Heart of Iron

Before she found her footing with geeky rom-coms, Ashley Poston wrote a YA space opera that reimagines one of history's most enduring legends. Heart of Iron takes the story of Anastasia - the lost Russian grand duchess whose fate has fuelled myths and retellings for over a century - and launches it into the stars, swapping Romanov Russia for a sprawling galactic empire of Ironbloods, scoundrels, and sentient androids.

At the centre of it all is Ana, a teenage outlaw raised by a found family of misfits after being discovered drifting through space as a child alongside D09, a loyal android companion. When D09 begins glitching in ways that could get him destroyed, Ana's desperate search for a fix pulls her into a much larger story than she ever expected - one tangled up with Hidden Identity, lost coordinates, and a privileged Ironblood boy with his own dangerous secrets. Critics have drawn comparisons to Firefly and Cinder, and it's easy to see why: the blend of scrappy crew dynamics, Space Opera scale, and a slow-building royal mystery gives the opening instalment real momentum.

Books in the Heart of Iron series

Heart of Iron (2018) introduces Ana and her ragtag found family aboard their ship as a routine heist spirals into something far bigger. As Ana and an Ironblood boy named Di end up fugitives on the run together, the novel builds a richly detailed empire of class divides, illegal Artificial Intelligence (AI), and buried secrets, all wrapped around a slow-burning, Forbidden Romance that crosses every line their two worlds are supposed to keep separate.

Soul of Stars (2019) picks up with the stakes raised dramatically. Believed dead by most of the galaxy, Ana is now grappling with a position of power she never asked for, all while racing to save someone she loves from a sinister AI program known as the HIVE. The crew of the Dossier is pulled into the most dangerous corners of the Iron Kingdom yet, confronting an ancient threat known as the Great Dark. The sequel also deepens one of the duology's most loved relationships - between sharp-witted pilot Jax and his love interest Robb - giving the conclusion real emotional weight alongside its galaxy-spanning stakes.

What makes Heart of Iron stand out, even within Poston's own catalogue, is its genuinely Diverse Representation - including queer leads, a non-binary supporting character, and a same-sex couple - handled with the same warmth and lightness she brings to her contemporary romances, just set against a backdrop of starships and empire politics rather than comic conventions. The Power Struggles running through the Iron Kingdom give the romance real stakes, while the Found Family at the heart of Ana's crew gives the whole duology its emotional anchor.

For readers who love their space opera with a side of fairy-tale mythology, found family loyalty, and romance that has to fight its way past class and politics, Heart of Iron is a worthy detour from Poston's more famous fandom-set series - and a satisfying, complete duology for anyone wanting a quicker read with just as much heart.