A review by katte
Iron Heart by Nina Varela

adventurous funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was so. good. I read it in two sittings only because I needed to sleep and work. Excellent adventure. After getting to know the protagonists in the last book, we get introduced to more characters in this one and it is not overwhelming, which is nice. I also love the fact that even though we follow two storylines for a while, I never feel like there’s a character I’d prefer to be following over the other. Each story feels like as important, just as intense, and I wanted to absorb them both at the same time! 

From book one I found the dynamic between Crier and Ayla to be problematic with the lady-handmaiden thing. But in this book they are equals, which makes their interactions and relationship so much more fun. It was genuinely funny in many places! It almost makes their relationship dynamic from the first book better - if it hadn’t been so tense and weird, would it have been so good in this book?

The ending was very satisfying in several different ways. I feel the characters stayed true to themselves, and a plot point I’d been hoping for from book 1 happened! It felt good and satisfying instead of cheap and predictable. Fabulous read!
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