Take a photo of a barcode or cover
abby_ace_of_books 's review for:
Crier's War
by Nina Varela
"Crier had been Designed. Crier was Made. But in the moment Ayla first touched her, Crier had learned what it felt like to be born."
Crier's War is a YA sci-fi story with familiar "AI rebellion" tropes, and it sat on my TBR for probably three or four years before I saw a special edition of it for a good price and knew I finally had to get it. I didn't know much about the book itself going into it besides that it was a story of romance and revolution, and because I haven't read many stories with these tropes, I actually enjoyed the worldbuilding.
The reader joins two POV characters, Ayla and Crier, in a world teetering on the brink of revolution. Ayla is a human who wants nothing more than to get revenge on the Automae, specifically Lady Crier. Crier is an Automae who is approaching an arranged marriage with a man who wishes to end humankind altogether. When Ayla takes the place of Crier's handmaiden, the two are immersed in a world of politics, lies, and ulterior motives. I wish there had been a bit more action, considering the story centers around a rebellion; I didn't get much sense of danger or tension. There were a handful of plot twists, none of which I predicted, but I also didn't find any of them to be too crazy.
The cast of main characters is relatively small, and I think I struggled to connect with some of them because most had some sort of ulterior motive or "evilness." I liked Benjy at first, but then I got bad vibes from him. I didn't care for Rowan or Faye or any of those side characters. I can't reveal the character I found most interesting for spoiler reasons, but I'm hoping he's involved in book two more. Ayla was a bit harder to relate to than Crier, mostly because I found her to be too stubborn for her own good, although I liked her as a main character. I liked Crier a bit more just because she showed a little more emotion (although I suppose there's symbolism in the "robot" feeling more passion than a human at times).
Crier's War is an enemies-to-sorta-lovers YA sci-fi story about the weight of love in the midst of a revolution.
3.5/5
Crier's War is a YA sci-fi story with familiar "AI rebellion" tropes, and it sat on my TBR for probably three or four years before I saw a special edition of it for a good price and knew I finally had to get it. I didn't know much about the book itself going into it besides that it was a story of romance and revolution, and because I haven't read many stories with these tropes, I actually enjoyed the worldbuilding.
The reader joins two POV characters, Ayla and Crier, in a world teetering on the brink of revolution. Ayla is a human who wants nothing more than to get revenge on the Automae, specifically Lady Crier. Crier is an Automae who is approaching an arranged marriage with a man who wishes to end humankind altogether. When Ayla takes the place of Crier's handmaiden, the two are immersed in a world of politics, lies, and ulterior motives. I wish there had been a bit more action, considering the story centers around a rebellion; I didn't get much sense of danger or tension. There were a handful of plot twists, none of which I predicted, but I also didn't find any of them to be too crazy.
The cast of main characters is relatively small, and I think I struggled to connect with some of them because most had some sort of ulterior motive or "evilness." I liked Benjy at first, but then I got bad vibes from him. I didn't care for Rowan or Faye or any of those side characters. I can't reveal the character I found most interesting for spoiler reasons, but I'm hoping he's involved in book two more. Ayla was a bit harder to relate to than Crier, mostly because I found her to be too stubborn for her own good, although I liked her as a main character. I liked Crier a bit more just because she showed a little more emotion (although I suppose there's symbolism in the "robot" feeling more passion than a human at times).
Crier's War is an enemies-to-sorta-lovers YA sci-fi story about the weight of love in the midst of a revolution.
3.5/5