Crier’s War, by Nina Varela, is a fantasy story about a complex world and it’s society.

The main story is about the current Soverign’s daughter, Crier, an Automae designed by her father to be perfect, who is set to marry a man she dislikes and lives by her father’s strict rules. The book also focuses on a human girl called Ayla and her journey to avenge her family. She works in the manor where the Soverign and Crier live and has plans that she had put into motion years ago. But something is different about Crier compared to the rest of the Automae. Something that confuses Ayla and makes her angry. Crier cares. She has Passion. Or is it a trick?

Crier’s War is an interesting take on the classic theme, ‘what if robots overtook the world?’, which is becoming all to real in our own world due to the growing popularity of AI and other intellectual tech. It’s a tense and beautiful story that gives amazing representation to minority communities through the built-up societal and political norms of the world of the Automae. The author provides brief descriptions of characters to leave it up to the reader. The settings are all described very well and the plot is interesting in a classic ‘page-turner’ way. I’d definitely recommend this book.