Another fantastic book from Nina Varela! This one is the sequel to her first slightly futuristic fantasy book, Crier’s War. You can find my review to that one here: https://april-grace.com/2022/05/30/book-review-criers-war-by-nina-varela/
I thoroughly enjoyed Crier’s War. I loved the way Crier grew to empathise with the humans, and especially her handmaiden, Ayla. Well, she grew a hell of a lot more in Iron Heart! Her bond and love for Ayla is really sweet to read and the whole world is so unique is immersive. Like my novel Steel Princess, it’s about a gynoid princess who comes to empathise with humans, and learns that their world isn’t treating them right and things need to change.
In this one, Ayla has left Crier’s palace and is starting a rebellion against Crier’s father with The Mad Queen, who she has learned is really just an extravagant character with a lot of wild rumours about her. She allies herself with her, and the queen is determined to use her. Crier, meanwhile, has run away from her wedding and allied herself with some humans to find Ayla. Eventually, together, they go in search of the Iron Heart, the source of power that the automa need to survive, and Ayla and Crier are forced to work together again, struggling through a few of their issues from the end of the first book.
I definitely found myself enjoying Ayla’s chapters a lot more, but I loved how Crier grew through the challenges she faced when the humans couldn’t trust her and she helped them, eventually gaining their trust.
It’s like a fairytale world with scientific elements woven in. Overall, a great read!
April Grace 