Crier's War (Crier's War, #1)

by Nina Varela

From debut author Nina Varela comes the first book in a richly imagined epic fantasy duology about an impossible love between two girls—one human, one Made—whose romance could be the beginning of a revolution.

Perfect for fans of Marie Rutkoski’s The Winner’s Curse as well as Game of Thrones and Westworld.

After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, designed to be the playthings of royals, usurped their owners’ estates and bent the human race to their will.

Now Ayla, a human servant rising in the ranks at the House of the Sovereign, dreams of avenging her family’s death…by killing the sovereign’s daughter, Lady Crier.

Crier was Made to be beautiful, flawless, and to carry on her father’s legacy. But that was before her betrothal to the enigmatic Scyre Kinok, before she discovered her father isn’t the benevolent king she once admired, and most importantly, before she met Ayla.

Now, with growing human unrest across the land, pressures from a foreign queen, and an evil new leader on the rise, Crier and Ayla find there may be only one path to love: war.

• ISBN10: 0062823949
• ISBN13: 9780062823946
• Publish Date: 20 February 2020 (first published 1 October 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 26 February 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: Quill Tree Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[roundtableknight]

Rating: 4 stars
~
Coming into this book I really knew next to nothing about it besides it being a wlw romance and enemies to lovers, both of which I love. So after reading this I have to say that this book pleasantly surprised me! I loved both Crier and Ayla as characters and narrators, and the plot of the story was one of my favorites that I've read in awhile. I can't wait to read the sequel later this year, and see how the story ends.

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 4 Stars

RTC

[Veronica 🦦]

A+ | Beautiful. Stunning. Utterly addicting.

Full review to be posted.

[dragononabook]

Crier's War is a wonderful blend of fantasy and science fiction, with some really interesting insight into the phenomenon of the Made. It's also delightfully sapphic, and the world and writing are immersive and imaginative.

There's a lot of depth to Crier's War, both in terms of plot, and in terms of writing. The plot is a fairly standard YA fantasy plot, but with some fresh takes that work well with the setting. It unrolled very nicely over the course of the book, with enough twists to keep it fast-paced, but also allowing for character development and exposition. There were some very well-written reveals that left me needing to put the book down, but I won't go into more detail so as not to spoil. It was well-paced and well developed, and overall a very solid foundation for the rest of the story.

The writing was descriptive without being overly so, and the dual POV, from Ayla and Crier's perspectives, offered insight into both sides of the conflict between human and Made. Their voices were very much separate and unique, something which helped mark their personalities without explicitly stating them on the page. The way this dual POV complimented the plot, with different tidbits of information in different places, helped add a lot to the story. I also really liked the extracts of historical documents, which made the world building feel a lot more realistic and complex, as well as giving background for the reader to interpret into the rest of the text.

Ayla and Crier were also very distinct characters with very distinct personalities, and were brilliant main characters to follow. They were never overpowering in their strength as characters, instead complementing each other really well, something which helped the book flow a lot. Ayla in particular was an awesome character to read about, because her character arc involved her growing as a person, and didn't diminuish her past experiences as she grew and learned. Crier's arc was slightly different, with her trying to figure out why she never fit in with her Made peers, and finding out more about her past. She was a compelling character, and the way she felt and experienced things made her a very well developed character and a compelling lead.

One thing that was particularly satisfying was the tension between Ayla and Crier. Their relationship is very much a slow burn, with them having started as enemies and slowly begun working together, and it's so satisfying going from wanting them to just admit their feelings already to actually seeing them admit their feelings. It's an intensely shippable relationship, and it developed in a very natural and honest way. It didn't take up a massive amount of the book, but the dynamic between the two was delectable and I really loved reading about the two of them and can't wait for more.

As a fantasy novel, the world building was a little shaky towards the beginning, but developed very well into an immersive world. The Made are alchemically created beings, and with their perfecting have come out on top of the humans. The way their dynamic with humans was written was a very interesting philosophical concept, especially given the backstory revealed throughout the book, and the way they toe the line between science fiction's Artificial Intelligence and magic-based beings was a very interesting read. I was particularly drawn to the topic of who controls how they are Made that was touched on in Crier's arc, and I hope that this and more about the Made is touched on in the sequel because I find it fascinating.

I really enjoyed Crier's War, and feel like it's a great addition to the speculative fiction genre and to sapphic YA. If you're looking for proper pining, a hooking plot, an expansive world and a really interesting discussion about Artificial Intelligence, I can't recommend this enough. The sequel, Iron Heart, is coming out in September and I can't wait to read it.

----

First thoughts (JAN2020):
This was an absolute gem of a book.

[layawaydragon]

I received this book for free from Fantastic Flying Book Club in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Hello all ya'll! I know, posting again so soon. October is PACKED with blog tour reviews. Today is all about shiny gay AF Crier's War where a robot princess who wants to save humanity falls for the rebel assassin bent on killing her. Let's get into it!

About crier's war:

Read the first two chapters of Crier's War here!!

IMHO: crier's war

I'mma get the messy bit out of the way first. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the time frame between automaes and human eras. I keep feeling like it should’ve taken longer for so many of them to be created and take over, but I will readily admit timescales are not my strong suit.

Other than that? OMFG YES!

• It does take a while to get going. But totally necessary.


• Even when it was slow, I was hooked on the characters + world


• Picks up once Ayla & Crier ~share a moment~ and the mystery of Yora’s heart starts building


• Def. gives me Katniss + Peeta relationship vibes


• Really want to know about the start of the automaes and their creator


• Love the historical passages between chapters. I’m such a sucker for this!


• There are moves revealed at the end that elevates the political intrigue


• Forget about the Iron Throne, the Automae Throne is way more hardcore


• Will be continuing the series. OBVS.

 

There are definitely gay feels all over the place, but there isn’t much physical action between them. So if you’re looking for a couple couple, then I’d go with Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst.

About the Author:

Crier's War Tour Schedule:

This review was originally posted on The Layaway Dragon

[tweetybugshouse]

This was a delightful take on a premise that is as old as time but with a nice twist. Instead of humans ruling the automa, this time the world is run by Automa and us lowly humans are at their beck and call. Our main character Ayla is hell bent on taking revenge for the destruction of her family by King Hesod she ends up taking a posting in the palace to become close to his daughter Crier.
Not only is this a story about revenge and political unrest, it about emotions, relationships and how we muddle our way through them. Their are lots of moments of high emotions running between characters, and the plot zips along keeping you flipping pages desperate to know what going to happen next. I thought the aspect of the medallion holding memories was a unique twist in the story.
I am intrigued to see where the story goes from this point and felt this to be a strong debut for an exciting series.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

Crier's War straight up reminded me of why I take chances on fantasy. While I had been striking out lately, this book sucked me in from the very start. So let us discuss all the things that made this one a huge win for me!

What I Loved:

• • First, the premise is so unique and fresh! It's almost a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, which is a win in itself. My biggest qualm with fantasy books lately has been that they all seem to have been done before. Not so here! It still has all those basic elements that make us love fantasy, but every aspect has a new spin. Instead of just royalty, it's Automae versus human, but it lacks none of the best parts of royals versus commoners.



• • It's incredibly thought provoking. Because okay, humans are the "lesser" species here. It's inarguable that the Automae have a physical advantage. They're clearly not using it for good, but then it makes you question if humans use it for good now. Granted, we're not dealing with any other sentient species, but what if we were? I love when a book bends your mind with the "what-ifs"!



• • I fell in love with the characters. All of them, tbh. Sure Ayla and Crier are awesome but I even grew to care about a lot of the secondary characters! Especially those in Ayla's life. She may have been a mere human, but the people around her made it worth it in my opinion.



• • The romance is very ship-worthy. It's both a forbidden romance, and enemies-to-lovers, what more could we ask for? The chemistry between the women is completely apparent, and loving them both as individuals made me even more excited to see them come together romantically. I mean, I want them to be happy, my babies!



• • The story sucked me in, from start to finish. When I was done, I was mad only that I couldn't read more! Like do I actually have to wait a year for the sequel? That doesn't seem fair!

Bottom Line: Look, you need this in your life. Great characters, great story, great premise... it lacks literally nothing.

[Jo]

Review to come in October, as part of a blog tour. #gifted

[kalventure]

EXCUSE ME WHILE I SCREAM FOREVER
I will need the sequel immediately, please and thank you.