The synopsis for Insatiable Machine caught my eye and I was thrilled to be approved for an ARC.

I wasn’t certain when I started it. It took a few chapters to get into it: the narrations changed in quick succession and it was tricky to get a feel on who were the good guys and what was wrong with the country. There was a lot of technology and concepts introduced and I wasn’t sure what was going on.

All that changed after a couple of chapters. You connect with the characters, you come to grips with the technology and you fully establish who are the bad guys. Once you reach that point, you’re in for an intense and gripping read. I couldn’t put it down.

Thrown into a crisis, the LaPointe family find their normality shattered. Allie is a scientist dealing with the realisation her developments have been used without her consent – with shocking consequences. Richard is a journalist in a world where machines write the stories, uncovering a darker side of life outside the city. Their daughter, Skyie, might flout authority, but she will do whatever it takes to make things right.

The Borders collected souls. It did not give them back.

While there are a number of notable secondary characters, this family were my favourite. All were introduced to the crisis independently – it affected their entire family but they had personal reasons for wanting to see it through. No one felt like the odd member caught up without a say.

Out of the other characters, Felix – a computer genius – and Davis – part of the military – stood out for me. Felix might be self-conscious, but give him a problem to fix and he won’t stop until it’s done. While Davis might be used to obeying orders, he still thinks for himself and won’t become just another face in uniform – which I loved.

The initial chapters are all over the place, but once it comes together, the pacing is fast and the tension high. Despite the technological advancements placing this book in the future, it’s the type of chilling story you can imagine taking place as countries obsess over wealth and power compared to caring for society as a whole.

I empathised and connected with the characters quickly; when the violence escalated, I couldn’t put it down. The changing narration helps keep a fast-pace and seeing both side of the fight makes it hard to predict what will happen next – or, indeed, if everyone will make it through the struggle.

Insatiable Machine had a very clear structure – introduction, heightened tension, conclusion. It was a satisfying end as well, which seems a silly thing to mention, but nothing is more irritating than an ambiguous ending.

Zoe Robertson and Jesse Life are both new authors for me, but I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for more of their work. This was an engaging and enjoyable read, with a solid plot and developed characters. If you like dystopian style novels with science fiction thrown in, this is a big recommendation.

DNF. Did not grab my attention from the git go. At no point did the author explain what was happening in this future society and how it was all tied together with disjointed scenes and dialogue. I do not like to think too much figuring out what the author is up to.

Without a doubt, I enjoyed the dystopian elements of the tale that served as a warning against some of our excesses of today, but there were some technical issues (not sure if it was in the original, or a byproduct of print to Kindle transfer) that made the timeline confusing at times. Also, while I am not a complete prude, the use of language seemed a bit excessive. A few choice words in the course of everyday conversation makes sense, but the liberal use of F-bombs, for example caused them to lose their efficacy, since they seemed to be distributed to almost all the characters. Joe Pesci in Goodfellas it is not, but, in my opinion, it seems a bit much.

Insatiable Machine is a phrase referring to a corporate- state system that insatiably gobbles up everything. In a future works where the United States is sharply divided into rich cities and surrounding districts of abandoned buildings, lawlessness, and poverty, six major corporations control the world. Robots, nanotechnology, video stars, and prosthetic arms are s important as the major characters. What happens when he masses take the red pill and realize that the powers that be - the Deep State - have been lying to everyone. It's a future every bit as bleak and riotous as Soylent Green.

The absolute best character is Skyie, a YouTube star daring in her evil kneivel exploits with superpowered prosthetics, truly a star is born. Would have really enjoyed Skyie being the sole focus instead of the shifting points of view format. Action really picked up towards the end, but was uneven through much of the story.