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Crier's War

(Crier's War #1)

Nina Varela (Goodreads Author)

4.09 · Rating details · 8,860 ratings · 1,837 reviews

Impossible love between two girls —one human, one Made.
A love that could birth a revolution.

After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, Designed to be the playthings of royals, took over the estates of their owners and bent the human race to their will.

Now, Ayla, a human servant rising the ranks at the House of the Sovereign, dreams of avenging the de ...more

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ebook, 464 pages

Published October 1st 2019 by Quill Tree Books

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Community Reviews

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Average rating 4.09 ·

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· 8,860 ratings · 1,837 reviews

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Jun 16, 2019 chai ♡ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, poc-rep, trope-it-s-about-the-yearning, trope-political-or-court-intrigue, fiction, lgbtq-rep, arc, read-in-2019, ya-sff, 2019-releases

Nothing gladdens my heart more than picking up an ardently anticipated new release with the stammering gaiety of stepping off the edge of a cliff in the tremulous faith that you’ll sprout wings halfway down, and for all your expectations to be met, the inexpressible sweetness of finding yourself hovering above the ground with rills of current flowing off the tips of your winged arms.

Crier’s War colored everything, like the afterglow of a dream, and for the space of a few hundred page-turns, ther ...more

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Jun 16, 2019 ✨ jamieson ✨ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-reads, f-f, favourite-covers, reread, owned-books, 2020-reads, lgbtqiap, series-to-complete, young-adult, lesbian-mc

reread may 2020 me @ nina varela: HEY QUEEN! girl, you have done it again. constantly raising the bar for all of us .... and doing it flawlessly. I'd say I'm surprised, but I know who you are. I've seen it up close and personal. Girl, you make me so proud . and I love you .

by breatheforayla on tumblr

I AM A MESS!!! This book is everything. I have wanted this for so long. A TRUE slowburn angsty enemies to lovers where they're REAL ENEMIES who want to KILL EACHOTHER and its so beautiful.

The entir ...more

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Sep 20, 2019 Melanie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, buddy-reads, lgbtqiap, young-adult, read-in-2019, blog-tour, romance, fantasy, own-voices, sapphic

ARC provided by HarperTeen in exchange for an honest review.

“It was never really a choice, was it? Wanting her. Killing her.”

Friends, if you are looking for a book all about revenge, filled with mystery and betrayals, while also showcasing the best enemies to lovers f/f romance I’ve read in a long while, please immediately pick up Crier’s War. I’m telling you right now, this is going to make so many best of 2019 lists come the end of the year, and I don’t even have words for the amou ...more

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Apr 03, 2020 Samantha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book was such a surprise. I thought for sure it would mostly revolve around the sapphic romance, but it didn’t! This felt unique, especially because it flips the AI vs Human story and makes the AIs the ones in charge. I wish the second book was out already because this duology is definitely one I would have binge read straight through.

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Apr 09, 2020 Elle (ellexamines) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: elle-recs-list, y-2019releases, sff-high-fantasy, z-2020faves, sapphic-books-shelf, x-series, 5-star, z-2020reads

me every three pages of this book about tenderness between rivals, sapphics, and flawed villainy:
description

You couldn’t depend on much in this world, but you could depend on this: love brought nothing but death. Where love existed, death would follow, a wolf trailing after a wounded deer.

In the world of Zulla, about 80 years after a war between humans and automae, automae rule the earth, triumphing over human beings. Crier, the sovereign’s daughter, is slated to take over. Ayla, a human rebel ...more

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Oct 02, 2019 Reading_ Tam_ Ishly rated it it was ok

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 to say the first half of the book has been written pretty well. It's fa ...more

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Sep 13, 2019 may ➹ rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star, buddy-reads, ownvoices, diverse, rep-lgbtqiap-author, fantasy, shocking, rep-lgbtqiap-wlw, rep-bipoc, pov-3rd

In a world where alchemy-based android-like Automae have overthrown their human Makers and now rule over humans, the paths of two girls, Crier and Ayla, intertwine, ultimately changing the entire course of their political landscape.

Crier, an Automa and the sovereign’s daughter, was Made to be the epitome of perfection, but her entire life changes when she takes on a new human handmaiden, Ayla. There has only been one thing that has kept Ayla going: revenge. And she’s going to get it by killing C ...more

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Oct 19, 2019 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Yay! October Owlcrate Unboxing! Click on the link below the pic to see the GOODIES! We got two books I'm excited for!

GOODIES LINK

Didn’t like it. Don’t care. Going in the trade in box.

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more

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Jun 16, 2019 E. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 00-2019-release, 04-rep-lgbt-wlw, 03-0-f, 03-0-series, 03-2-f-fantasy, 00-love-the-cover, 04-rep-lgbt, 06-novel, 07-t-hate-to-love, 00-favorites

★★★★★ | ~~Is it too early to beg for the sequel if the 1st book hasn't even officially come out yet????~~ It's out. I'm begging.

"It was never really a choice, was it? Wanting her. Killing her."

➽ SUMMARY

💜 f/f romance
❤️ bisexual and lesbian MCs
💜 enemies-to-lovers
❤️ slow-burn

In Zulla you're either Mortal or Made. Automae subdued Humans in the War of Kinds and now rule over them with a hard hand. Ayla has lost everything in one of Automae's brutal raids. Crier is the heir to the Sovereign who orde ...more

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Aug 13, 2019 Boston rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars-2019, f-f, read-2019

I'm going to need y'all to preorder this book immediately. All a queer girl wants is to read a YA fantasy that is not only incredibly original, but has two queer girls at it's center. And on top of that we get a slow burn romance? We have all been BLESSED by Nina Varela and we should be thanking her.
The most notable thing to take from this book, though, was it's ties to present day. It may not have been written like that intentionally, but it definitely called out real-world problems. (ex. "You ...more

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Jun 09, 2020 Ashleigh (a frolic through fiction) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: physically-own

You can see more of my thoughts in my Weekly Reading Vlog

Rated 3.5/5 stars

A combination between SciFi and Fantasy, this book ended up being one with a fab concept. Based years after the War Between Kinds and feeling the uncertainty of unrest once again, the edge of uneasiness surrounding both the social and ruling politics of this world is evident. The plot itself is one to easily fall into, with this first book setting up the world and its dynamics. Interestingly, this ended up being a pretty q You can see more of my thoughts in my Weekly Reading Vlog

Rated 3.5/5 stars

A combination between SciFi and Fantasy, this book ended up being one with a fab concept. Based years after the War Between Kinds and feeling the uncertainty of unrest once again, the edge of uneasiness surrounding both the social and ruling politics of this world is evident. The plot itself is one to easily fall into, with this first book setting up the world and its dynamics. Interestingly, this ended up being a pretty quick read for me despite not that much happening in comparison to other fantasy books of a similar length, which I feel has something to do with the writing. Nina Varela's writing is really lovely to read. It just has a sense of fluidity to it that makes traversing this world easy, sinking into the book with little problem.

Unfortunately, I did find the character relationships lacking slightly. With so much emphasis put on the connections made between humans and their dangers, then the added focus of the central romance, I felt like a little more was needed to convince me of their importance. For instance, our two characters in the central relationship apparently spend every day together, and yet it felt like they went from glancing at each other once to supposed love. They were awkward and bumbling as if this affection was evident, but I didn't see it on the page. I feel like - since they spent everyday together - more of the smaller moments of a day needed to be shown to gradually build this relationship. And it's not just the romantic ones - every relationship could have been built upon to strengthen the feeling of importance and resulting danger. That being said, I didn't hate it, and would still be intrigued to see where everyone ends up in the next book.

This ended up being a fun read that I'm eager to follow up. I'm really intrigued to see where the story goes, especially since this is a duology and so we only have one more book to wrap things up. The world, the science, the magic, everything is something I'm excited to see more of, so I can't wait for the sequel to be released! ...more

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Sep 28, 2019 anna (½ of readsrainbow) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 1-fantasy, 2-lgbt, 5-young-adult, 2-ownvoices, 2-protags-of-color, 3-slowburn, arcs, favourites, 2-bi-pan-protags, pub-2019

rep: lesbian poc mc, bi poc mc, poc cast, side mlm & wlw couples

Review also on Reads Rainbow. ARC provided by the publisher.

If you know me at all, you know that I haven’t been big on fantasy in the last year or so. But Crier’s War? It’s the kind of fantasy I can get behind even now, when I’m not really a fan of the genre. And there are two main reasons for this: 1) it’s a little bit character-driven (not the way contemporary novels can be, no, but it’s there) & 2) it’s heavy on the romance.

Now, rep: lesbian poc mc, bi poc mc, poc cast, side mlm & wlw couples

Review also on Reads Rainbow. ARC provided by the publisher.

If you know me at all, you know that I haven’t been big on fantasy in the last year or so. But Crier’s War? It’s the kind of fantasy I can get behind even now, when I’m not really a fan of the genre. And there are two main reasons for this: 1) it’s a little bit character-driven (not the way contemporary novels can be, no, but it’s there) & 2) it’s heavy on the romance.

Now, the thing about romance in Crier’s War is that Varela knows exactly how key the slowburn element is to the ‘enemies to lovers’ trope, knows exactly the pace at which it should develop. Yes, the romance is visible basically since the moment the girls meet (and what a meet-cute they have!), but it’s so graceful, it progresses so naturally, it makes such perfect sense. No insta-love here! (I can think of one other example of a gay fantasy series with those exact qualities that also used them the way they were designed by gods and I won’t name it, but if you know, you know.)

And of course it’s impossible to talk about romance in Crier’s War without saying how gay it is. Which I think might be my favourite part about the book. Not just the fact that two girls share a bed and pine after each other - though obviously it was the reason I wanted to read it in the first place - but how natural it was. The fact that neither of them questioned the relationship in this particular regard even once.

The world Varela created is completely void of homophobia and it’s a beautiful sight to behold. It’s visible in more ways than this one, as well. There are a number of offhandedly mentioned couples throughout the story and so many of them are gay! And not a single comment about that! Not a single person wonders how it was possible that a servant married his beloved stable boy.

So often authors come up with those intricate worlds, where everything seems magical & where our laws have no place, and they still feel the need to include homophobia. Not Varela. She gives us an incredible world, not simply a black-and-white one, but one where gay people are so natural, there isn’t even any need for labels. For that alone I will always be grateful.

Crier’s War is heavy on the gay romance, yes, but that’s not what it actually hinges on. We're introduced to a world where the tension between humans and Automae has been brewing for years & the reader’s view on both sides changes throughout the story, with every new piece of information, with every new betrayal. It’s a carefully woven tale with the stakes that just keep rising and a cliffhanger that makes one wish for a time machine. Any fantasy fan would be satisfied. Any gay fantasy fan would be in love. ...more

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May 21, 2019 ;3 rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, lgbt, fantasy

crier 90% of this book: *yearns*

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Mar 02, 2020 April (Aprilius Maximus) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, favourites

“Do not be ashamed of your fear, Lady Crier.”

representation: own voices queer (f/f) romance, POC cast??? (I see this in a lot of reviews, but I felt like the physical descriptions of characters was quite poor, so can't confirm).

[trigger warnings are listed at the bottom of this review and may contain spoilers]

✧·ﾟ: ✧·ﾟ: 4 . 5 s t a r s :·ﾟ✧:·ﾟ✧

I loved this soooooo much and the audiobook was so good! Enemies to lovers romance, themes of what it means to be human, war and angst.... wow, we sta ...more

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Apr 24, 2019 . (not active on this account stop adding me) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-faves, lgbt, wlw-or-f-f, arcs, netgalley-and-edelweiss

🌼review can also be found on my blog! 🌼

representation: lesbian mc's, f/f romance, #ownvoices author

At the beginning of the Automae era, human Queen Thea - who cannot bear children - commissions her people to build her a child. One who can replicate every aspect of human life. A seemingly impossible request is manufactured, where individuals are Made, with Four Pillars: Reason, Calculation, Organics, and Intellect. However, this ignites a vicious war between the humans and the Automades, who ...more

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Oct 08, 2019 Lara rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, high-fantasy, lgbtqia, young-adult, fantasy

My review

Lately, everyone just couldn't seem to stop talking about this new slow burn, enemies-to-lovers high-fantasy book and I knew I needed to read it as soon as possible. I actually thought this was going to be a standalone so you can only imagine my surprise (delighted actually) when I figured it wasn’t over. Crier’s War has such a cool and inspiring concept that really left a jumble of thoughts I’m still trying to process.

After the War of Kinds that ravished the land of Rabu, the country ...more

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Dec 31, 2019 Clem (the villain's quest) rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, lgbtqia, 3-stars

“For the queer readers. You deserve every adventure.”

Instagram | youtube

Crier’s war was my first read of the year, and I’m so glad it was. I wanted to start the decade on a queer as fuck note, and this book knocked the ball out of the park. Hell, it knocked the whole park.

Crier’s War tells the story of two pawns, a princess (Crier) and a rebel part of the resistance with a thirst for revenge (Ayla,) thrown as enemies in a game too big and tangled for their understanding, and yet, against a ...more

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Apr 25, 2019 Circe Moskowitz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-series, cover-lust, young-adult, high-fantasy, arc, lgbtqia, 2019

You want girls loving girls? Agonizing slow burn? A hate to love arc that will tear out your damn heart? READ THIS BOOK.

I'm a total mess right now and this book is the cause. CRIER'S WAR is a lyrical, romantic debut that keeps you guessing at every turn. Just when you think you know where the story is going it flips the lid, and it feels effortless the way Varela handles these themes: the consequences of clinging to hatred, the cost of war, and what it means to really be human. And oh yeah, it' ...more

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Sep 27, 2019 Nina Varela added it · (Review from the author)

hi, i wrote this, i hope y'all like it!

content warnings here: https://www.ninavarela.com/content

much love,
nina ...more

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Mar 29, 2019 Ellie (faerieontheshelf) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtqia, sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian

I LOVE SAPPHIC FANTASY SO MUCH BLESS NINA VARELA FOR WRITING THIS BOOK *sobs*

It was honestly REALLY GOOD. Perfectly constructed romance, and I loved the socio-politics of the world. And of course, Crier and Ayla are my soft children! My sweet, sweet children. I love how Crier was instantly fascinated with Ayla - much like how you’re immediately fascinated by a beautiful bird - and it developed from there, whilst for Ayla is was very much a gorgeous build up that she tried to resist and UGH my he ...more

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Apr 22, 2019 Emily May marked it as lost-interest · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, arc

ARC provided in exchange for honest review ⚔️

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Nov 10, 2019 h o l l i s rated it liked it

Shelves: coverly-love, lgbtqia, romance, fantasy, hello-diversity, slowburn-yum, ya, arc, 2019-reads, hate-to-love-romance

I think this is one of those books that can go either way for some readers. But, for me, I'm caught right in the middle.

First, let me say : if you considered picking this book up because you heard it was a hate to love, or enemies to lovers, or opposites attract, romance? I don't think you’ll be disappointed. This, unlike another fantasy series featuring an f/f pairing, was done so so well. I believed in the evolution of this.. not relationship but this connection. It totally won me over and oh I think this is one of those books that can go either way for some readers. But, for me, I'm caught right in the middle.

First, let me say : if you considered picking this book up because you heard it was a hate to love, or enemies to lovers, or opposites attract, romance? I don't think you’ll be disappointed. This, unlike another fantasy series featuring an f/f pairing, was done so so well. I believed in the evolution of this.. not relationship but this connection. It totally won me over and oh man I want more. The dynamic between them.. (chefs kiss).

As for the dynamic of the story itself? Well, I was definitely under the impression this story was actually the opposite of what it has (haha #TeamNoBlurbs). Instead of the Made-character being the outlier, this is a society where Made-beings, the Automae, are actually in charge. They are the winners of a war where they have subjugated humans. Mostly. There are some who don't despise humans, who want to live with them equally, but overall this is not the norm. And, to be honest, I think that element made this story even better for me than had it been the other way around, or the way I expected.

However. I'll admit that sometimes I did feel a little confused by the actions of some of these Automae and how human they did seem, sometimes. And yet others, not at all. Maybe that was done on purpose? Maybe there is supposed to be that fluctuating line to make us see how close but not at all like humans they are? I'm uncertain. Certain actions, particularly that of the villain and his manipulations, just make it to to seem.. well, convenient, that some act more human than others. I don't know. I'm not explaining this right but I think that's mostly because, again, confused.

The world is very interesting, though, and how certain things came about in the end..? Yeah, wow, I am reading on for sure. But that said, I'm glad that we had two strong leads to carry this story during those moments where I was just not in it, because those moments did happen. And I'm glad for these leads because I was forever sad I didn't love the aforementioned other series because diversity and f/f and all that good stuff. But this one? This one does it. I'm here for it.

So, yes, not a super high rating, but I absolutely think book two will knock it out of the park. And I can't wait.

3.5 stars

** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

---

This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities. ...more

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Oct 01, 2019 Iris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: emotional-pain, fantasy, impossible-to-put-down, reread-2021, fantasy-sci-fi-or-something-similar, read-in-2019, romance, best-of-2019, best-of-the-best, sapphics

second read, feb 4 2021: hi so im in pain

First read, October 1 2019: HELLO I AM NOT OKAY

NINA VARELA HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME

Anyways this book is a masterpiece. Genuinely I don't know when the last time I read a book quite this good was. It was...spectacular. Unlike anything else I have ever read. It's such a gorgeous book, and of course Crier and Ayla own my heart.

I'm not going to do this book justice with any review I write, so I'm not going to try.

But seriously y'all. Read this book. It's f ...more

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Nov 27, 2019 Fadwa (Word Wonders) rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, lgbtq-f-f, young-adult

Coherent thoughts? I don't know her! But i'll come back and write down my thoughts tomorrow (when it's not 1am)...if I remember. Feel free to yell at me if this is still in this space in a few days!

Long story short, I expected a LOT more romance from everyone's reactions (not the book's fault though so it's okay) but there was A LOT of angst and longing and y'all...when they tell you it's slow burn, it is. And the ending was REALLY GOOD, not a cliffhanger of any sort but I still need the sequel ...more

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Sep 30, 2019 kav (xreadingsolacex) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fantasy, bad-bitches, disaster-mcs, superior-writing-style, sapphic-fiction, queer-fiction, all-time-favorites, found-family, enemies-to-lovers-hate-to-love

re-read

"A thought came to her: a story of its own, one that had only just begun writing itself in her mind: a story of two women, one human, one Made, who told ancient faerie stories to each other. Who splashed each other at the edge of the water. Who whispered the beauty of snow and fear of death into the darkness of a late summer evening."

have you ever re-read your favorite book and considered that since it is so hyped up in your mind, it cannot possibly actually be that in ...more

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Jun 21, 2019 sally ✿ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, bookshelf

update: not a slow burn :/

-----

before reading:

the f/f slow burn fantasy book my queer ass has always needed and wanted and craved.

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Oct 04, 2019 Kathryn Speckels (Metaphors and Miscellanea) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs

Where do I even begin? This novel is a gem, a multifaceted narrative with two compelling young women at its beating heart. It is a story about politics, prejudice, and humanity. It is a gorgeous queer love story. It is a vividly imagined hybrid of sci-fi and fantasy. And it is told in lovely, sparkling prose–not overwrought, but highly evocative.

Some people ask if this is a fast-paced book, saying that the beginning feels slow. It took me a while to figure out how to describe the pacing, because ...more

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May 30, 2019 milou ☕️ rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, highly-anticipated-2019, bisexual-rep, lesbian-rep, young-adult, dystopian, read-2019, 4-star-reads, poc-protagonist, lgbtia

Justice was a god, and Ayla didn’t believe in such childish things. She believed in blood.

Humans are forced to bend to the will of the Automae's, those who are designed. Wars have left the kingdom of Rabu scattered. Ayla is just a servant with a plan for vengeance when she saves the life of Crier, the princess, and ends up as her servant.

─── ･｡ﾟ:☆. *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

I’ll be fair when I say that I wasn’t sure what I was getting when I got into this, but the premise had left me intrig ...more

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Dec 19, 2019 theresa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtq, 19-favourites, wlw-mc

first read - december 2019
second read - september 2020

the yearning in this is so good i can't wait to read iron heart ...more

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Feb 07, 2020 anna grace rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-read, can-i-marry-the-main-character, sci-fi-fantasy-mix, fuck-the-government, pure-joy, top, ok-fucking-rip-my-heart-out, wishlist, fantasy, lgbtq-plus

what the FUCK but also this is like. everything i’ve ever wanted i’m,,,,, upset

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topics	posts	views	last activity
YA Buddy Reads Co...: Crier's War by Nina Varela (Duology)	17	10	Feb 03, 2021 11:47PM
Bisexuals in Book...: Crier's War Discussion Board - Dec 2020	6	8	Jan 02, 2021 10:54AM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Crier's War (Crier's War, #1) by Nina Varela - Restarting November 20th 2020	15	37	Dec 02, 2020 12:50PM