Reviews

Engines of Oblivion by Karen Osborne

dorianm's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

grid's review

2.0

I know, let’s take the least interesting and most morally questionable character from the first novel, and make her the protagonist in the sequel. :P

This was too dark for my tastes. Took me forever to finish because it was so painful to read.

qujoy's review against another edition

5.0

My sister gives me the BEST books!
I loved the satisfying way this duology ended, but also I would love to read more someday.

bibliovino's review

challenging dark 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

5.0

Guys, Architects was just a warm up, I swear. 

With Engines of Oblivion Karen Osborne levels up to bring a story I would put on the shelf next to Gideon and Fifth Season. Which is to say you will be delightfully confused out of your mind and loving every moment. Now that the duology is done, grab them both together and don’t stop in the middle. 

rdiosteve's review against another edition

4.0

There's a scene in "Friends" where joey tells Rachel that if a book is too scary, he puts it in the freezer. I almost felt I had to do that here. The tension ramps up, and the book moves along with a few unforseen twists. An excellent follow up to "Architects of Memory."

lou_lichti's review against another edition

dark tense

2.0

rakhya's review

4.0

I did *not* want to read a book about Natalie Chan.
And yet, it turns out I really wanted to read *this* book about Natalie Chan.

The same warnings apply here as in Architects of Memory: this is a layered, fast paced book that is even more brutal than its predecessor. And I loved it.

After the dramatic events that concluded Architects, we continue our journey of discovery through the unlikeable mess that is Natalie Chan. As Osborne deftly pulls all of her narrative threads and subtle clues together, we learn that reality is rather different than what we thought we knew and watch humanity (or a part of it) fight for survival.

Engines kept me on my toes until the very last page, and was an excellent conclusion to the duology.
A recommended read for fans of space opera who enjoy a side of social critique and reflection on humanity's future along with their exploration and pew pew.

marcus_grymme's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

5.0

butteredgarbage's review

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

sepptb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0