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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
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
Zoe Hana Mikuta’s Gearbreakers arrives with a thunderous aesthetic—towering mechas, rebel girls with gods to kill, and a queer romance simmering beneath the blaze of revolution. It’s an audacious debut, fueled by grit and cinematic flair. And yet, for all its bombast and potential, the execution occasionally stutters beneath the weight of its own momentum.
The novel opens with a brutal, kinetic promise: Eris is a Gearbreaker, a saboteur devoted to dismantling the towering Windups—colossal weapons piloted by the ruling Godolia regime. She’s ruthless, charismatic, and already tangled in a relationship before her path collides with Sona, a Windup pilot hiding a rebel heart. What follows is an enemies-to-lovers dynamic that’s emotionally high-stakes but also, regrettably, rushed in its delivery.
The queerness of the romance is never in question—if anything, it’s a refreshing anchor in a genre too often starved of it. But the emotional transition? Jarring. Eris’ prior relationship, quietly sidelined, leaves a sour tang—what unfolds feels not like the birth of a new love but a sudden narrative pivot. There’s little introspection about the emotional cost, and what lingers is not exhilaration, but the uneasy echo of emotional cheating.
Mikuta’s prose swings between razor-sharp and overclocked. Her action sequences shine, scattered with visceral violence and defiant swagger. But outside the cockpit, the worldbuilding falters. Godolia is all tyranny and glimmering control, but the scaffolding that holds it together—its politics, social strata, even its daily life—is only sporadically illuminated. It’s a world that should feel enormous, but often reads like a sketch rather than a blueprint.
The supporting cast, too, suffers from the same fate. Revolutionary sidekicks are given roles, but seldom rise beyond their archetypes. Unlike Pacific Rim or Attack on Titan, Gearbreakers never quite lands that ensemble chemistry, that feeling of a rebellion forged not just by common cause, but genuine camaraderie.
Still, there’s no denying the fire in Mikuta’s vision. Gearbreakers roars with aesthetic confidence, and its themes—of defiance, identity, found family—strike chords even when the melody wavers. It’s a book that burns bright but not clean, charged with passion but begging for more clarity, more steadiness, more truth in its quietest moments.
For fans of queer sci-fi rebellion and mechanized mayhem, Gearbreakers is a worthy, if uneven, ride. Just don’t expect every part of the machine to be well-oiled.
This book was okay. I think I would have finished it but I ran out of time as it was originally free on audible. I didn't enjoy it enough to want to use a credit/pay for it.
I felt confused for a lot of the book. I think the world building could have been done so much better. Forever annoyed of how mediocre saphhic books often are but rated higher than they probably deserve just for being Sapphic..
I felt confused for a lot of the book. I think the world building could have been done so much better. Forever annoyed of how mediocre saphhic books often are but rated higher than they probably deserve just for being Sapphic..
as anyone who knows me at all knows, i am a fucking simp for character-driven, queer sci fi. extra points if it’s diverse, well-written, and has lots of badassery. so, suffice to say, I AM A FUCKING SIMP AND I REGRET NOTHING
somehow mikuta made me not hate milo. MILO!!!! so clearly she is a genius who should be wholly trusted! and yes this is a fucking threat book two better not be devastating!!!!
somehow mikuta made me not hate milo. MILO!!!! so clearly she is a genius who should be wholly trusted! and yes this is a fucking threat book two better not be devastating!!!!
This was a really fun read with dynamic and charismatic dialogue and great action! I really liked the setup of of the two sides in this fight, and some of the cool inventions that the gearbreakers were using as well! I found both MC’s to be unique, and loved their relationship with each other. I had a hard time getting into it until about 25%, and for some reason really struggled with distinguishing the two perspectives for the first portion of the book (not sure if this is because I was using the audiobook or not, or possibly just a me problem). Overall, a very exciting read that I would recommend to anyone who liked sapphics and tech!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
[5 stars]
I adored everything about this book, from the sapphics to the stunning prose. I was in awe reading the poetic of Gods and humans, how blurred the lines are between the two.
The story is set in this sci-fi dystopian world, where the government uses huge Mechas to keep its citizens in check. First of all, THAT is so cool. Huge robots are so cool. Not only that, but the pilot has to be physically connected to them, feeling pain and fighting in them as if the body of the bot is their own.
And on the other side of it are the gearbreakers. A bunch of rag-tags kids with lots of anger. They take down the mechas and tattoo themself for each one.
So when you have two teenage girls from either sides? Boom, romance ensues. For how serious this book sounds, there are so many laugh-out-loud moments.
This is definitely going into my top 10 books of all time.
Happy reading!
I adored everything about this book, from the sapphics to the stunning prose. I was in awe reading the poetic of Gods and humans, how blurred the lines are between the two.
The story is set in this sci-fi dystopian world, where the government uses huge Mechas to keep its citizens in check. First of all, THAT is so cool. Huge robots are so cool. Not only that, but the pilot has to be physically connected to them, feeling pain and fighting in them as if the body of the bot is their own.
And on the other side of it are the gearbreakers. A bunch of rag-tags kids with lots of anger. They take down the mechas and tattoo themself for each one.
So when you have two teenage girls from either sides? Boom, romance ensues. For how serious this book sounds, there are so many laugh-out-loud moments.
This is definitely going into my top 10 books of all time.
Happy reading!
It was such an amazing book that’s reminiscent of Pacific Rim. I loved this book so much!
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
some bits felt underdeveloped-- there were dialogue moments that didn't always flow right to me but none of that really bothered me because the whole book was gripping.