each other and away from each other, as though the setting were not a magnificent tale to be told.
I must admit, none of immersive fantasy, revenge stories, or romance are a draw for me, so I can’t say these elements we’re successful. I do look for unique narratives and ideas though, and Varela has certainly created something I haven’t come across before. I was curious about the automai as a computer/robot analogue or as a live automaton, a doll come to life. They seem, more than anything, given the natural elements they need to live, to be sentient creatures created by magic. Their pillars, though, are created more like AI might be coded. They’re Pinocchio x an algorithm, I guess, meant to be perfect according to some (European Enlightenment) version of the strong, symmetrically beautiful, reasoned man. This idea, taken further with a power dynamic of servitude and control, mastery through abjection and cultural genocide, is a story told many times in history, in many voices and truths. It is also a twist on the clever machine, a story of humans playing god and being killed by their creation. It is a story of the Enlightenment, Modernism, and the Computer Age, distant from any mention of divinity, a battle of gilded things, intellects, and emotions.
It is here that the print gets smudged a bit. Why is this a love story, why does the relationship become what Varela wants to say? The descriptions of Crier and Ayla listening to each other breathing, feeling each other’s warmth, being stung and angry and worried and desperate and hateful of each other, thinking of each other and holding the other’s belongings… were not new. They were sluggish in the story, overwrought and tropish, slowing down the court intrigue, the uncovers of secrets, allies and enemies. The winding and conflicting passions bring the story back to Earth (or wherever they are), away from the brilliance spinning out from all directions. Crier’s jealousy and Ayla’s sense of betrayal, unrelated to their feeling for each other, are similarly sticky, repetitive, sentences to skip past until the plot comes back in.
The events of the plot are great! The threads pull apart and stitch together and fray so many times, and I loved the weaving. There’s folktale in the lines, there’s music and dancing, murder and memory, feathers and stones, apples and ocean, a compass and black dust. The symbolism is wonderful, spinning up a creeping Victorian dread, a liveliness, a rich and storied history to the world we enter. I wanted more. I wanted Ayla and Crier to sink in, rather than floating out into each other and away from each other, as though the setting were not a magnificent tale to be told.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Murder, and War
Minor: Sexual content and Infertility
clayclay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-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
5.0
This story challenged me. It was impossible to put down. Incredibly engaging and visceral descriptions. Summer coming like “a slow descent into boiling water.” UGH SO GOOD. We love a sapphic antifascist sci-fi rebellion
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Xenophobia, Violence, and Genocide
cheeky_biscuits's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Murder, War, Violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Blood, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Misogyny, Classism, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Minor: Confinement and Dysphoria
marshiereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really and truly liked this book! The author had me from the very beginning with a timeline. Some fantasy novels can drag you through the trenches trying to learn their world and this one is not one of them! I feel like I’m along for the ride, learning about it with her rather than in spite of her. I’m gonna talk specific so spoilers ahead. Also please look at the trigger warnings for this book if that applies as this book has a lot!!
The inner turmoil of both, but especially, Ayla and Crier had me reading the book in only a couple sittings. I almost couldn’t put it down. Trying to figure out what was and wasn’t one of Kinok’s manipulations had me reeling to the literal last pages of the book. I mean wow! The romance was certainly a part of the plot but this is not a “romance book” it is fantasy first but it still felt completely integral and not just thrown in there. I was also a fan of the fact that it wasn’t one of those “we can’t do this because it’s wrong because it’s gay” because frankly as an lgbtq+ person myself I was grateful for some relenting on that narrative choice. There still was an element of “wrongness” but more because on girl literally wanted to kill the other. Overall an excellent start to the series and I cannot wait to read the second (I’ve got it on hold now).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Gore, Genocide, Gaslighting, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, and Body horror
Minor: Miscarriage
cemeterygay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I adored this book. It hit all of the right tropes for me. I mean person and machine falling in love. Exploring the boundaries of humanity and the consequences of war and oppression, I adore it. Both Crier and Ayla are great protagonists and I adored reading both of their POVs, I just wish the supporting cast was a bit more memorable. I think the world for the most part was quite understandable, but the initial timeline was a bit hard to wrap your head around.
I also loved that we got a Sapphic romance that wasn't solely focused on coming out. I also really enjoyed the writing style of this book and I found the ending cliffhanger to be quite effective. While quite a few twists were predictable, the reveals were still quite satisfying and it wasn't necessarily a let down that they weren't revolutionary.
I was very concerned that this was going to be a yet another book where a person in a position of privilege only begins to care about oppression because they think a person that is oppressed is cute, but that was not what this was. It is very clear from the onset that Crier has severe doubts about the treatment of humans and from the get go wants to help improve the lives of humans separate to her relationship with Ayla.
I really liked this book but I will say it's nothing that revolutionary. I would recommend this book but it's not like you have to read it.
I also loved that we got a Sapphic romance that wasn't solely focused on coming out. I also really enjoyed the writing style of this book and I found the ending cliffhanger to be quite effective. While quite a few twists were predictable, the reveals were still quite satisfying and it wasn't necessarily a let down that they weren't revolutionary.
I was very concerned that this was going to be a yet another book where a person in a position of privilege only begins to care about oppression because they think a person that is oppressed is cute, but that was not what this was. It is very clear from the onset that Crier has severe doubts about the treatment of humans and from the get go wants to help improve the lives of humans separate to her relationship with Ayla.
I really liked this book but I will say it's nothing that revolutionary. I would recommend this book but it's not like you have to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Grief, Misogyny, Xenophobia, and Infertility
Moderate: War and Cultural appropriation
Cultural Appropriation is of fictional cultures. Discussions of infertility refer to past figures and not main characters but is still discussed in depth.k_aro's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It was good.... I definitely enjoyed the slow burn enemies to lovers, but I'm not sure if, as a whole, it'll be particularly memorable for me. Like, it was good, but not life-changingly good.
Crier and Ayla are... good? Characters? I'm definitely not categorically opposed to them but I don't think they're particularly compelling in and of themselves, they seem kind of standard.
It was pretty gripping, though. It took me a little bit to get into it but it was definitely exciting after that.
Crier and Ayla are... good? Characters? I'm definitely not categorically opposed to them but I don't think they're particularly compelling in and of themselves, they seem kind of standard.
It was pretty gripping, though. It took me a little bit to get into it but it was definitely exciting after that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Misogyny, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Cultural appropriation, Police brutality, and War
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Self harm, and Infertility
It's sort of hard to talk about the more social aspects of this book, given that it's between a fictional race and a real one, so when I say "cultural appropriation" I'm unsure whether it would realistically affect someone, given that it is largely the king appropriating human culture (such as, marital traditions).morganish's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Crier's War started off a little slow for me, BUT. The book very quickly overcame my doubts, and I found myself really looking forward to picking it back up every night! It's fantasy of the YA variety, which doesn't deviate too much from a lot of the themes, stylistic choices, and characterization of other YA stories.
Yet even as I've been leaning away from YA fantasy and more toward adult recently, I found myself really absorbed in this one. The prose was straightforward, but sometimes unexpectedly beautiful; the worldbuilding wasn't dense or complicated, and yet the central conceit works well and there's a surprising amount of effective mystery. All the untold secrets yet to be discovered ultimately worked to hook me in. The romance is a kind I like but don't often find executed this effectively: angst-heavy, with lots of pining. It's a true slow burn, with outstanding threads still left hanging by the end of this installment, the first of a duology. Even though I'd heard others say this book was really good, AND even though I was excited by the idea of AI creations in a traditional fantasy setting, I was still surprised how good Crier's War was.
If you like your slow-burn romances to actually feel like something slow and aching and epic, this book probably has what you're looking for. (Especially if you're looking for more sapphic fantasy.) If you like the feel of YA fantasy stories, but sometimes wish the worldbuilding had just a little bit more mystery or intrigue like adult fantasy, this might serve, depending on your tastes. But if you're just completely done with YA fantasy and all the aspects that come with it, or don't like romances that build across multiple books, OR don't like the enemies-to-lovers trope, this book probably won't do much for you.
Yet even as I've been leaning away from YA fantasy and more toward adult recently, I found myself really absorbed in this one. The prose was straightforward, but sometimes unexpectedly beautiful; the worldbuilding wasn't dense or complicated, and yet the central conceit works well and there's a surprising amount of effective mystery. All the untold secrets yet to be discovered ultimately worked to hook me in. The romance is a kind I like but don't often find executed this effectively: angst-heavy, with lots of pining. It's a true slow burn, with outstanding threads still left hanging by the end of this installment, the first of a duology. Even though I'd heard others say this book was really good, AND even though I was excited by the idea of AI creations in a traditional fantasy setting, I was still surprised how good Crier's War was.
If you like your slow-burn romances to actually feel like something slow and aching and epic, this book probably has what you're looking for. (Especially if you're looking for more sapphic fantasy.) If you like the feel of YA fantasy stories, but sometimes wish the worldbuilding had just a little bit more mystery or intrigue like adult fantasy, this might serve, depending on your tastes. But if you're just completely done with YA fantasy and all the aspects that come with it, or don't like romances that build across multiple books, OR don't like the enemies-to-lovers trope, this book probably won't do much for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Confinement, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, and Sexism
A lot of the elements I include about the content warnings are specifically fantastical, like fantastical xenophobia. Most of the other content warnings have some level of fantastic to them as well. It isn't a direct reference to IRL events and doesn't include IRL bigotry, for example.offbrandclubsoda's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I enjoyed this sapphic fantasy aspect of this book but I found the writing to be somewhat weak. The world-building takes place in the first couple pages instead of unfolding throughout the story.
Spice level: 🌶/5
Spice level: 🌶/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Infertility
Minor: Gaslighting