I give this book an unapologetic 5 stars. It is a gorgeously written (made me tear up multiple times) fantasy f/f romance with one of the best real enemies-to-lovers I’ve seen in a long time. Read my review for Crier’s War by Nina Varela below!

The history is this: a queen unable to conceive an heir sent a plea to all the Makers in the land to craft her a child. Not a robot, but a Made child with feelings and will. This is how the first Automae, the Made girl, was created – Kiera.

In the beginning, Automae were viewed as pets, little playthings for humans to control. However, the Automae were created by those very humans to be stronger and more intelligent. Eventually, an uprising occurred, and the balance was flipped.

In present time, we follow Lady Crier, an Automa Made for the sovereign, Hesod. She is created to continue his legacy, to be the perfect heir in every way. Despite being sympathetic and caring towards humans, she doesn’t see the depth of their pain until meeting Ayla. 

Ayla, our second protagonist, is a human girl working as a servant in the palace. Her whole family is murdered during the Automae uprisings, leaving her with nothing but her burning hatred. One of her main goals and obsessions is killing Crier just so Hesod can feel a fraction of her pain.

After Ayla, almost by accident, ends up saving Crier’s life, Crier appoints her as her handmaiden. Ayla accepts, viewing this as the perfect opportunity to help the human Resistance. Both girls are plunged into a world of lies, deceit and political intrigue – a situation so dire that it may just bring them together. 

The romance in this book is like a quiet, intimate space away from the whirlwind of the (amazing) main plot. It is painful, and beautiful, and full of so much longing. To be honest, I wasn’t sold on Ayla and Crier from the start – it felt like there was too much hate there to develop into anything else. Now I know – I was so wrong. 

Crier is definitely the first to fall. We will have pages of her describing the dark of Ayla’s eyes, while Ayla will be plotting to kill her in her mind. The duality of it was, honestly, kind of funny to read and created an interesting dynamic. 

However, Ayla does fall. Slowly, imperceptibly, quietly and angrily, she falls in love with Crier. And the pain of that, the unbearable push and pull between her mind and her heart, is honestly one of my favorite parts of the book. This is why I love the enemies-to-lovers trope so much. 

I feel like this book has the perfect amount of angst, culminating in beautiful scenes that make me feel like my heart is being pulled out of my chest. This book tackles the hate that Ayla feels so beautifully, touching on the generational power dynamics of humans and Automa and the real source of her hatred.  
In enemies-to-lovers romance, it’s hard to strike the balance of  enemies that feels real but isn’t impossible to get past.  I feel like this balance was achieved in Crier’s War.

I feel like usually, in literature, we have stories of Robot rebellions against humans. However, in this book it is the opposite, creating a really unique and compelling narrative.  Because of the flipped perspective, we are invited to ask a lot of questions about what it means to be human.

Does being human mean having a beating heart and red blood that pumps through our body? Is being human the ability to love, our connection with others? Or is it something intangible, a quality we all have but cannot define? All of these questions are explored in Crier’s War.

The romance is part of what pulls this book together, but it’s actually more of a sub-plot. The main storyline and plot of the book is so intriguing, well thought-out and beautifully revealed. I couldn’t put this book down because I was so curious about what was going to happen next.

The concept of ‘Robots’ is really interesting to explore in a decadent fantasy setting. Usually, we explore this in a sci-fi world hundreds of years in the future, with phones and gadgets and holographic screens. However, this book mixes modern elements like the Automa with an almost medieval social-class and setting. 

The unique mix of these elements and the way the Automa were Made using fantasy elements, instead of technology, creates a truly one-of-a-kind story. The various plot twists had me gasping and hanging on to what would happen next. 

Crier and Ayla create a really interesting mix of perspectives and personalities. Crier is fascinating in the duality of her intelligence and naivete. Through the course of the story, she remains curious and open to the world around her. However, she is also calculating and logical. This mix of traits turns out to be both her biggest strength and greatest downfall. 

Ayla is kind of the opposite of Crier. She doesn’t have Crier’s innocent curiosity and trust, instead having her guard up at all times. She’s suspicious and resentful of the world that had hurt her, again and again. She has none of Crier’s insider palace knowledge, but she does have strong personal connections and an iron will.

Together, Crier and Ayla form a strong duo, their various strengths and weaknesses balancing out into a beautiful kind of harmony.

Crier’s War is a decadently written story that puts a unique twist on the ‘Robots and Humans’ narrative. The romance in this book is absolutely beautiful and full of chemistry. All in all, this book is a 5 star read perfect for enemies-to-lovers sapphic fantasy lovers.