Reviews

Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson

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jessicadoom's review against another edition

When the POV is centered on the MC, the strange dialogue didn't bother me. But once the POV began shifting to Zhade more often, I found it incredibly difficult to follow. I would find myself stumbling over his chapters, like wading through cringy slang mixed with the speak patterns of a four year old. I couldn't find the brain capacity to finish.

saucemallow's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

I picked this book up at a bookstore because it was cheap and the Storygraph reviews were not too bad. Since I went into the book expecting it to be about a 4 star read and rated it higher, I feel that it shows I really liked it. I thought it was interesting how the author changed the language of over a thousand years later to reflect many accuracies in the evolution of language. Just like Shakespearean English is often similar to our own, with whole sentences being not different from our daily language, this book was similar. The only issue was that it was frustrating to read something that looked like "incorrect" English with the second protagonist's language using "probablish" and "firm" all the time. I understand why the author changed it and it made it really interesting to read, but it was still a bit funny to see "boyo" being used so often. A mix of young adult and science fiction, the perspective of the female protagonist was really interesting and more insightful than other young adult books while still maintaining all the drama of one. I enjoyed this book and it was a very fun read. I will definitely look for the second book.

themaggiemch's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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

5.0

Ahhhhh this was so good!!! I was really not expecting to enjoy it as thoroughly as I did.

It starts off with a great premise- a girl wakes up from cryosleep to an unfamiliar world where everyone is calling her a goddess. Super interesting concept and I loved getting to explore it further.

The characters were fun to read about- our main two, Andra and Zhade, both had unique voices to their POVs and I never had trouble telling them apart (something I sometimes struggle with). Their chemistry wasn't quite where I would've liked it, but individually they were both great. Andra's coming to terms with living in a unfamiliar time is engaging and fascinating, and Zhade's struggles with his political position were a nice touch. The side characters were fleshed-out well and all brought something to the table- everyone felt necessary.

One common complaint about the book is Zhade's dialect, and how it's annoying to read. Maybe it's because I read it through audio, but I didn't mind it and actually thought it was kinda cool. The focus on linguistics throughout the novel was really unique- not something I typically see in the average YA sci-fi book.

I will definitely be picking up the next one as soon as my hold goes through at the library!

luceeefur's review against another edition

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Not really in the mood for sci-fi; Didn't finish in time for book club

spookybooback's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

booklover160's review against another edition

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3.0

Please forgive any misspellings as I listened to the audiobook. PS - the narrators were okay. I liked Andra's more than Zhade's.

Man, this one is hard to put into words. Mostly, it was disappointing.

I think the biggest weakness of this book is all the ASSUMPTIONS that EVERYTHING is based on. Andra ASSUMES she made it to Holimuth. She ASSUMES she was left behind. She ASSUMES all this crap and it makes her appear so much stupider than she is. She also makes stupid mistakes. She is TOLD TO HER FACE that the previous goddesses are on the money but laments that she can't find an image of them. She makes dumb decisions and figures stuff out on accident. It was extremely frustrating.

Then there's Zhade who can't tell the truth or not manipulate people to save his life. Kinda literally. He is just D U M B. He was so frustrating.

And the language crap? Just AWFUL. It's confusing and in the audiobook, there's really no way to figure stuff out unless you pay close attention. It was interesting when they mentioned that Andra was interested in linguistics but nothing came of that. I thought there'd be some sort of cool history of the language evolution but no. It's mentioned in passing that she likes languages. That's it.

The plot is somewhat boring and predictable. I did love the plot twist at 95% but like.... IT WAS AT 95%. That last 5% was so breakneck fast that it felt like a different book. I thought I missed something. I think it hinged too heavily on the fact that there's a book 2. But that means I've got to read book 2 now.

Overall, I wouldn't have finished the book if I was reading it. It was somewhat boring and predictable but had some interesting plot twists and leaves you on a cliffhanger.