Heart of Iron

4.5 stars

I really ended up enjoying this book. I wasn't sure if I would at first because some of my friends have given it so-so ratings, but I still thought I'd give it a try.

The characters are amazing. There are 4 narratives: Ana, Di, Robb, and Jax. Ana is pretty cool being a space pirate, thief who has a bit more to her while Di, her Metal is... interesting. It is hard to really connect to a robot, I think. Robb, though, is very interesting. See, I didn't find him to be a typical guy character and showing that even guys can be emotional/mentally abused and make horrible mistakes all while still being a darn good fighter, is very important. Jax... he wasn't as big of a character as Ana and Robb, but I still liked reading his chapters and seeing the conflicts that face him.
Even past the main characters though, I feel the side characters have so much life in them!

The romance... hmm... Ana and Di is so weird to me because he is a robot with little to no feelings at the beginning of the book. I don't understand how love of the romantic type could happen there, so that whole thing was a bit strange. Robb and Jax I think is adorably cute, if not a bit insta-lovey. They are honestly the best couple and I loved reading their scenes together. Besides Robb and Jax the captain of the pirate ship is in a relationship with one of the female crewmembers and I loved them too! It is always so heartwarming to read about healthy, loving long-term relationships.

There is a lot of death in this book. I found that it made the book seem more realistic. I don't think everyone on the “good” side will live through every battle. It just isn't going to happen, although the timing could be a bit... unsavory. At the same time, I can't help but feel it makes sense – you can't control when people die.

I enjoy Ashley Poston's writing and really fell into this one as well. The only thing that kept this from a 5 star is that there are a few things that I feel could be rectified easily with communication, but aren't/won't be because the story must go on. There were also a few times (rare times) when I felt I was just waiting for the book to end. I wasn't savoring it as much as I wanted to.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to others :) I look forward to the sequel.