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queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3.5 ⭐ CW: violence, death
Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson is book one in the Goddess in the Machine duology. I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would. It kind of dragged on for me and took me too long to get into and finish. The cover might be the best part about this book.
We follow Andra who has woken up from cryo'stasis a thousand years late to a world she doesn't recognize, and is being worshipped as a goddess. She is in a desert like place where people refer to all technology as magic and all bots as angels. Zhade, a boy exiled from the city of Erensed, helps her with "goddess lessons" to teach her what the people expect from her. All Andra wants is to go home, but she has to figure out to create a "miracle" (use the tech in her brain) so the people keep believing she's a goddess to keep from being sacrificed. But there is more going on in Erensed than she realizes, and Zhade has his own plans, despite their burgeoning feelings for each other.
This just did not wow me like I thought it would I liked the concept of space princess and science as magic, but the execution felt faulty. I also liked the idea of the English language changing so much over time that it becomes something else, but it was hard to get used to and ultimately, felt clunky and a little silly. I also thought the twists were a little too convenient.
I did like that our MC is a plus sized South East Asian mixed race person working through her confidence issues around her size. I had a hard time really getting invested in Zhade as a character, he just didn't feel deep enough for me. Maret could have been an interesting antagonist if we had spent more time with him or saw more of his mother's influence on him. Instead, he was just kind of an unhinged bad guy. I'm not interested enough in this story to read the second book.
Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson is book one in the Goddess in the Machine duology. I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would. It kind of dragged on for me and took me too long to get into and finish. The cover might be the best part about this book.
We follow Andra who has woken up from cryo'stasis a thousand years late to a world she doesn't recognize, and is being worshipped as a goddess. She is in a desert like place where people refer to all technology as magic and all bots as angels. Zhade, a boy exiled from the city of Erensed, helps her with "goddess lessons" to teach her what the people expect from her. All Andra wants is to go home, but she has to figure out to create a "miracle" (use the tech in her brain) so the people keep believing she's a goddess to keep from being sacrificed. But there is more going on in Erensed than she realizes, and Zhade has his own plans, despite their burgeoning feelings for each other.
This just did not wow me like I thought it would I liked the concept of space princess and science as magic, but the execution felt faulty. I also liked the idea of the English language changing so much over time that it becomes something else, but it was hard to get used to and ultimately, felt clunky and a little silly. I also thought the twists were a little too convenient.
I did like that our MC is a plus sized South East Asian mixed race person working through her confidence issues around her size. I had a hard time really getting invested in Zhade as a character, he just didn't feel deep enough for me. Maret could have been an interesting antagonist if we had spent more time with him or saw more of his mother's influence on him. Instead, he was just kind of an unhinged bad guy. I'm not interested enough in this story to read the second book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death
brookey8888's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I really enjoyed this! Did I have absolutely no idea what they were talking about when talking about the technology, yes, but I still understand it somehow and enjoyed this story still. I really loved Andra as a man character. I loved the fat representation. I really liked Zhade as well and then together. I thought the world was interesting. This book also made me laugh and gasp. It was slow to start hence the 4 star. I did not see a lot coming, but maybe it’s just because I was so engrossed in the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Ableism, Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting
ashlikes's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body shaming, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Confinement, and Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence
typedtruths's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Confinement, Genocide, Grief, Death, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent and Murder
devynvictoria's review against another edition
adventurous
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
The first half of the book was really slow for me and took me awhile to get into, but after about halfway through the pace really picked up and it was a great read. There were lots of plot twists and a lot of the time it’s hard to know who to trust. Zhade is like the ultimate example of a gaslighter, like whoa
Because it’s the future, the english language has evolved a bit making it a little hard to understand at first and adding to the slow pace of the beginning. Overall I enjoyed this book and am excited to pick up the sequel.
Because it’s the future, the english language has evolved a bit making it a little hard to understand at first and adding to the slow pace of the beginning. Overall I enjoyed this book and am excited to pick up the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Abandonment
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
I really struggled to care about the characters and the stakes just didn’t feel high enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Violence
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