Crier's War: 1

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Reliance Movement—a very new political group that sought to distance Automakind and humankind even further. Literally. Most of their agenda centered on building a new Automa capital to the Far North, in a territory that was uninhabitable to humans, instead of continuing to use the current capital, Yanna, which had once been a human city. It was, frankly, ridiculous. You didn’t have to be the sovereign’s daughter to know that building an entirely new city would require ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million kings’ coffers of gold, and why would such a vain effort ever be worth the time and cost? It was a fantasy. Ayla did not let herself think about her own past, either—the fire, the fear, the way loss lived in the cavity of the chest, the way it chewed her up from the inside out. Thinking like that wasn’t how you survived. When Ayla learns that Storme is alive, she is furious to see him working as an advisor to Queen Junn. She doesn’t listen when he tries to explain that things are different in Varn, and that Automae aren’t universally oppressive. 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

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. And so she had understood. Crier was the bandage to a wound—one that was minor, for now, but had the potential to fester over time. A hairline fracture in Hesod’s otherwise ironclad rule, his control over all of Zulla, everything from the eastern sea to the western mountains—except the separate territory of Varn. Varn was part of Zulla but still ruled by a separate Automa monarchy. Queen Junn, the Child Queen. The Mad Queen. The Bone Eater. While I feel the narration was breathy all around and monotone in some places, it also managed to be more emotional than the Automa characters were described. This made some behavior seem ooc imo.Ayla was such a great main character to follow. Driven by revenge for her family, she’s having a hard time letting people in and her growth in the story was absolutely stunning. I loved the way she grows attached to Crier and seeing her dealing with all of these conflicted feelings, SO well done.

Ayla and Crier kiss in the inn at Elderell, but rather than start their relationship Ayla is so conflicted that it pushes them apart. Flowers!” she called out, trying to keep her voice light. It was almost sunset, almost time to give up for the day, but there were still far too many unsold garlands in her basket. “We’ve got seaflowers, apple blossoms, the prettiest salt lavender up and down the coast!” How can something so PG be so steamy??? I have about a million more passages in this vein highlighted in my ARC, but honestly, I want you to discover them for yourself because they are so wonderful in context. The chemistry between these two is POTENT. Conspicuous Consumption: Traditionalism is the Automa philosophy that says they should continue human customs and traditions, but since they don’t have any of the same biological needs as humanity many of their activities are just for show. Automae don’t derive any nourishment or sustenance from food, so the feasts they hold go to waste while the servants in attendance are starving. They don’t require sleep, so setting aside individual bedrooms is wasted space while the servants are crammed into cramped quarters. You wouldn’t know it from the looks of her. She had one of tI was hooked right from the start into this unique world the author creates, where Automae, humans re-made with better abilities, rule and Humans are inferior. The world-building is absolutely fantastic, with a complex history and rules of its own. I was curious from the start and, as I read on, I was fascinated. I couldn’t stop reading. The Stoic: Automae have much more control over their expressions than humans do, so they show much less emotion. Automae also claim to not experience emotions the same way as humans do in the first place, but this may not be as true as they claim. Oh my god the romance in this had me SCREAMING. It’s so beautifully soft, slow-burning and filled with TENSION and little moments and it’s the kind of torture I’m okay with because the yearning god.

Vestigial Empire: The Sovereign's authority once spanned the entire continent of Zulla, but the nation of Varn has seceded and the region of Tarreen — which as on the far side of Varn — is so remote there is almost no direct rule. This leaves only the heartland region of Rabu and the Far North under actual control, even though Hesod still claims the title 'Sovereign of Zulla'. And the switching of narratives between the two opposing sides, initially made me feel out of place. Or conflicted over which narrator to trust/like. In other books whenever this happened, the two usually had the same stance or viewpoint of the book so it wasn’t so jarring. Crier sees the Automae as peaceful rulers, while Ayla exposes them for being anything but and wants to kill Crier for revenge over the death of her family and so many others. Then the two collide when Ayla decides not to let Crier die after she stumbles off a cliff, because there might be a way to use Crier to get information for a human revolution against the Automae. While Crier is pretty much out of it because she learned there is a flaw in her design, as she has a fifth pillar called Passion.Also, I find it hard to believe that this is the first time in sixteen years that anyone is noticing Crier having different emotions and thoughts than the rest of the Automae. Yes, she’s been super sheltered but really? They’re robots (??) so wouldn’t they all detect she’s flawed. Like seriously? Also, at this point I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a one-sided romance because I have a hard time believing that Ayla is going to fall for Crier. Maybe start to think of her as a friend or ally, but surely not lover. Ayla doesn’t let anyone in, and has gone through a lot of traumatic events including the death of her family including her twin brother. That’s just my thoughts at this point in the book, I could be wrong. Chapter 12-16 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.

Almost Kiss: Happens during Reaper's Moon when Ayla and Lady Crier go off to a cave. Lady Crier tells Ayla a story, and she is transfixed by a drop of water which hangs on Ayla's lips, but cannot bring herself to act. But for Me, It Was Tuesday: When Crier asks Hesod about the raid on Ayla's village, he at first claims not to remember. When she points out that Automae remember everything he admits that he remembers the event itself, but ascribes it no particular importance. Secret Path: There are many passageways in the Sovereign's palace which the Automae do not know about, and which can be used by humans to move about the palace without being discovered. The thing is, these passageways aren't actually secret or hidden, they're just used by the servants in the course of their duties so the Automae don't pay attention to them.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. The one time Crier had asked him about his past, he had been elusive. “Those were dark times,” he had said. “So few of us ever saw light.” She had no idea what that meant. Maybe she was overcomplicating it: he’d been living in a mine, after all.