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marklpotter's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
5.0
I honestly didn't know what to expect when I grabbed this one and that was probably for the best. I was hooked by the end of chapter two and burned through the rest of the book every spare moment I had. At its heart it's a near future detective story but it's also so much more than that. The cyborg side of the storyline is as well developed and integral to everything as the mystery is.
Spangler approaches the whole human-with-a-chip-in-their-brain side by pretty much announcing that deus ex machina is absolutely possible but then doesn't use it, at least not as such. The moral and ethical quandaries are well presented as is the public reaction to finding out that cyborgs live among us. What really grabbed me early on were the issues that plague the cyborgs and how each one was different. There simply aren't any two dimensional characters in this book. Peng is an amazing character and I can't wait to see what she does next but the rest of the characters aren't left behind either. Santiago, Mulcahy, Zockinski, and everyone else all feel real. Every one of them had a little bit of someone I know. Not being a writer it is rather unfathomable to me now so many characters can be so lifelike.
The mystery side of the story kept me guessing and I had no clue how things would turn out. I may have landed on the right motive a couple of times but I never settled and was guessing until the reveal and even then I was still in the dark about how it would play out. I was entranced by the politics woven through everything.
Spangler does an amazing job of keeping a whole lot plates spinning in this book and has crafted a very interesting future that I look forward to losing myself in for a while. I don't have a RIYL or really any idea how to categorize this book but it's a damn good book and I hope I've piqued your curiosity enough for you to grab it, you won't be disappointed.
Spangler approaches the whole human-with-a-chip-in-their-brain side by pretty much announcing that deus ex machina is absolutely possible but then doesn't use it, at least not as such. The moral and ethical quandaries are well presented as is the public reaction to finding out that cyborgs live among us. What really grabbed me early on were the issues that plague the cyborgs and how each one was different. There simply aren't any two dimensional characters in this book. Peng is an amazing character and I can't wait to see what she does next but the rest of the characters aren't left behind either. Santiago, Mulcahy, Zockinski, and everyone else all feel real. Every one of them had a little bit of someone I know. Not being a writer it is rather unfathomable to me now so many characters can be so lifelike.
The mystery side of the story kept me guessing and I had no clue how things would turn out. I may have landed on the right motive a couple of times but I never settled and was guessing until the reveal and even then I was still in the dark about how it would play out. I was entranced by the politics woven through everything.
Spangler does an amazing job of keeping a whole lot plates spinning in this book and has crafted a very interesting future that I look forward to losing myself in for a while. I don't have a RIYL or really any idea how to categorize this book but it's a damn good book and I hope I've piqued your curiosity enough for you to grab it, you won't be disappointed.
katybug25's review
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.5
iheartpuns's review
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
4.0
ginnikin's review
3.0
I liked this a lot. I still like A Girl and her Fed the best, but I think that's because of Hope & Sparky's ah-may-zing chemistry, and also the charming visuals. I'm garbage at strategy, so I don't guess things in advance , so I didn't really try to piece things together. In a story about very smart people saying to other very smart people the equivalent of "do you know what this means?!" that's a liability, but I still really enjoyed it.
Spoiler
but even still, I knew that bomb was not taken out of play by disabling the detonator remotelylinluvsbooks's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
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
5.0
Love and adore the A Girl and Her Fed comic and the Peng novel series is AMAZING. excellent story telling and world building.
archane's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Body horror
quiraang's review
3.0
In some ways similar to the Nexus series of books, but with less emphasis on the technical, and more on the psychological impact of brain implants on the cyborg protagonists. Some of the dialogue is a little 'cute' for my liking, but the general story theme based on murder and political corruption is good.
kwugirl's review
5.0
I'm so glad I took a chance on this book that they didn't have at the library and just bought the $5 ebook. Totally worth it. It's a well-realized world and the tone of the book is a fun noir/cyberthriller/mystery kind of thing. I actually think it's good to read this first and the original webcomic later, since the comic is much zanier in tone.
terriaminute's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
3.5 better and better stars. This needed another polish edit, but that's just a quibble. The rising tension worked very well because the MC and crew became more and more important to me. There seemed to be some internal conflict about the implants, but I could've missed a point. That's less important to me than the characters themselves. Three stars are for the author delivering on the promise to entertain me. The half star rounded up on sites too dim to allow half-stars is because this is the kind of superhero story I want, but am too impatient to write myself. On to book 2.