Crier's War: 1: An Epic Sapphic Fantasy of Revolution, Love, and Betrayal in a World of Automae and Humans

one of the best enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance with a good plot. total 10/10

The book was amazing guys, I highly recommend it. Plus wlw♡.

The romance didn't burn me.The intensity of the whole revenge/war/hatred/love was so lacking even though everything was there all along.And what I dearly missed was any kind of humour in the writing.The world system is pretty simple. The moment you open up the book, you will just get into it. The characters have been developed good, their introductions fairly well done with different, unique auras of their own. I would like the say the first half of the book has been written pretty well. It's past paced, the required information has been delivered to you at the right place and at the right time. The roles of different characters have been represented very well. However, as much as the characters are there alive and plotting, they lacked charisma which they are supposed to be represented as.I feel like the secondary characters come out much stronger. I like the character of Rowan (the one who took in Ayla, the one of our main protagonists, the human) which I feel is the character who is most represented well. And as much as Benjy's character is meant to be represented somewhat secondary but as someone closest to Ayla, his character leaves a big impact.Coming to the other main protagonist, Crier the Automa, her character comes out to be a bit like someone who is not needed as much as she is supposed to be the main character. The character of her father/creator, Hesod, is developed so well as well as of her finance, Kinok. And if these (scoff!) villain characters were given more importance in their description and more important parts, there's a high chance of me getting invested in them more than the other protagonists.Actually, I was more excited with their entrance in between during the entire read and it's sad to say I wasn't much interested in the relationship or whatever that was going on in between Ayla and Crier in the second half of the book.What I feel was lacking in Ayla's character:I can understand the issues she has been dealing with since her childhood days and the hardships she has faced. But the aloofness till the end even with Crier when they are supposed to be lovers. And it feels like she will always have trust issues. I can understand that too. But then what's the point of not trusting someone you love.I mean why cannot she be tender and soft and caring towards Crier like she does with Benjy. I can understand this too. But ugh, my romantic heart just cannot accept this kind of aloof relationship.And Crier. What have you done to her, dear author? I have no problem with her character as she is unique of her own. But she doesn't come out as unique or someone I can relate to from any angle. She is neither soft, nor strong; neither rebellious, nor confused; neither too attentive, nor too aloof. This is the character I wanted to be most interested in. But this character turned out to be the one I was least interested in.I won't go into details how Crier is different from the rest of the Automa.The love scenes were so out of context and haphazardly put just in between. And yes, it was kind of slow burn romance but I wasn't burning. I so wanted to. But ahem, it didn't deliver.The plot. It ticked, but it doesn't blow up. The plot need not have much to do actually. It much dwells on how to keep the Automa alive in the long run and to safeguard the material to keep them alive.As much as I wanted to read about the clashing themes of humans versus the automa, emotions versus emotion-like, rebellion versus truce, lgbt issue being represented well and good, hatred versus love, action versus romance I feel they are lacking somehow.It's supposed to be enemies to lovers trobe. But the enemies part is missing as a whole. And for the lovers part, I don't know what they are doing. Hot and Cold by Katy Perry maybe?And it becomes so clichè towards the end that I just cannot stand Ayla and Crier in the same scene.And the ending does not leave me wanting for more. It doesn't leave me hanging on a straw or on my bed whatsoever.Argh! The strong characters just ghosted like that.I do feel the 'flawed' part of Crier never came out at all. I was waiting till the last chapter to see a bit of it. And damn Ayla, she must be the Automa instead.In the end, I felt like the whole book is about Ayla. And it must have been titled ''Ayla's War'' instead.I don't know if I would pick up the next book in the series.