Crier's War is a Young Adult Science Fiction duology written by Nina Varela, consisting of the books Crier's War (2019) and Iron Heart (2020). However, Crier’s War did stumble at places. The setup wasn’t the most original to begin with. There was very little worldbuilding, and the sole focus on the two leads rendered most of the side characters one-dimensional and forgettable. Ayla could not stop glancing over, and every time she did, she felt the gut-punch of what had happened to Luna all over again. And now, days later, the reminder rippled through the other humans like the dress itself rippled in the summer wind. No one even knew what Luna had done. Why the sovereign’s guards had killed her. Set in the fictional land of Zulla, it involves the escalating tension between humanity and the Automae, beings created through alchemy which are stronger, faster, and (in some ways) smarter than humanity. The automae were created by humans as servants and workers, but after only a few years they took control in an uprising that led to the War of Kinds. The Automae subsequently turned the humans into their slaves and installed themselves as the new nobility throughout all of Zulla.

Last-Second Chance: When Scyre Kinok’s plans have been exposed, and his last followers have abandoned him, Crier pleads with him to just surrender and let it end. He refuses, and is killed immediately afterwards. There is also some slight info-dumping about world-building and premise-related stuff in the first few chapters. This did not bother me much, but I do think if you don’t really like fantasy as a genre, this book may not be the exception for you as there is a lot to set up and set in motion at the outset.Crier leaves early and ends up at the human’s celebration of the Reaper’s Moon. Ayla spots her after admitting to Benjy that it’s her fault Nessa is dead. She refuses to let him speak knowing that he’ll admit something she isn’t ready for, since again he’s her only connection on Kinok’s wall. Ayla spots Crier and leaves begging Crier not to tell her father about their gathering in fear of everyone’s death. Crier agrees more because she is furious by her father after the council meeting, and tells Ayla a story before they go their separate ways. Crier cannot stop thinking about Ayla, and breaks into Kinok’s study (something Ayla wanted to do) where she discovers notes referring to Yora’s Heart. Which according to the beginning timeline of the book is an Automae that doesn’t require heartstone to survive. This flat image does a decent job of showing how shiny this cover is, but it’s even better in the, uh, flesh. It both looks and feels like a metal plate engraving, which is super fancy. The tagline’s quite epic, too. And I just noticed that the women on the bottom sort of look like characters from Frozen? There’s a lot going on here. 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. 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?” The woods seemed to bend around her, trees converging overhead, while near her feet there was a rabbit’s den, a warm little burrow hidden underground from wolves and foxes . . . but not from her.

Time in Zulla is currently divided into two different eras: Before Automa Era and Automa Era. The story starts in year 47AE. So Crier was not actually alone in these woods. Somewhere out there, hidden by the cover of shadows and trees, her fiancé, Kinok, was hunting as well.

I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Crier tries to reach Rosi after she has been corrupted by Nightshade, but by the end she has degenerated so much that there is no reaction at all.