Following the events of Crier’s war, this sequel leads us through the story of Crier and Ayla. The book opens with Ayla as a fugitive, fleeing away to Varn where she is staying with Queen Jun). On the other hand, Crier ran away from her home to try and stop Kinok, whom she was betrothed to, and his dream to kill all humans and create cities in which only Automae can survive. As war is brewing between the two races and rebellions rise, Crier and Ayla must fight to save humans as a whole and stay together along the way.
This sequel, in my opinion, was better than the first book. Everything seemed to have improved, from the pacing to the plot. It also looked at Crier and Ayla's relationship and how they saw each other. Iron Heart is told in POV chapters that alternate between the two of them. As a result, the contrast between their stories is shown. Their romance also plays an important part in the story. They gradually realized that they do not hate each other but instead have to accept the fact they are in love. Their relationship gives us a reason to worry about the war because they can not be together because of the conflict between the two races. My favorite aspect of this series is still how we get to explore this world through flashbacks from Ayla's parents, which are kept in a locket, and stories that Crier retells to Ayla from books she reads. It gives the entire book an interesting element that serves a purpose to the actual war. Ayla’s stories capture points in history, and Crier’s retellings help the reader understand some of the significance behind important locations. Additionally, we are also introduced to several other characters who show us a different perspective of the war and its impact because of their unique relationship to it. This series helps connect readers to themes like what it means to be human, and where humanity begins and ends. As well as what it means to find something worth fighting for. All of these aspects made this book a very nice read, and I got through it pretty fast compared to other novels of this length. While I do like this book, not everything was perfect. A couple of minor complaints I had were that the last few chapters felt rushed and anticlimactic to me (again), and the ending was a bit abrupt. Also, the side characters like Benjy and Stomee are bland and unlikeable. Plus the villain Kinok is sadly as generic as ever. Overall, these small complaints did not stop me from thoroughly enjoying this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a romance book that’s not focused solely on the romance aspect.
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