Crier's War: 1

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Before Kinok had begun the Anti-Reliance Movement, about three years ago now, he’d been a Watcher of the Iron Heart. It was a sacred task, protecting the mine that made heartstone, and he was the first Watcher to ever leave his post. Which, of course, had caused much speculation among Automakind. That he’d been discharged, banished for some serious offense. But Kinok claimed it had been a simple difference of philosophy regarding the fate of their Kind, and no one had uncovered any reason more sinister than that.

There was a moment—so brief that when she thought about it later she was not sure it had actually happened—in which Crier lowered her bow and Kinok did not. A single moment in which they stared at each other and Crier felt the faintest edge of nerves. First Love: Crier does not believe that Automae feel love the way that humans do, and Ayla deliberately suppresses her feelings to prevent being hurt by others. They are both unprepared for the feelings that arise for each other. Predictions because why not… I don’t know the ending but here’s what I’m guessing is going to happen: Actually, I wanted to congratulate you, my lady,” he said suddenly. “While we are out here, away from—from the palace. I heard you convinced Sovereign Hesod to let you attend a meeting of the Red Council next week.” Now, Ayla, a human servant rising the ranks at the House of the Sovereign, dreams of avenging the death of her family… by killing the Sovereign’s daughter, Lady Crier. Crier, who was Made to be beautiful, to be flawless. And to take over the work of her father.Moral Myopia: Automae do not view human lives as equal to their own. When discussing past rebellions where hundreds of humans were killed in reprisals, they view it as justified because one Automa was almost killed. Altar Diplomacy: Marriages for political and economic reasons are so common amongst the nobility in Zulla that Lady Crier views this as the only legitimate reason to get married at all. Despite accepting the practice in general, she is crushed to discover that this was the entire reason her father had her Made in the first place. She was never intended to be his heir, but to be a negotiating tool if there was ever a political opponent who he couldn’t kill and needed to control in other ways. We can work on that.” At her look of surprise, Kinok shrugged one shoulder. “We are bound to be married, are we not? I am on your side, Lady Crier, as you are on mine. Right?” The story is told in two points of view: a human slave (Ayla) who is working to avenge her family's death and the daughter of the automa Sovereign of Zulla (Lady Crier) who is working towards being more involved in her father’s government. The book follows Ayla and Lady Crier as they meet and slowly fall for each other despite all the taboos keeping their kinds apart.

Crier’s War by Nina Varela is the first novel in this authors debut series. Only one book has been published thus far with the second set to release September 8th, 2020. This book’s tagline is: Crier becomes engaged to Kinok, know is aware she is flawed. And during their engagement ceremony all Crier can think about is Ayla. I mean the tagline is about the two of them becoming romantically involved in some way, but it just seems so odd at this point. They’ve literally had maybe three short conversations. The first when Ayla decides not to kill Crier, the second being Crier asking Ayla to work for her, and the third about music before Crier heads to her engagement. Then again, Crier is extremely inexperienced with the world.

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Crier thought her father, Sovereign Hesod, was speaking in metaphor, that he meant humans possessed a special sort of power. Love, a glowing lantern in their hearts; hunger, a liquid heat in their bellies; souls, dark wells in their eyes. Well . . .” Kinok stepped forward a little, light sliding across his face. His footsteps were silent amid the blanket of dried leaves. “I read it twice. And I agree with it. The Red Hands shouldn’t be based on district alone; it leads to imbalance and bias. Have you mentioned this issue to your father?” After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, Designed to be the playthings of royals, took over the estates of their owners and bent the human race to their will.

Crier’s War is set in a world where Automae have overthrown their human Makers and now rule over humans. In the kingdom of Zulla, there once was a queen called Thea. She could not bear children, so she founded the Royal Academy of Makers, and commissioned them to build her a child, one that would resemble a human in every way. This was a request thought to be impossible, until a Maker called Thomas Wren created Kiera, the first Automa. She was Designed with two human pillars: Intellect and Organics, and two Automa pillars: Calculation and Reason. Suddenly having a pet Automa became all the rage amongst the nobility. However, situations led to a vicious war between humans and Automae, and the Automae emerged victorious. They rose to power and practically enslaved humans. Crier's Waris a beautiful poem of a book that touches meaningfully on such complex themes as forbidden romance, political subterfuge, and what exactly it means to be human. Fans of both fantasy and sci-fi: this book is for you." —Tara Sim, author of the Timekeeper trilogy I almost forgot, 7h into this 11h audio book is when you FINALLY get their first and LAST kiss of this book. They then almost immediately become adversary’s again. Crier’s Wardoesn’t end on a major cliffhanger, but it’s obvious that there’s more story to tell. I, for one, am glad about this; I look forward to getting to visit this world again! (And, not to get spoilerly, but I’m hoping for an eventual HEA.) He looked down at her, squinting in the dying sun. “Take it from someone who’s done this a hundred times. The day is over. All anyone’s willing to buy right now is heartstone.”Condescending Compassion: Lady Crier does earnestly mean well, but her perspective on humanity is so skewed and influenced by her position and education that she doesn't understand how poorly they are treated by her fellow Automa or how difficult their lives are. Crier was wonderful, too. She’s curious about humans, humanity and questions a lot of things about the world in place. I loved how she wants to be heard, how she fights for it, too. Her attachment to Ayla was absolutely incredible as well. Disappointed in You: Both Hesod and Scyre Kinok use this against Lady Crier when the tell her that they expected her to be smarter and to have realized what they were doing sooner. Nothing mattered until she got inside. And she’d vowed to do so to exact her revenge—even if it killed her.