Reviewed by Amber (The Literary Phoenix) on
I have really mixed feelings about Heart of Iron. As an Anastasia retelling, I thought it did an excellent job, but it comes back again to romantic relationships muddling up the plot. This is a huge pet peeve of mine and while it's more common in YA, it happens in adult novels as well. In the case of Heart of Iron, the twist at the end relied on a romantic relationship that had a good foundation, but developed in such a clunky way that I wasn't feeling it at all. Because the story relied so much on this relationship, I found my interest waning from time to time.
On the other hand, behind one odd relationship and another instalove one, there was a really interesting story here, and it kept me reading. The world building is really great and left me wanting more. We see bits and pieces of a space pirate's life, and a smattering of life in the Royal Palace, but not nearly enough to satiate. It's possible these settings and the political and cultural backgrounds will be more fleshed out in the second book - or, at least, I hope so, because these were my favorite parts. I feel like the history of this world and what happened during the Plague offers a whole story in itself, and that's what I'd like to see.
I think Heart of Iron will appeal to the general YA audience, complete with its mushy love story, dire betrayal, and swashbuckling infiltrations. I think Ashley Poston has a lot to offer this genre... I just want to see MORE of the things she didn't give us... and maybe fewer feelings?
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 24 September, 2018: Finished reading
- 24 September, 2018: Reviewed