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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I've been wanting to read this book for a while and it was pretty great! I liked the concept of what Gearbreakers do and how the resistance is working to take down the mechas. I was intrigued right away at the end of Sona's first chapter when you see her real intention of trying to dismantle and hurt the system from the inside. I listened to this via audiobook and I think that's what made me knock down a star. Both narrarators were great, but they were very similar in style and it took me a long time to differentiate between the two. I also had a really hard time understanding when listening the difference between present time and flashbacks during the first quarter of the book. I struggled a bit with the pacing, feeling like there was a lot of ""and suddenly!"" moments. I do understand that during apocalyptic war survival, there will be a lot of stuff like that happening, but I feel like sometimes it happened so quickly not only to the characters but to the reader as well and I felt confused and would have to rewind to make sure I didn't miss anything. the book ended with an intense cliff hanger that basically requires you to read the next book. I personally don't mind that about books, but I know it's a turn off to others. I hope to check out book 2 in the future!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Gearbreakers has so many things in it to get excited about, mechas, rage against the government, a queer relationship. It is fast-paced in a delightfully creative world. Unfortunately, it fell short for me. I couldn't connect to the characters at all and I found the fascination for each other grounded in so little it confused me. I was excited to get into the world at the beginning but sadly nothing gripped me. I wouldn't say this is a bad book at all, and perhaps it just wasn't the book for me, but nothing gripped me to keep me interested. I found myself daydreaming while reading rather than focusing on the story in the book. I absolutely think this book would be good for some, just not me.
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adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I rated this 4 instead of 5 stars specifically for the audiobook, not the book itself. I absolutely loved this story, and both narrators are very solid and skilled, but I didn't like a few of the choices with the narration.
The book is dual POV, which means that one narrator covered Sona's chapters, and one did Eris'. I preferred Eris' narrator for Sona's voice, I felt like she did a better job of the half-robot sounding voice. Sona's narrator is great and would have loved her in any other book, but Sona's inner monologue was so intense and emotional and didn't have the same flavour that I think the writing itself was trying to convey. Had I read this with my eyes instead of my ears I would have imagined Sona's voice more like the other narrator read it.
I also found both narrators were a lot more intense and serious than they needed to be in some scenes. Some of the more playful and tender scenes were read in the same tone with the same urgency as the dramatic action scenes and felt far less romantic than I think they could have been. I'm still going to listen to the second one in audio because I have access to it through the library but I'll definitely be coming back to this duology in ebook or paper because the writing is incredible.
I love the narrative style and how Sona's POV chapters are written. I can see how beautiful it was intended to be and think it would easily be a five star read on paper. So I don't recommend the audiobook, but I do recommend the book itself! And I'd like to listen to these narrators doing other books, because they are both very good, just not for this book.
The book is dual POV, which means that one narrator covered Sona's chapters, and one did Eris'. I preferred Eris' narrator for Sona's voice, I felt like she did a better job of the half-robot sounding voice. Sona's narrator is great and would have loved her in any other book, but Sona's inner monologue was so intense and emotional and didn't have the same flavour that I think the writing itself was trying to convey. Had I read this with my eyes instead of my ears I would have imagined Sona's voice more like the other narrator read it.
I also found both narrators were a lot more intense and serious than they needed to be in some scenes. Some of the more playful and tender scenes were read in the same tone with the same urgency as the dramatic action scenes and felt far less romantic than I think they could have been. I'm still going to listen to the second one in audio because I have access to it through the library but I'll definitely be coming back to this duology in ebook or paper because the writing is incredible.
I love the narrative style and how Sona's POV chapters are written. I can see how beautiful it was intended to be and think it would easily be a five star read on paper. So I don't recommend the audiobook, but I do recommend the book itself! And I'd like to listen to these narrators doing other books, because they are both very good, just not for this book.
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 stars
For the first quarter, maybe even the first third, I was thinking "heh, this is going to be a three stars read". There were a few repetitive tells in the author's writing, a kinda big plot hole (one of the first mechas we see is flying but then the new model of mechas is the first that can fly???). Also the way we get rid of the potential cis boy as an LI was Very Obvious and Unsubtle. So the beginning is vastly imperfect.
HOWEVER, by the time I was halfway through I was thoroughly engrossed in the story. I genuinely loved the character work. Lots of side characters but the author knows how to make you care (I was UPSET about something that happened to my fave side character).
The two mains are really great too. I loved the chaos, the viciousness, the ruthlessness, and all the stuff around child soldiers. It was a really good enemies-to-lovers arc, like I'm impressed?? It really went into the idea that it's not easy to forget that someone comes from the side of the war that kinda loves genocide.
The last part really goes into the theme of children thrown into war and how they shouldn't be killers but may have to, and I loved how well-balanced the ruthlessness of the child-soldiers with their desire to be normal kids was.
It's definitely an imperfect book, but it got me in the feels, and it executed its main themes well, and by the end I was really attached to the characters. If I wanted to try and be objective this might be more of a 3/4 stars but hey, it hit the feels, I really wanted more by the end, and I haven't felt this engrossed in a book in a while with work and all, so this gets an almost-five-stars.
For the first quarter, maybe even the first third, I was thinking "heh, this is going to be a three stars read". There were a few repetitive tells in the author's writing, a kinda big plot hole (one of the first mechas we see is flying but then the new model of mechas is the first that can fly???). Also the way we get rid of the potential cis boy as an LI was Very Obvious and Unsubtle. So the beginning is vastly imperfect.
HOWEVER, by the time I was halfway through I was thoroughly engrossed in the story. I genuinely loved the character work. Lots of side characters but the author knows how to make you care (I was UPSET about something that happened to my fave side character).
The two mains are really great too. I loved the chaos, the viciousness, the ruthlessness, and all the stuff around child soldiers. It was a really good enemies-to-lovers arc, like I'm impressed?? It really went into the idea that it's not easy to forget that someone comes from the side of the war that kinda loves genocide.
The last part really goes into the theme of children thrown into war and how they shouldn't be killers but may have to, and I loved how well-balanced the ruthlessness of the child-soldiers with their desire to be normal kids was.
It's definitely an imperfect book, but it got me in the feels, and it executed its main themes well, and by the end I was really attached to the characters. If I wanted to try and be objective this might be more of a 3/4 stars but hey, it hit the feels, I really wanted more by the end, and I haven't felt this engrossed in a book in a while with work and all, so this gets an almost-five-stars.
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The perfect dystopian sci fi setting with badass ginormous death metal robots raging a class war. A beautifully written lesbian relationship that was so delightful. Did the “enemies to lovers” troupe very well. The complex morals between when violence crosses a line in war.. just *CHEFS KISS* very excited for the second book!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury
Context on torture / what happens and where both Sona and Aris are tortured at different points. Aris is first near the start of the book. She gets knives carved into her arm but isn’t super explicit or excessive. It is mentioned she is water boarded. Then later in chapter 42 Sona is tortured and she has a pen drove through her hand and all of her tattoos cut off her skin. Again not too excessive in description but still there.
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced