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cosmicrusalka's review against another edition
2.0
Overall it was pretty boring. I have definitely read worse, but it was so hard for me to care about any of the characters or the plot. The cover of the book gave me the impression that it would be steam/diesel punk and other than the last few chapters it does not really have that feel at all. Almost like the author decided at the last minute that they wanted to make a strampunk novel and honestly fell very short.
jpcapili's review against another edition
1.0
Summary: Heart Of Iron is a story about a Russian girl who traveled across the continent to seek an alliance against an emerging empire.
Good: book's only strength is in the narrator's voice; nice book cover art
Bad: too much ideas but little exploration; Florence Nightingale isn't threatening enough
The book presents so many ideas: politics, religions, races, genders, historical events, that they become too cumbersome for me, and yet still come up short. I also wish it has more sci-fi to it since the book is being pegged as a steampunk novel. I dislike that Florence Nightingale (antagonist) does not do anything evil. She is imposing and intimidating but not enough evilness in her to make me actually hate her. There's also little character development for the two heartthrobs in the story. A fail attempt by the author in romance department. However, I do appreciate Sasha (the protagonist) and her auntie for their perspective on life, their resourcefulness, empowerment, independence and judge of character. Girl Power!
Good: book's only strength is in the narrator's voice; nice book cover art
Bad: too much ideas but little exploration; Florence Nightingale isn't threatening enough
The book presents so many ideas: politics, religions, races, genders, historical events, that they become too cumbersome for me, and yet still come up short. I also wish it has more sci-fi to it since the book is being pegged as a steampunk novel. I dislike that Florence Nightingale (antagonist) does not do anything evil. She is imposing and intimidating but not enough evilness in her to make me actually hate her. There's also little character development for the two heartthrobs in the story. A fail attempt by the author in romance department. However, I do appreciate Sasha (the protagonist) and her auntie for their perspective on life, their resourcefulness, empowerment, independence and judge of character. Girl Power!
tessisreading2's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this but not as much as I thought I would; it had a very YA feel to it, in which none of the peril felt terribly perilous and Sasha's journey was smoothed by innumerable friends and allies. No sooner did she find herself in difficult straits than someone swept in and helped her out. On the one hand, it's nice to think that people are fundamentally good; on the other hand, for a book that deals with the fate of nations and wars, it's too bloodless, too free of actual trauma. Similarly, there's a love triangle which doesn't really register as a love triangle - not enough romance in any direction to make Sasha's pining make sense.
The historical background is also kind of sketchy - the key point, I guess, is that the Decembrists won, but (a) they weren't actually pushing for Konstantin to take the throne and (b) Konstantin wasn't actually that progressive - and the choice to make Florence Nightingale the villainous spymistress, a sexist, chauvinist jerk who is obsessively in love with Sidney Herbert despite the fact that he's married to someone else, and willing to burn the world in part because of her sexual frustration and anger, doesn't sit quite well with me. Sure, it's cool to be like "oh, Florence Nightingale, I know her!" and my knowledge of the historical FN's character and personality is nonexistent, but it's discomfiting in a way: she definitely wasn't, historically, this lady, so the choice to give a fictional villain a historical figure's name feels icky.
The historical background is also kind of sketchy - the key point, I guess, is that the Decembrists won, but (a) they weren't actually pushing for Konstantin to take the throne and (b) Konstantin wasn't actually that progressive - and the choice to make Florence Nightingale the villainous spymistress, a sexist, chauvinist jerk who is obsessively in love with Sidney Herbert despite the fact that he's married to someone else, and willing to burn the world in part because of her sexual frustration and anger, doesn't sit quite well with me. Sure, it's cool to be like "oh, Florence Nightingale, I know her!" and my knowledge of the historical FN's character and personality is nonexistent, but it's discomfiting in a way: she definitely wasn't, historically, this lady, so the choice to give a fictional villain a historical figure's name feels icky.
sausome's review against another edition
3.0
Russian history, industrialization, Russia+China, English=traitors, and one "unruly" recently debuted girl attending university for the first time that women are allowed to attend, in St. Petersburg, due to her unconventional, strong-willed "spinster" aunt 'bullying' Emperor Constantine in front of his countrymen. Add to this a handful of 'Chinamen' also attending the university, who begin to go missing, while sneaky plainclothes Russian secret police hang out near their quarters. Also, Sasha (girl previously mentioned) befriends the 'Chinamen' and learns all about their country's conflicts, between Manchus and Taipings, and hates the unfairness of the haughty male professors insisting all races not caucasian and also all women have brains and intelligence far below their fellow white male.
One night Sasha gets nabbed along with her Chinese friends by the secret police, and an Englishman inexplicably falls from the sky and manages to get her free. Thus begins Sasha's mission to make sure her Chinese friends are safe, uncover secret spies and untrue alliances between countries, and convince the Chinese emperor to align with the Russian Emperor (and vice versa) in a coming war with the English and Turkish. She rides a train all the way to Beijing, through Siberia, dressed as a Russian male "hussar" in the military, complete with mustache, to do what she must, along with her sympathetic, traitor-to-his-country Englishman with crazy jumping powers, making friends along the way with Chinese fur traders and a group of Russian military guys.
All that being said, this book was pretty cool, and like all Ekaterina Sedia novels, so well described and painted with words.
One night Sasha gets nabbed along with her Chinese friends by the secret police, and an Englishman inexplicably falls from the sky and manages to get her free. Thus begins Sasha's mission to make sure her Chinese friends are safe, uncover secret spies and untrue alliances between countries, and convince the Chinese emperor to align with the Russian Emperor (and vice versa) in a coming war with the English and Turkish. She rides a train all the way to Beijing, through Siberia, dressed as a Russian male "hussar" in the military, complete with mustache, to do what she must, along with her sympathetic, traitor-to-his-country Englishman with crazy jumping powers, making friends along the way with Chinese fur traders and a group of Russian military guys.
All that being said, this book was pretty cool, and like all Ekaterina Sedia novels, so well described and painted with words.
anzuk's review against another edition
3.0
Ekaterina Sedia is an amazing writer. I absolutely fell in love with her style after reading [b: The Alchemy of Stone|2412562|The Alchemy of Stone|Ekaterina Sedia|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338051172s/2412562.jpg|2419739], and I was expecting Heart of Iron to be the same. Sadly, it wasn’t. I mean writing-wise it was pretty good, Sedia does have some mad writing skills, but the story wasn’t really my cup.
I also liked the characters, especially Sasha and Jack, who made a great team imho. The rest of them didn’t really impress me much, but they were still cleverly built.
…
Yeah. I’m absolutely out of ideas so I’m gonna end this here. Mini reviews ftw!
2.5 stars
Review also posted on
I also liked the characters, especially Sasha and Jack, who made a great team imho. The rest of them didn’t really impress me much, but they were still cleverly built.
…
Yeah. I’m absolutely out of ideas so I’m gonna end this here. Mini reviews ftw!
2.5 stars
Review also posted on
christophertd's review against another edition
3.0
I think this is more 3.5 but just not quite 4. Curse arbitrary ratings. Overall it was enjoyable, but felt that it lacked a little tension, though it did seem by the end of the book that Sasha's progress had been stage managed somewhat by her aunt. This allowed for the somewhat serene progress through dangerous areas and situations. Worth a read, and worth recommending to youngsters wanting variation from alpha males charging about the place.
badmc's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Sasha finds herself in a university in an alternate history Russia. When her Chinese friends start to dissapear, she goes on an impulsive mission, with the help of some friends.
The book was a cosy adventure with pretty high stakes, but a low threat to either the protagonist or the main objective. I found Sasha to be neurodivergent, without deep connections to other characters - so I didn't connect that much either. The book felt short and I'd like themes of colonialism and misogyny explored more, although I found it done subtly and tactfully.
The book was a cosy adventure with pretty high stakes, but a low threat to either the protagonist or the main objective. I found Sasha to be neurodivergent, without deep connections to other characters - so I didn't connect that much either. The book felt short and I'd like themes of colonialism and misogyny explored more, although I found it done subtly and tactfully.
wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
Loved the beginning. Loved the world. Really liked the characters. But once we leave St. Petersburg and go into what is, essentially, one big chase, it got boring and disjointed and never really lived up to the promises made in the early going. Which is to bad because it really did start of quite great.
cupiscent's review against another edition
4.0
This alternihistory Russian/Chinese steampunk adventure is quite charming and I'm disposed to like it for many reasons. For starters, it's steampunkery set somewhere other than England or the US (though, strangely, mostly English-speaking; I would be interested in learning the reasons behind that) and it includes some wonderful themes of identity in a time of great flux. Our heroine is both capable and ladylike right down to the tremendously restrained treatment of the love triangle.
Unfortunately, all that charming doesn't leave an awful lot of room for excitement or pace, and while I found myself consistently pleased with reading it, it never gripped me by anything vital.
Unfortunately, all that charming doesn't leave an awful lot of room for excitement or pace, and while I found myself consistently pleased with reading it, it never gripped me by anything vital.