Scan barcode
palmkd's review
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
The story follows two twins, one expected and desired, the other a spare. They're born to an incredibly powerful figurehead and "gifted" to the Grand Monastery to be raised. This was a super interesting world where your gender isn't official until you go through a confirmation ceremony. The twins are returned to their mother, who holds a very high rank in society and exercises her power without care for the civilians. This is the first in a 4 part series. This first story focuses on the Twin's upbringing and how they find themselves settling into adulthood and learning about the world outside their sheltered walls. Are the Machinists or the Tensors in the right? Is the protectorate actually protecting anyone? I'm very intrigued by this world and the setup and look forward to continuing this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, Suicide, and Blood
arinreads's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sometimes novellas just WORK. there might not be that much context to it as you would've liked but somehow it doesn't matter, it works and it's lovely and it's good. i even teared up a couple of times, this was very impressive
rashellnicole's review
fast-paced
4.5
I can tell from this first book that this is going to be a series of novellas that I hold dear, much like the Singing Hills Cycle series by Nghi Vo. Similar in style, narrative flow, and characterization, the first book in the Tensorate series follows twins Mokoya and Akeha and their lives in the Grand Monastery as they are raised to pay the debt their mother incurred by asking for the Monastery’s help with suppressing a rebellion. As the children grow, so do their connections to the Slack and their gifts with that. Mokoya has the gift of prophecy, which the Monastery works to develop, in particular, as it turns out it’s impossible to stop any of these events from occurring.
Akeha is there for their sibling after each visceral prophecy, though it eventually starts to tear them apart. When Mokoya reveals that they are preparing to be confirmed as a woman, Akeha’s world shatters. Raised genderless, they choose their gender at 17, but they always assumed their path would be the same as their twin’s. Instead, Akeha must consider their own choice for confirmation and what it means to be separate from their twin.
After they both have their confirmation ceremonies, they part ways. Their mother has no use for Akeha as a son when Mokoya’s gift of prophecy works in her favor. Akeha leaves the world he’s always known to see what else the world has in store. Many adventures and encounters are had, he falls in love, and he ends up being the driving force behind the next Machinist rebellion (those opposing his mother’s rule). We have a bittersweet family reunion and the promise of more familial (and realm-related) drama to come in future novellas. I, for one, can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, and I’m grateful the series is complete so I can binge it!
Akeha is there for their sibling after each visceral prophecy, though it eventually starts to tear them apart. When Mokoya reveals that they are preparing to be confirmed as a woman, Akeha’s world shatters. Raised genderless, they choose their gender at 17, but they always assumed their path would be the same as their twin’s. Instead, Akeha must consider their own choice for confirmation and what it means to be separate from their twin.
After they both have their confirmation ceremonies, they part ways. Their mother has no use for Akeha as a son when Mokoya’s gift of prophecy works in her favor. Akeha leaves the world he’s always known to see what else the world has in store. Many adventures and encounters are had, he falls in love, and he ends up being the driving force behind the next Machinist rebellion (those opposing his mother’s rule). We have a bittersweet family reunion and the promise of more familial (and realm-related) drama to come in future novellas. I, for one, can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, and I’m grateful the series is complete so I can binge it!
year23's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
jujuvansunshine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
allison_jane_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
3.5
hannsjsjwkkqkq's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
biblio_t's review
3.0
Captivating story, but the time jumps make it very hard to connect with the characters. I loved the sibling relationship. The time spent with them as kids made it easy to connect with them.
Read for Trans Rights Readathon
Read for Trans Rights Readathon
kotareadsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Twins Mokoya and Akeha are children of the Protectorate, and this book follows their lives from birth to 30-ish as they go in separate paths as a rebellion against their evil, awful mother, the Protector. Only told in Akeha’s point of view, we see Akeha grow into a man helping the very rebellion against his mother.
Honestly, I think maybe I’m just not smart enough for this book. It reads like it’s meant to make sense but it just didn’t. The gender thing was cool af, love that, but the Slack is never explained, the tensorate vs the machinists vs the monks and all that - I don’t get it at all. There’s also no real explanation of how things come about but it seems like it’s just slice of life-ing it through. I checked several times to make sure I wasn’t reading out of order, even. But nope. Just not understanding.
Honestly, I think maybe I’m just not smart enough for this book. It reads like it’s meant to make sense but it just didn’t. The gender thing was cool af, love that, but the Slack is never explained, the tensorate vs the machinists vs the monks and all that - I don’t get it at all. There’s also no real explanation of how things come about but it seems like it’s just slice of life-ing it through. I checked several times to make sure I wasn’t reading out of order, even. But nope. Just not understanding.