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maisy_ally's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, War, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Drug use
alkaiadyne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Overall August Kitko was still a fun read, and I appreciated the queer normative world. But I was left wanting in terms of character depth and the relationship between the MC and their partner felt very service level and superficial to me. With also none of the MCs character development in regards to these giant mechas from space feeling very earned or worked for and instead like developments of convenience. There was though, some commentary and reflection of the MCs mental and emotional health in response to the events which happened throughout the plot that I believe were handled very well.
I would say that this book would be good for people who enjoy stories that are queer to their very core, are fast-paced and enjoy narratives with a lighter tone to them even in the face of dire events.
Minor: Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Gore, War, Dysphoria, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, Gun violence, Blood, Self harm, Medical content, Genocide, Death of parent, Death, Suicide, and Terminal illness
talonsontypewriters's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, Body horror, and Medical content
Moderate: Grief, War, Gun violence, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, and Genocide
Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, Cancer, and Alcohol
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It starts on the last day of the world where Gus, a jazz pianist of very minor fame, gets connected to a super robot (a Traitor Vanguard named Greymalkin...which is the name of the author's cat and I love that!). The story then follows Gus and his fellow Vanguard Conduits (and joyfriend Ardent Rose) as they attempt to save the world from an evil AI and its super robots bent on destruction and death. The story heavily involves music as a fighting tool and intense battle sequences, so if you like those things, you'll likely find a lot to enjoy!
I will say that the romance between Gus and Ardent feels a little underdeveloped for me. They don't seem to have much in common nor much in the way of chemistry. It made me really think of forced proximity in the sense of "these people say they're in love because they think they're the only two people left". This being said, the romance felt really secondary to the main plot, so it didn't bother me much during the story. If you were someone, however, who was going into this for the romance, I think you'd be disappointed.
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, Gore, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, War, and Body horror
Minor: Sexual content
lady_elle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, War, and Violence
Minor: Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Death
LGBTQ+booksthatburn's review against another edition
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and War
Minor: Toxic relationship and Sexual content
jazhandz's review
Graphic: Violence, War, and Medical content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual content
alexalily's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Genocide, Medical trauma, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, War, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Alcohol
azrah786's review against another edition
3.5
**I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, gore, injury, body horror, medical content, suicidal ideation, war, genocide, death, death of parent (off page)
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A highly entertaining and action packed space opera that cranks the volume up high!
August Kitko and the Mechas from Space takes place far into the future at the end of the world. Giant alien robots with their shapeshifting robotic beasts in tow, are zipping around the galaxy destroying the countless worlds humanity has ventured out to and Earth is up next. After a fall out with famous pop star Ardent Violet, Gus Kitko is aimlessly wondering the “greatest goodbye party of all time” alone but decides to see the final moments out by playing some piano. Except his jazz resonates with Greymalkin, one of the Vanguards that crashes onto the planet, and rather than destroying him it chooses Gus to be its Conduit to help it fight.
When it becomes apparent that Greymalkin is not the only Traitor Vanguard, both Gus and Ardent find themselves drawn into a mission to prevent humanities annihilation.
This was such an entertaining read and gave me major Transformers and Pacific Rim vibes with some added rock ‘n roll and great queer rep. Though the beginning is a little slow it’s not long before the chaos kicks in and grabs your attention. Both Gus and Ardent were such fun protagonists to follow, I loved their individual personalities and their relationship was sweet despite developing a little fast / being a bit insta lovey but hey it’s a book set at the end of the world so..
The worldbuilding was really well established and the heart racing action and battle scenes gave the whole story a cinematic edge.
The idea behind the Vanguards/mechas and their accompanying ghosts was equally fascinating and terrifying – be aware there is a fair amount of body horror involved. However, I really loved the involvement of music in both the overall plot and the process of bonding with the mechas, who each had their own unique characteristics too.
My only real issue with the book was that I got lost with some of the music/musicology lingo. Not being much of a musician myself there were some conversations and descriptions that were just flying over my head and in a scifi book where there is already going to be a handful of obscure science lingo that I am only half going to understand without Google, having the two together meant I was feeling more than the usual amount of confusion at times.
This did not diminish my overall enjoyment of the plot and development of the characters though and I am looking forward to seeing where The Starmetal Symphony is going to head to next!
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
Graphic: Blood, War, Genocide, Death, Violence, Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
jessie_h's review against another edition
5.0
This review was originally posted on the Goldilox and the Three Weres blog.
*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.
Moderate: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Mental illness, Violence, War, Blood, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical trauma
Minor: Body horror, Drug use, and Death of parent