Science Fiction

Gearbreakers

Gearbreakers

  • Downloads：5045
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-27 07:18:57
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Zoe Hana Mikuta
  • ISBN：1250269504
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Charvi ，

3。5/5 stars （rounded up）I have some mixed opinions。 I can definitely see why people didn't end up liking this book but I also get why others love it。Let's be honest， the first 20% was a sludge to get through which is why I was so surprised when things started to get fast-paced and interesting and then I was hooked。 I will say that the plot is well done although the few plot twists fall short of surprising me。 I do love how both the main characters are written， in fact the best thing about this b 3。5/5 stars （rounded up）I have some mixed opinions。 I can definitely see why people didn't end up liking this book but I also get why others love it。Let's be honest， the first 20% was a sludge to get through which is why I was so surprised when things started to get fast-paced and interesting and then I was hooked。 I will say that the plot is well done although the few plot twists fall short of surprising me。 I do love how both the main characters are written， in fact the best thing about this book has to be the characters。 But there were just some things that didn't go。 The fights for example， the ones with the mechas were impossible for me to visualise and understand and I ended up skimming through them。 And some of the lines and dialogues were a little cringe rather than spectacular。 But I really liked the ending and it makes me look forward to the next book。A full review will be up soon on my blog！Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley for the Coloured Pages book tour。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。 。。。more

Jade Driscoll ，

Thank you to FierceReads and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for my honest review！This is a *fantastic* YA sci-fi book that I cannot WAIT to recommend to every sci-fi-loving teen I know， work with， and just meet on the street。 It's a fast-paced book of found family， cyberpunk aesthetics， 200-foot mechas， easy-to-follow action， and love in so many different forms （familial （both by blood and by choice）， romantic， and friendship）。GEARBREAKERS is a dual-perspective book between Sona Steelcrest an Thank you to FierceReads and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for my honest review！This is a *fantastic* YA sci-fi book that I cannot WAIT to recommend to every sci-fi-loving teen I know， work with， and just meet on the street。 It's a fast-paced book of found family， cyberpunk aesthetics， 200-foot mechas， easy-to-follow action， and love in so many different forms （familial （both by blood and by choice）， romantic， and friendship）。GEARBREAKERS is a dual-perspective book between Sona Steelcrest and Eris Shindanai--girls who think they're on opposite sides of a brewing war in Godolia， but who are actually fighting for the same cause。 Sona is a Pilot for Godolia's mechas--known as Windups--and has numerous cybernetic enhancements to make her as effective--and as deadly--as possible。 Eris， on the other hand， is a Gearbreaker: someone from the Badlands who takes the Windups down and fights for the rights of the people in the Badlands。 Once Sona and Eris learn they are actually both vying for Godolia's downfall （and once they slowly start to trust each other）， they work with Eris's team of Gearbreakers to work toward their most intense--and dangerous--attempt to fight Godolia yet。I loved so much about this book。 There were few parts that I disliked and/or that annoyed me， and they were so few and far between that I was rarely frustrated for long。 For instance， I don't really know what Godolia or the Badlands look like。。。 but I was so immersed in the immediate scenes/descriptions that I wasn't too bothered。 There were only a handful of chapters that started with a note about time/scene （e。g。， "0900，" "Heavensday，" etc。）。。。 but I was so engrossed in the overarching narrative that the inconsistency didn't really faze me。 The first few chapters were a little slow。。。 but I got SO into the story afterwards that the action was worth the wait。 Basically， there was little for me to criticize in the book， because anything that I *could* have critiqued didn't impact my overall reading experience OR my enjoyment of the story in any way。 The story was THAT engaging， from beginning to end。Since I did love so much， I'm going to do a top-five-favorite-elements-in-the-book extended bullet list， or my review could go on for days。 So， what did I love？1） The character development of both Eris and Sona was extremely well done。 Both girls have extremely strong wants/goals from the very beginning， but as the book goes on， their goals begin to shift slightly as they change their outlook（s） on other people， Godolia， and what it means to be at war。 The *strength* of their wants/goals never leaves， but that strength sometimes changes directions， and it was really satisfying to see the characters grow in ways that acknowledged that their fight（s） meant different things than they did at the beginning of the narrative。2） The action was SO easy to follow！！ Seriously， there are 200-foot mechas fighting each other on the ground; 200-foot mechas fighting each other in the air; people fighting INSIDE 200-foot mechas; and so much more。 I never felt lost， and those high-intensity scenes were super easy to imagine。3） The found family of Gearbreakers has my entire heart。 There are 6 people in Eris's unit （excluding Eris herself）， but they all have unique personalities， Gearbreaking specializations， and hobbies/habits/tics。 I would read companion novellas about each person in that unit， to be honest。4） Jenny is absolutely unhinged and I love it。 She has an almost-dangerous amount of confidence， but it's necessary in war。 She knows EXACTLY what she wants， how to win， and how to get what she needs in order to secure her wants/wins， and NOTHING will stop her。 She may go so long without sleep that she slurs like a drunkard， and she may be willing to fight literally everyone she meets in order to see her visions through， but wow is she FUN and STRONG and EXCITING and POWERFUL and I love it。5） [THIS ONE HAS SOME MINOR SPOILERS] The "romance" between Eris and Sona isn't overwhelming。 They clearly love each other by the end， and their care for each other was apparent in the ways they reacted to Sona's winding， the ways they handled the other Gearbreakers' opinions， and， most importantly， the ways they expressed their CARE for one another。 They didn't need to be constantly making out or professing their love to each other to clearly have that love， and not only did that feel very in line with their characters--they are both definitely people who show love through actions above anything else， let's be honest--but it felt very natural in reading about the budding love between two former enemies who still have difficulties trusting each other， despite *wanting* to give the other person their entire heart。Bonus） The book said "jade" three times。 That's all。Anyway， I am in love with this book， and I hope that so many other people--especially teens--fall in love with it as well。 I CANNOT wait for the sequel， and I cannot wait to talk with people about this book， too。 Make room on your shelves for GEARBREAKERS， because you will not regret it。 。。。more

Gracie ，

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review！There's a lot of great things about this book -- the concept of mecha fights and rebels bold enough to climb inside them and shut them down was really cool。 I liked both of the main characters， Sona and Eris， and there's a lovely found family aspect to this book as well。 This is also a great choice if you're looking for a sci-fi sapphic read！ Reading this overall was a real Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review！There's a lot of great things about this book -- the concept of mecha fights and rebels bold enough to climb inside them and shut them down was really cool。 I liked both of the main characters， Sona and Eris， and there's a lovely found family aspect to this book as well。 This is also a great choice if you're looking for a sci-fi sapphic read！ Reading this overall was a really enjoyable experience。However， there were a few things that kept me from giving this a higher rating， and I want to give my honest opinion。 Sometimes I got a bit disoriented by the writing， not understanding exactly what was happening or feeling like I missed something that I guess I was supposed to assume happened。 The sequential movement of time could have been a little easier to follow。 It also took me a long time to get through the first part of this book， but once I did I read it pretty quickly and was very curious to know what would happen。And the ending 。。。 let's just say I would really like book 2 in my hands right now but I guess that'll be over a year from now， sadly。 If you like betrayal and suspense and a good cliffhanger， Gearbreakers will supply you with all of that。 。。。more

Olivia ，

See my full review here: https://www。yabookscentral。com/yafict。。。GEARBREAKERS is a thrilling YA sci-fi/dystopian read。 Godolia rules with an iron fist， using modified humans as their weapons to kill anyone who doesn't fall perfectly in line。 Sona is the newest person to be modified into someone who is part machine， unable to feel pain and can interlace with their machine weaponry known as Windups。 Her assignment is to the Valkyrie unit， a new mechanical that is thought to be invincible。 What God See my full review here: https://www。yabookscentral。com/yafict。。。GEARBREAKERS is a thrilling YA sci-fi/dystopian read。 Godolia rules with an iron fist， using modified humans as their weapons to kill anyone who doesn't fall perfectly in line。 Sona is the newest person to be modified into someone who is part machine， unable to feel pain and can interlace with their machine weaponry known as Windups。 Her assignment is to the Valkyrie unit， a new mechanical that is thought to be invincible。 What Godolia does not know is that Sona has allowed herself to be turned into what she hates because she thinks it is the best way to get revenge for their slaughter of her parents and whole town when she was little。When her unit captures a Gearbreaker， a rebel who works to take apart machines， Sona sees this as her chance。 The Gearbreaker is Eris， known as Frostbringer for the cryo gloves she uses to freeze and destroy the Windups。 As they interact， they forge a bond that is hard to break with the end of Godolia in sight。What I loved: This was absolutely action-packed with lots of battle scenes and cool future tech。 The world-building was really interesting， and the reader is thrown into this dangerous and technologically advanced world。 I found the characters really compelling， and I appreciated the insight we get into Sona and Eris's pasts。 They each have dealt with a lot of pain and loss and been thrust into a war that they are trying to play a role within。 I really liked the connection that develops between them and the LGBT romance。 The other characters were also some that I would have loved to know even more about。 The histories of the other Gearbreakers and Windups would have been intriguing to know more about and to understand why people are on the other side of Godolia。What left me wanting more: As a small thing， the beginning is a bit hard to follow， as the reader is thrust into the action and trying to figure out this world， but you can definitely find your footing before too long。Final verdict: An engaging sci-fi read， GEARBREAKERS is the start of a YA series that I am eager to follow。 Recommend for fans of THE MAZE RUNNER， SHATTER ME， and UNDER THE NEVER SKY。Please note that I received an ARC。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

jes ，

i am…。so disappointed in the writing quality

Online Eccentric Librarian ，

More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/Gearbreaks is a nice antidote to many YA books in that our heroines are much more nuanced than simple 'good person fighting bad guys。' The author does not shy away from the young women killing masses and messily nor being casual in sex。 In this way， the dystopian genre gets a nice reboot。 At the same time， it does feel very much like a debut effort with some clunky writing and flow issues affecting the reading experie More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/Gearbreaks is a nice antidote to many YA books in that our heroines are much more nuanced than simple 'good person fighting bad guys。' The author does not shy away from the young women killing masses and messily nor being casual in sex。 In this way， the dystopian genre gets a nice reboot。 At the same time， it does feel very much like a debut effort with some clunky writing and flow issues affecting the reading experience。 But I think most will find this an exuberant and action-packed read with some truly kick-butt heroines。Sona is a mecha pilot - the elite of the elite protecting Godolia interests。 She has gone through cyborg-like surgery， body parts replaced with machinery， in order to pilot the god-like mechas。 Rebel Eris scrabbles for existence in the outlands。 Her mission is simple: destroy the mechas and kill the pilots or die trying。 But Sona has a secret - she is from the outlandes originally and saw her family destroyed by Godolia。 Now， all she wants is revenge。 She's going to find it with Eris - if she can survive the rebels first。Right from the start， when one of our main characters casually gets out of bed after a night of meaningless sex， you know you are going to be in a harder-hitting YA novel than most。 Combine that with the merciless nature in which both heroines slaughter individuals and this hits the right notes for a more grounded and truer dystopian society than most。 Sona is a more broken character， having lost everything early in her life and now enduring more than living。 Her mission is to destroy Godolia from within - she just doesn't know how she is going to accomplish that yet。 Eris， on the other hand， is all spark and fire; she knows she will die young and have to watch her teammates/friends die one by one。 She is a product of the tyranny of Godolia and the environment。 When both meet， one personality is cold efficiency and one is fiery ambition。 Yet ironically ice wields fire and fire wields ice as weapons。 The worldbuilding is established enough but told in rather simplistic terms。 Sona's mecha pilot teammates are your prototypical 'imperialistic' soldiers， assured of their power and righteousness。 The rebels are rag tag and lacking organization; a fatalistic and loosely held together group。 Eris' group in particular is a 'bad bunch' rejected by other teams and fiercely loyal to her。 Both groups were well established and had a variety of personalities; and yet， those personalities felt somewhat shallow and cliche。 more prototypes than people。There is a subplot of a jealous teammate of Eris' that was tedious and one note。 And at times， I had to reread several times to understand what was happening in both action and downtime scenes。 The book ends on a clear cliffhanger but does complete an arc of sorts in that things come back around to the starting point neatly。 The romance is nicely understated （it never overshadows the dangerous situation they are in） and does evolve organically。 As well， this is a character driven piece with a nice mix of action sequences。In all， an enjoyable read with a lot of twists， action， anarchy， and with two very strong heroines。 Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher。 。。。more

Katie✨ ，

WARNING: Very long and rambling review that slightly talks about the dynamic between Eris and Sona at the end of the book so if you don’t even want a hint of a spoiler about their dynamic， dint read！ CW: torture Rep: Korean MCs， bisexual rep， lesbian rep So here’s the thing。 Gearbreakers has a really cool premise。 Exciting in a way I haven’t seen in a while （except Girls at the Edge of the World） so I was super excited to dive into the story。 Cyberpunk？？ Sapphic？？ Found family？？？ It sounds amazi WARNING: Very long and rambling review that slightly talks about the dynamic between Eris and Sona at the end of the book so if you don’t even want a hint of a spoiler about their dynamic， dint read！ CW: torture Rep: Korean MCs， bisexual rep， lesbian rep So here’s the thing。 Gearbreakers has a really cool premise。 Exciting in a way I haven’t seen in a while （except Girls at the Edge of the World） so I was super excited to dive into the story。 Cyberpunk？？ Sapphic？？ Found family？？？ It sounds amazing！ But from a world development standpoint， it really falls flat。This is not a bad book by any means， especially as a debut by a young author （she’s my age😅） but I just can’t help but think about how the stakes could have been raised a bit more。While there is an attempt to explain the world and why it is the way that it is， the world still feels very detached。 I still don’t really know anything about Godolia other than the fact that it has mecha deities and they mass murder people occasionally some reason。 There’s no culture， laws， values， ethnic groups， food， or anything memorable about this society。 I genuinely had no idea why the mechas were even doing this horribly violent stuff anyway。 I know it’s supposed to be speculating on the god complex that humans tend to have and want and how senseless violence can be a part of that but I just didn’t feel connected to that idea in anyway here。For example， Sona’s family and people of her hometown （I don’t even know what to call it because there are no identifying names for any place in this world， just “Godolia” and that’s it） died by being crushed in a mine by a mecha。 It was supposedly because they didn’t meet their coal quota but we never really learn how the structure of the society works and why the leaders are so tyrannical that they would kill an entire population of people just for that。Speaking of the leaders， they are almost non existent in this story until the last part of the book。 Seriously， they are about as scary as cardboard。 Sure， the idea of giant death machines are terrifying but they seem spineless when we really know nothing about the people who founded or controlled them。Yes， pilots like Sona become one with the mechas but I should feel some kind of fear towards the tyrannical government of this world and I just…don’t。 There’s no identifying landmarks， no kind of politics whatsoever， just one dimensional evil leaders that we basically never see and so they don’t scare me at all。 It’s a shame because this world could be legitimately terrifying if there was actually a society to fear besides the mecha deities。 Because isn’t that supposed to be the point？ That humans themselves had such a god complex to make these death machines？ That they are the ones truly capable of destruction？ I just don’t get that vibe here because like I said， the leaders and government are nonexistent in this book。 We hear about it all the time but never really experience it in a broad sense。 I get it， world building can be tricky。 And it’s clear that the author wanted to focus more on the found family and renegade kids themselves but you’ve gotta give readers some semblance of the stakes of the world。 There was no personality to the society or Godolia is general。 Again， we never learn about the culture of this world or anything that makes it what it is besides the mechas。 In fact， there seems to be no other counties in this world or anything else。 Maybe that was on purpose but I can’t know for sure because it’s really not explained。I was also a bit confused by where and when this takes places。 By the way Sona， Eris， and the other kids talk， it could be a futuristic version of earth， with the cars， popcorn， books， and movies， but at the same time; it seems to take place worlds away。 The setting as a whole was just way too vague for me to be invested in it。 Like， they keep mentioning how they live in a dorm and that got me wondering if there even was a functional government or education system in this society and if not （cause again nothing about the society other than the mechas is really mentioned） then why is there just this random dormIn the middle of nowhere？？And also with the movie and music thing， the world feels distinctly dystopian as well so is there an equivalent of Hollywood there？？？ Are they watching old movies from our time and if so， why is our time never once mentioned？？？ Or any place outside of Godolia？ And where are they getting the the music to causally play through speakers or in the car？？ Also there’s cars in this world？？？ （See what I mean when I say underdeveloped？） And adding in to that， if this society is so advanced as to have mechas and technologically enhanced humans piloting them， as well as cars， shouldn’t there also be something similar to a phone or something？ They mention watching movies so there’s obviously television but again if this government is so tyrannical i feel like they would just allow normal TV shows to play。 But again， something like phones should be able to exist in this world！！！ On to Eris and Sona: one thing you need to realize about their relationship is that this is a sloooow burn （with lots of banter， don’t worry😌）。 And when I say slow I mean slow。 That’s not bad in and of itself。 In fact， I was vibing with it because it felt like it was developing naturally and it would’ve been cool for their relationship to finally culminate in the second book （I’m a sucker for drawn out slow burns as long as the payoff is worth it）。 However， in the last quarter of the book， their feelings are suddenly sped up so that the author can force them to be basically in love by the end of the first book。 And honestly， with how this book ended， the payoff would have been SO MUCH BETTER if they didn’t actually get together until the sequel。 So now I’m sad because the slow burn was developing really well and she just kind of rushed it near the end of the book。 I thought the found family aspect was really lovely and goofy， with a lot of fierce love。 I can’t wait to see the gang more developed in the sequel！ However， I thought that the Gearbreaker rebel group as a whole was underdeveloped。 We honestly only really know about Eris and Sona’s background before joining the crew。I really liked that it was a bunch of kids doing their best and being forced to grow up early。 I also really loved the relationship between Eris and her sister Jenny。 But at the same time， we don’t really know how they came to be oppressed in the first place at all。 And AGAIN I can’t stress this enough， I still don’t get why the mechas are just randomly killing masses of people anyway。 I really would like some more history into the society， the mechas， the Academy， the government， the world， and the leaders because everything about the setting is sooo underdeveloped that I found myself skimming through pages because stuff just isn’t explained。 I think a great example of a book that managed to nicely develop the world while also the romance and characters is Crier’s War by Nina Varela。 Yes Gearbreakers is more cyber punk and mecha but it’s honestly a similar premise: two girls seemingly on opposite sides of a war as humanoid beings threaten to destroy humanity as they know it， ya feel？ （Aka Sona is Crier and Eris is Ayla hehe） The difference is that CW gives us a vivid society with terrifying rulers and something to be frightened of。 It also gives LIFE and culture to the society。 Again， on the surface， the mechas are terrifying！ But it’s a shallow kind of terrifying。 CW gives us higher stakes to work with， and the romance， while paced a bit different， is consistently paced。All in all， while I loved vibe， the premise， the sapphic queer rep， and the found family， the world build of Gearbreakers made my reading experience pretty forgettable and wanting for more in the sequel。 I’m definitely gonna read the sequel to see how Mikuta develops as an author because I see a lot of potential and hope it’s more epic！ 。。。more

charlise ，

First of all thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I don't even know where to begin when talking about one of my most highly anticipated 2021 releases。 Gearbreakers follows in the perspective of two girls on opposite sides of a war， who have the same motives。 To destroy Godolia。This book had me laughing， crying， screaming， and every emotion in between。 I had gotten so attac First of all thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I don't even know where to begin when talking about one of my most highly anticipated 2021 releases。 Gearbreakers follows in the perspective of two girls on opposite sides of a war， who have the same motives。 To destroy Godolia。This book had me laughing， crying， screaming， and every emotion in between。 I had gotten so attached to the Gearbreaker found families， they actually reminded me of my own friend group。 It usually takes a lot to get me hooked on dystopian sci-fi books but Zoe beautifully created an entire world with characters you can' t help but grow attached to。 I will admit， it did take me a little to get through the world building of this， but you always have to truly give dystopian books a chance when starting。 My official review blurb would probably be that Gearbreakers is a book that will get you hooked on the plot， to the characters， and have you begging for more （Especially after the ending！@#$%^$#@） I need everyone and anyone to mark June 29 in their calendars and immediately buy and read this book， you will not regret it！ 。。。more

Kris Mauna ，

I may have had too high an expectation for Gearbreakers， to the point where I’m left feeling disappointed after reading。 Despite this， there are a lot of things that I enjoyed in this book， especially the found family。Gearbreakers is told through a dual POV and the main characters are two young girls named Eris and Sona。Eris is a Gearbreaker and one of the youngest captains。 She leads their crews on missions to take down Godolia’s mechas。 She’s intelligent， tough， and incredibly brave。 One would I may have had too high an expectation for Gearbreakers， to the point where I’m left feeling disappointed after reading。 Despite this， there are a lot of things that I enjoyed in this book， especially the found family。Gearbreakers is told through a dual POV and the main characters are two young girls named Eris and Sona。Eris is a Gearbreaker and one of the youngest captains。 She leads their crews on missions to take down Godolia’s mechas。 She’s intelligent， tough， and incredibly brave。 One would describe her crew as the rejects， but she fights to give them a family with a place to call home。 Eris fights with her heart on her sleeve and I admired her character so much。Sona is a newly enhanced Windup Pilot and a product of Godolia。 The government has taken her apart and replaced her with parts that no longer make her physically human。 She’s fierce， strong， and underneath her hard exterior， she’s a kindhearted person who just wants to be seen。These two characters may seem like they are polar opposites， and in some ways they are。 Despite being a weapon for Godolia， Sona shares the same goal as Eris， though。 They both want nothing more than to see Godolia torn to shreds。 This is how the two eventually end up on the same team instead of fighting one another after their paths cross。I really enjoyed both Eris and Sona。 In fact， I loved all of the characters in Gearbreakers。 There were a lot of them to keep track of， especially in the beginning when names were just being thrown around。 Once the story hit the middle mark their individual personalities began to stand out on their own， though。 I was able to enjoy them all more and they were the saving grace of this book。The plot held a lot of promises， especially after reading the blurb， but overall it was very confusing。 I had a hard time following along because of the writing。 The pacing was off and I was left with more questions than anything else。 Zoe Hana Mikuta had a great vision for this story and the writing held promise。 There were vivid descriptions and well-thought-out plans， but unfortunately at times it felt like there was too much telling rather than showing。 Usually， I find it hard to connect with books with this writing style and that may be why I didn’t enjoy my reading experience as much as others。When Eris and Sona begin working together the plot feels a lot smoother。 The world is more fleshed out at this point and it was easier to follow along with。 There were still moments where I was left confused， though。 It just made me want more from this book than what I got。Overall， Gearbreakers fell short for me。 There are a lot of fun aspects to this story， especially for readers who love sci-fi and mecha stories。 The characters are fantastic and the splash of romance we see from two Asian female characters is lovable when it’s so rare to see in YA。 But the plot is extremely confusing at times and probably needed to give readers fewer descriptions。If you’re a fan of sci-fi then I would still recommend checking out Gearbreakers to give it a try！ This may just be a case of this book wasn’t for me but others will love it。 | review originally posted on Bookstacked | 。。。more

Claire ，

Zoe Hana Mikuta said she likes to write about angry kids。 In this debut novel， she does it to perfection。 "Gearbreakers" is a non-stop， intense ride through giant mecha fights and explorations of PTSD and complex grief。 Set in a Mad Max-esque， fight-for-survival Badlands ruled over by mega-tech city Godolia， "Gearbreakers" also explores morality and the meaning of revolution。 To make a long story short， this is one of the best rebellion stories I've ever read。 You see kids so fervent on their mi Zoe Hana Mikuta said she likes to write about angry kids。 In this debut novel， she does it to perfection。 "Gearbreakers" is a non-stop， intense ride through giant mecha fights and explorations of PTSD and complex grief。 Set in a Mad Max-esque， fight-for-survival Badlands ruled over by mega-tech city Godolia， "Gearbreakers" also explores morality and the meaning of revolution。 To make a long story short， this is one of the best rebellion stories I've ever read。 You see kids so fervent on their mission they're tipping the scale to fanatical， and using tactics of mass destruction that make them question their morality。 Which is something I absolutely loved about this book。 Often， there's only one big antagonist; but this is an entire way of life that they're bent on eradicating。 And Mikuta makes you wonder if they made the right decision。 I literally cannot say how much I loved Sona and Eris。 Two angry girls who are bent on taking down the system that oppressed them， killed their friends and family。 Also， the found family trope in this book is explicitly queer and so well-executed。 More than the setting and the themes it explores， "Gearbreakers" is just pure fun。 As a fan of giant robots and angry girls who are allowed to be angry， this book was right up my alley。 I loved that technology had become similar to gods; that layer was so incredibly poetic and the quotes that came from it are honestly tattoo-worthy。 I actually have no complaints about this book， except that I'll have to wait for the next one。 。。。more

Reads With Rachel ，

THIS MADE ME FEEL SO MANY THINGS

Shannon Collins ，

As always thank you to NetGalley， Zoe Hana Mikuta， and Feiwel Freinds for an advanced copy of this read！Godolia is merciful， or so they say。 Neither Sona or Eris have found it so。 As the sole survival of a town destroying even， Sona joined the ranks of the Mechs， aiming for the highest of all giant robots， the Valkyrie。 She aims to take down Godolia from the inside。 The Gearbreakers do just what their name implies， break down the gears that run these mech-deities。 Eris is particularly good at br As always thank you to NetGalley， Zoe Hana Mikuta， and Feiwel Freinds for an advanced copy of this read！Godolia is merciful， or so they say。 Neither Sona or Eris have found it so。 As the sole survival of a town destroying even， Sona joined the ranks of the Mechs， aiming for the highest of all giant robots， the Valkyrie。 She aims to take down Godolia from the inside。 The Gearbreakers do just what their name implies， break down the gears that run these mech-deities。 Eris is particularly good at bringing down the giants until she's captured。 Sona decides in a split moment that Eris is the key to bringing down Godolia。 Will they escape the tyranny of one ruler for another？ Or will their vengeance ever be complete？I loved the concept of this book。 Ladies either in giant robots or taking down giant robots in an attempt at rebelling against the system that has done them both dirty， vengeance and sci-fi in spades， as well as a very slow enemies to lovers。 I did enjoy this book， but I've got pros and cons。Pros: LGBTQ representation， giant robots， intensity from the get go， enemies to lovers， so much sass， reasonably well written side characters， found family， interesting plot twists。Cons: The intensity never stops， there's a weird attraction moment that felt toxic， and the second half just felt。。。 like it was suffering from a little too much filler。 We needed x， y， and z to happen but there's going to be a second book。 My biggest issue was that even before I knew there was going to be a second book I could feel in the writing。 The way plot was left open， the way so many things weren't resolved。 Overall， an enjoyable read but suffers a smidge from filler and sheer intensity。Read if you like: LGBTQ rep， giant robots， rebellions， and enemies to lovers and kind of back again。 。。。more

Bookgrrl ，

This book depicts a very interesting dystopian sci-fi world， where the line between the haves and the have-nots is immense。 You will be rooting for Eris and her crew the whole time！ The battle scenes are very detailed and really entertaining。 I will say that I was a bit disappointed there was much less of a relationship between Eris and Sona than I was led to believe。 The book is being label as having queer romance， but it doesn’t。 Basically towards the end of the book they realize and acknowled This book depicts a very interesting dystopian sci-fi world， where the line between the haves and the have-nots is immense。 You will be rooting for Eris and her crew the whole time！ The battle scenes are very detailed and really entertaining。 I will say that I was a bit disappointed there was much less of a relationship between Eris and Sona than I was led to believe。 The book is being label as having queer romance， but it doesn’t。 Basically towards the end of the book they realize and acknowledge that they have feelings for each other， and that’s it。 Nothing happens。 My assumption is that it’s being set up for more relationship details in the second book coming out next year。 Oh， and I wish that the name of the country was different。 Godolia looks way too much like gondola， and that’s how my brain kept reading it。 But I was definitely entertained while reading this book and would certainly recommend it。Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for this advanced reader copy。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own。 。。。more

dana ，

twitter // blog[full review on my blog here！]Gearbreakers was one of my most anticipated reads of the year， so I am a bit disappointed。 That said， overall， the vibes were excellent， as was the diversity， though the plot felt underdeveloped。The language in the first 20-30% is definitely flowery。 I tend to like flowery imagery so I wasn’t too bothered by this， though there were lines here and there that felt convoluted。 What bothered me more was the handling of the world’s context。The heart of thi twitter // blog[full review on my blog here！]Gearbreakers was one of my most anticipated reads of the year， so I am a bit disappointed。 That said， overall， the vibes were excellent， as was the diversity， though the plot felt underdeveloped。The language in the first 20-30% is definitely flowery。 I tend to like flowery imagery so I wasn’t too bothered by this， though there were lines here and there that felt convoluted。 What bothered me more was the handling of the world’s context。The heart of this novel lies in the relationship between Eris and Sona， two queer Asian girls on opposing sides of a multigenerational war。 Throughout the novel， I physically felt the characters’ rage as well as the fierceness with which they protect one another。 Gearbreakers promised the found family trope， and it delivered。 The plot， in comparison， felt flimsy。 It left me unsatisfied， though I suppose that was intentional considering that there is a sequel planned。 。。。more

Tesa ，

Thank you NetGalley and Feiwel Friends for a digital ARC of Gearbreakers！CW: violence， torture， deathI have YET AGAIN fallen into the trap of reading an arc of an expected series。 But honestly， I don’t care because I enjoyed this book so much。 The worldbuilding at the beginning did leave something to be desired， especially in such a complex dystopian/sci-fi society。 However， the first chapter had me hooked and the dual POVs allowed the story to pick up quickly。 I ended up finishing the book in t Thank you NetGalley and Feiwel Friends for a digital ARC of Gearbreakers！CW: violence， torture， deathI have YET AGAIN fallen into the trap of reading an arc of an expected series。 But honestly， I don’t care because I enjoyed this book so much。 The worldbuilding at the beginning did leave something to be desired， especially in such a complex dystopian/sci-fi society。 However， the first chapter had me hooked and the dual POVs allowed the story to pick up quickly。 I ended up finishing the book in two sittings。Sona and Eris are two girls on opposite sides of the war: one a cybernetically enhanced Windup pilot within Godolia， the other a Gearbreaker rebel specializing in taking down said Windups。 Naturally， we see some of the hate to love and forced proximity tropes。 However， Sona is the biggest reason to stick around because she is such a compelling （and witty） character。 Granted， the unhinged side characters and their chaotic found family certainly don’t hurt either。After THAT ending， I am definitely looking forward to how the next book will play out。 。。。more

laurel [the suspected bibliophile] ，

DNF at 9%Just not feeling it， and it got even worse when I got to Eris' POV。Sure to be a winner for someone else as the idea is fantastic， but I'm not jiving with the writing style。I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review DNF at 9%Just not feeling it， and it got even worse when I got to Eris' POV。Sure to be a winner for someone else as the idea is fantastic， but I'm not jiving with the writing style。I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review 。。。more

Catrina ，

June 30， 2021 - Target

Jess Schmit ，

Okay， let's preface this by saying I typically don't read much sci-fi， but this just drew me in from the description immediately！ And it did not disappoint！ Sapphic， found family， violence， Pacific Rim-esque action， this has it all！ The beginning had some pacing issues for me personally， but once it picked up， it picked up fast！ I really enjoyed seeing the different POVs and the descriptions and dialogue were top-notch。 Highly recommend！ Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan for the eARC！ Okay， let's preface this by saying I typically don't read much sci-fi， but this just drew me in from the description immediately！ And it did not disappoint！ Sapphic， found family， violence， Pacific Rim-esque action， this has it all！ The beginning had some pacing issues for me personally， but once it picked up， it picked up fast！ I really enjoyed seeing the different POVs and the descriptions and dialogue were top-notch。 Highly recommend！ Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan for the eARC！ 。。。more

sasha ，

5/5 Stars Thank you to NetGalley/Macmillan for sending me an ARC to review。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 I had extremely high expectations coming into this， and I was not let down。 The writing truly displays sci-fi and the found family trope at its finest and I was left in awe once I finished reading。 Zoe Hana Mikuta has created a stunning debut that is an emotional， captivating， and incredibly fun read。 I don’t know how I’m going to be able to survive without the second book in my life 5/5 Stars Thank you to NetGalley/Macmillan for sending me an ARC to review。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 I had extremely high expectations coming into this， and I was not let down。 The writing truly displays sci-fi and the found family trope at its finest and I was left in awe once I finished reading。 Zoe Hana Mikuta has created a stunning debut that is an emotional， captivating， and incredibly fun read。 I don’t know how I’m going to be able to survive without the second book in my life， but I can’t wait to see what Mikuta has in store！ 。。。more

Cay ，

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。I was drawn to this book from the premise， but the writing style was not quite for me。 Although I appreciated the quick back and forth dialogue between characters， and it definitely helped move the story along， there were times I felt we lingered in the POV characters' heads for too long and it didn't feel natural （as in， it helped give exposition， but feels like something the charac Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。I was drawn to this book from the premise， but the writing style was not quite for me。 Although I appreciated the quick back and forth dialogue between characters， and it definitely helped move the story along， there were times I felt we lingered in the POV characters' heads for too long and it didn't feel natural （as in， it helped give exposition， but feels like something the characters wouldn't be thinking about， given their experiences at that point in the story）。 Mikuta's writing is vivid and packs a punch， but there were also many times that the prose became flowery in excess。Overall， Mikuta's writing is solid， but it didn't hit in the way I thought it might。 I'm still looking forward to seeing how Mikuta grows as a writer， and I will most likely pick up her future works。 。。。more

USOM ，

（Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） TW: tortureEnemies to possibility， romance， and rebellion - Gearbreakers has it all。 While the start was pretty rocky - in terms of all the world construction and getting to know the POVs - I quickly became obsessed。 At the beginning， it's just difficult to get a handle on the technology， the differences and the intricacies of Eris and Sona。 Conceptually， cyborgs and SF worlds will a （Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） TW: tortureEnemies to possibility， romance， and rebellion - Gearbreakers has it all。 While the start was pretty rocky - in terms of all the world construction and getting to know the POVs - I quickly became obsessed。 At the beginning， it's just difficult to get a handle on the technology， the differences and the intricacies of Eris and Sona。 Conceptually， cyborgs and SF worlds will always get to my heart。 So I was overjoyed when it became a bit clearer and I was able to focus on the story and the characters。Gearbreakers blooms into a story about found family， rebellion， and loyalty。 For fans of Skyhunter， Gearbreakers has to be the best reading companion！ I loved the side characters， the ways they're all reeling from the effects of the rebellion， the days they spend running for their lives， and the nights haunted by loss。 The ways we fear the symbols of death， oppression， and loss， but they're just made of metal。 Gearbreakers examines the different avenues of rebellion。 Of commitment and what we are willing to lose。full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind。com/revi。。。 。。。more

May ，

CW- death， murder， violence， torture， body horror， kidnapping -Gearkbreakers is a sci-fi story that follows two girls that are on opposite sides of the war as they realize that they have a common goal。-This book was WONDERFUL。 It is truly pure sapphic goodness， and I loved every second of it。 The way everything was interwoven together was truly amazing。-One of my favorite parts of this entire book was the found family。 That is one of my all time favorite tropes， and it was done so well here。 Eac CW- death， murder， violence， torture， body horror， kidnapping -Gearkbreakers is a sci-fi story that follows two girls that are on opposite sides of the war as they realize that they have a common goal。-This book was WONDERFUL。 It is truly pure sapphic goodness， and I loved every second of it。 The way everything was interwoven together was truly amazing。-One of my favorite parts of this entire book was the found family。 That is one of my all time favorite tropes， and it was done so well here。 Each character had a distinctive personality and different relationships with each other and it was just all so well thought out。-I cannot wait for the sequel to come out！ I would recommend this to fans that enjoyed Six of Crows and the sci-fi aspect of The Ones We’re Meant to Find。-Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more

Solace_In_Reading ，

6/14/2021I learned today that Gearbreakers is in its second printing。 。 。hoping to get to it this month！

Caitlin ，

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest reviewGearbreakers follows Sona and Eris。 Sona is a pilot of a giant mecha weapon called a Windup。 She's secretly working on the inside to destroy Godolia and put an end to its tyrannical reign。 Eris is a Gearbreaker， skilled in taking down Windups from the outside。 One day， Eris is put into a Godolia prison， where she meets Sona。This book is amazing。 With amazing characters， writing， and pacing， every element Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest reviewGearbreakers follows Sona and Eris。 Sona is a pilot of a giant mecha weapon called a Windup。 She's secretly working on the inside to destroy Godolia and put an end to its tyrannical reign。 Eris is a Gearbreaker， skilled in taking down Windups from the outside。 One day， Eris is put into a Godolia prison， where she meets Sona。This book is amazing。 With amazing characters， writing， and pacing， every element of this book works together to bring you a masterpiece。I found the writing to be the highlight of this book for me。 With immersive battle scenes， great commentary， and skillful descriptions， this book is brought to life。 I am not kidding when I say I fell in love with the writing after the first page。The characters were perfect with funny and realistic interactions。 A lot of the characters do play into a stereotype， but I think it works in their favor。 They are all loveable and have amazing relationships with one another。 The bond between Sona and Eris was perfect and I wouldn't change it in any way。If you think the premise is interesting， the book is infinitely better。 It shifted gears halfway through which I thought was a really awesome choice。 All of the minor plot points ended up making the ending that much better。 Speaking of which， the book has a jaw-dropping end that you can not be disappointed by。Overall， Gearbreakers is an amazing book that I would absolutely recommend。 。。。more

Courtney ，

Gearbreakers is the grungy sapphic thrill ride I never knew was missing from my life。 I was entertained start to finish。 The action drew me in， but the characters sealed the deal。 You can expect:- feral murder babies in a delightfully dysfunctional found family- Lots of badass giant mech fights - Humans with cyborg-esque body modifications - Tough girls who get shit done and are soft only for each other- Action-packed tactical sequences - THE YEARNINGI could go on and on about how fantastic this Gearbreakers is the grungy sapphic thrill ride I never knew was missing from my life。 I was entertained start to finish。 The action drew me in， but the characters sealed the deal。 You can expect:- feral murder babies in a delightfully dysfunctional found family- Lots of badass giant mech fights - Humans with cyborg-esque body modifications - Tough girls who get shit done and are soft only for each other- Action-packed tactical sequences - THE YEARNINGI could go on and on about how fantastic this world and its characters are， but one of the greatest highlights of this book is purely Mikuta’s writing。 I literally can’t handle that this is only her debut。 The writing flows so beautifully and is so poetic。 Mikuta writes in a way that evokes so much emotion， so many tiny snippets of familiarity that you can’t help being fully immersed in whatever she’s describing。 I loved everything about this story， but the writing is so good that I’d come back to this author’s future work even if I didn’t。 It’s a serious treat to experience。 So pleased that we are being blessed with this book during Pride Month。 A true win for us all。 I already can’t wait to read this again！ Extra special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Audrey ，

Woah。Gearbreakers was one of my most anticipated reads of this year and it did not disappoint。 This is definitely my new favorite Sci-Fi book。 The worldbuilding was so detailed （it was a bit confusing at times， but I understood what was happening） and the dynamic between the two main characters was amazing。 Sona's character was perfect。 The way she handled situations made me like her even more。 The fact that Sona and Eris were always by each others sides when anything happened omg I'm in love wi Woah。Gearbreakers was one of my most anticipated reads of this year and it did not disappoint。 This is definitely my new favorite Sci-Fi book。 The worldbuilding was so detailed （it was a bit confusing at times， but I understood what was happening） and the dynamic between the two main characters was amazing。 Sona's character was perfect。 The way she handled situations made me like her even more。 The fact that Sona and Eris were always by each others sides when anything happened omg I'm in love with this。 I'd love to see more of Eris's crew （found family is my favorite thing ever）。 Everyone seemed so interesting and I need to see more of them！！！ THE ENDING。 WHAT WAS THAT FOR？ I neeeeddd another book right now。 Anyways， such a good read and I definitely recommend everyone go get it when it comes out！！！ 。。。more

Ribbsreads ，

WHAT JUST HAPPENEDGearbreakers is one if not my most anticipated book of 2021。 I don’t read much Sci-Fi， but the plot instantly hooked me。 Gearbreakers is told in duel POV between 2 girls from opposite sides of a war。 Sona a “a cybernetically enhanced Windup pilot” and Eris “a Gearbreaker， a brash young rebel who specializes in taking down Windups from the inside”。This book is filled with all of my favorite tropes， found family， touch her and I will kill you， hurt/comfort， forced to work togethe WHAT JUST HAPPENEDGearbreakers is one if not my most anticipated book of 2021。 I don’t read much Sci-Fi， but the plot instantly hooked me。 Gearbreakers is told in duel POV between 2 girls from opposite sides of a war。 Sona a “a cybernetically enhanced Windup pilot” and Eris “a Gearbreaker， a brash young rebel who specializes in taking down Windups from the inside”。This book is filled with all of my favorite tropes， found family， touch her and I will kill you， hurt/comfort， forced to work together even though we don’t really trust each other， there was even a part where they gave each other TATTOOS AHHHH， I loved it。The world building was a lot， and I can definitely see this not being for everyone but personally I really enjoyed it。 The two main characters Sona and Eris were so easy to love and want the best for。 I was rooting for them the entire book。 Their backstories and beliefs make them so likable and they were both so strong。 I’m glad this was told from both of their POVs because getting their inner monologue was nice。 I can strongly say they are some of my new favorite main characters。 The found family was one of my favorite parts，I loved it but some of the characters were a bit undeveloped。 I think that if the author had gone into more detail about them， their interests， backstories， and relationships it would have made me fall in love with them a bit more。 But I think that as a group the crew was super cool and their bickering was funny。 I would 110% want to be part of Eris’s crew。I cried a couple times reading this， THE ENDING GOODBYE 。 I need to stop reading uncompleted book series because I need to know what happened next right now。 HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT A YEARThis is 100% in my top 10 book and I was blown away I can not wait for the second book。 If you loved Crier’s War， Skyhunter or Legend you should check this book out！！ 。。。more

Montzalee Wittmann ，

Gearbreakersby Zoe Hana MikutaMacmillan Children's Publishing GroupI want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this entertaining book！ I really enjoyed the premise of the story！ Giant machines with humans that are cyber-enhanced that plug into these great machines and become one。 They then destroy any enemies， which is anyone that is against the very controlling government。 To become one of these pilots is full of pain and possibly death。 Very cruel training from an early age Gearbreakersby Zoe Hana MikutaMacmillan Children's Publishing GroupI want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this entertaining book！ I really enjoyed the premise of the story！ Giant machines with humans that are cyber-enhanced that plug into these great machines and become one。 They then destroy any enemies， which is anyone that is against the very controlling government。 To become one of these pilots is full of pain and possibly death。 Very cruel training from an early age。 The resistance fighters know a trick to bring down the giant machines and that is to jam up the gears in the middle of it。 There is a couple of guards in the middle but no one expects them to get that far。 That's why they're called Gearbeakers。 One pilot went through all this training to turn against the government。 She helps a gearbreaker escape。 But can they trust each other？ Love is in the air despite the distrust from others。 This is where I found the book went downhill。 It was then all about teenage love angst。 The last half the book was more about romantic feelings than action， butt kicking， machine action！ I know it's a teen book but there are giant machines！ Lets get busy not kiss face！ It's a LGBT book so if this offends you well don't pick it up！ I found it entertaining and loved the action packed scenes。 Teens will like both， action and romance， lol！ I am just not into romance books。 Definitely an author to watch！ 。。。more

Violetta ，

so f*cking fun and tender

Robin ，

I AM SCREAMING （and a little bit broken inside） Full RTC