Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston

Title: Heart of Iron
Author: Ashley Poston
Genre: Science Fiction
Source: Balzer + Bray via Edelweiss
Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.

Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them.

When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive.

What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their lives—and unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Ana’s past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves?

Review by Nara

Seriously, what is it with me thinking that a book is a standalone and then being horrified when I realise not only is it part of a series, but it ends on a MASSIVE CLIFFHANGER. It's happened on at least 3-4 occasions that I can recall in the past couple of months....

Anyway, should probably actually discuss the book. Heart of Iron is an excellent science fiction (space opera) that is a change of pace from Poston's other contemporary novels. The plot definitely took turns that I didn't think would happen, partly because I completely didn't realise that this book was a retelling of, or at least in part influenced by, Anastasia (which coincidentally I actually watched for the first time about 2 weeks before reading the book). You definitely don't need to have watched Anastasia to appreciate Heart of Iron though, with all the action and political intrigue and other sci-fi wholesomeness packed into the book.

Di (D09 in the blurb) was such a precious little cinnamon roll, and I loved the point of view chapters we got from him. I actually really shipped him and Ana despite him being a "Metal" (which is sort of like an android). On the other hand, I thought the romance was a bit quick for the other two main characters Robb and Jax, but I could forgive it because the other aspects of the novel were so good. The pacing overall is excellent and I found it difficult to put the book down.

I'm hesitant to say much more about the characters or plot because I really want people to experience the novel for themselves! It's so excellent, and I will eagerly be awaiting any sequels.

Incredible

Ratings
Overall: 9/10
Plot: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3/5