Four words: Sapphic robot love story. I wholeheartedly enjoyed this book and absolutely devoured it, The writing is beautiful, it's fast-paced and Asian women-loving-women, could there be anything better?
Sona Steelcrest, a part human part robot "Pilot" is part of the government section that quite literally pilots robots. She does not agree with anything the nation she works for does, and when she meets Eris Shindanai, a crew leader of a rebel group known as gearbreakers, they form an unlikely alliance to take down the government that destroyed their world.
These characters have so much rage and anger in them, and I love it so much. They're kids in a war trying their best. There's a found family trope and despite the small screen time they had, the side characters were so easy to fall in love with. There was such an amazing mix of humor and sadness and action, if you get the chance, read this!
I did feel like the book was confusing at times, especially in the beginning, but everything ties together nicely. I can't wait for the next book!

Everything about this was perfect and I'm obsessed with it. Nothing hit the spot more than a post apocalyptical world with lesbians. Highly recommend for the world building, the well fleshed out characters and the romance.

I was gifted this eArc as a part of a giveaway by the publisher.

This book was everything I didn't know I was looking for and I knew it the minute I read the first line, it gave me chills.

I really appreciated the interwoven narration of the MC's with their current events and backstory, that way the story was fluent and all the backstory needed didn't feel like an info dump.

Spoilery review to come.

4.75 Stars
Content warnings at end of review!
Thank you to Netgalley and Fierce Reads for an arc of this book!

Sona has been turned into a Valkyrie--an elite class pilot to the the giant Windups that Godolia uses to control the people of the Badlands; her body is no longer her own. As a Gearbreaker, Eris has devoted her life to taking down Windups and hating Godolia. But when Sona offers Eris a chance to escape capture, the girls team up with the rest of Eris' Gearbreaker crew to take Godolia down.

This book is so good! It has an incredible mix of fantasy and scifi elements, and the world-building and mechas are so incredible to read about! Sona and Eris are chaotic and feral main characters with hatred in their hearts and fire in their veins but I love them so fiercely.

I really like the writing in this book, as well, and all the amazing elements of Found Family, enemies-to-lovers, and more! This was honestly the Queer SciFi I needed to read and I highly highly recommend!

My only (tiny) complaint is that I sometimes forgot whose POV chapter I was on, so there could have been a little more distinction between Sona and Eris' voices.

I can't wait for the sequel!

Pub Date: June 29, 2021

Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

I had to DNF at 40%. I found this book just wasn't for me, and I know this book has its audience. I am tempted to revisit this at another time, but could not get into it at this time. I found the duel POVS didn't add anything and felt like a singular pov may have aided itself to more twists. The world was fun. I am grateful for this level of representation in this genre.

Queer robot mecha-pilots and found family? Violence and sorrow and joy and FIGHTING ROBOTS?


Sign me up (for the 9th grade and up crowd!)

I loved this book! The world building was so creative, the writing was very eye catching, and each character was perfect in their own way. I highly recommend this book.

THIS BOOK. This book is a must read for everyone. It’s perfect to dip your toes in if you are new to the sci-fi/mecha world and done in such a beautiful way! For all of us who grew up with Evangelion Neon Genesis, this hook was made for you. While the mechas aren’t in the same position as NG, this brought back all of the nostalgia of retro anime and girls not afraid to get their hands dirty.

Zoe Hana Mikuta's debut novel is nothing short of utterly encapsulating. In a dark world of mecha deities and endless war, Gearbreakers is able to capture the messy, beating hearts of every one of its characters who defy all the odds of their homeland and manage to hope for more out of their lives than they've been given. Told through two perspectives - Gearbreaker, Eris, and Windup pilot, Sona - we are introduced to their world through sharp, angry eyes. These girls are just as messy and dark as the world around them, but with beautifully distinct voices, and a softness that permeates through every page, no matter how hard they try to hide it underneath hardened exteriors. This is a book about found family, about kids who were forced to grow up too fast, but who still manage to be teenagers, even when taking down terrifying machines. And especially when listening to music in their getaway car, tattooing each other with gears on the couch, and dancing together in the common room.

The story intrigues you with Goldia's terror, but it grips you with the tenderness of its characters, and their loves for one other. Underneath the spectacle of 200-ft mecha's brought down from the inside and sword-slit throats is the equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming story of children trying to survive, and make the most of their days together. Every one of these characters is aware of their own mortality, and to face manmade Gods, they also have to be ready to die at any moment. But from Gearbreakers beginning to end, Eris and Sona instead find that they have more to live for than they thought because of what they can find in each other. Their slowburn romance is just as well written as the rest of this stunning debut, and to watch these two unapologetically queer girls fall for each other in a way that's more akin to a fire's beautiful and terrifying intensity than anything else is truly a wonder to behold. The lengths these girls are willing to go to protect one another is a testament to just how strong their feelings for one another, far more than physical intimacy or "I love you"s on the page could bring.

I say without a doubt that this story is one that will live in my heart for a long time, and that this duology is already shaping up to be one of my favorite sci-fi series of all time. I look forward to its end, and beyond that, the rest of Zoe's career as an author. If her stories and characters already are this compelling, I can't wait to see what she creates next.

As soon as I saw that cover, I knew I had to read this book! The premise also sounded so interesting, and we got to see a f/f relationship in a science-fiction novel. Unfortunately, Gearbreakers had a lot of potential but was ultimately a disappointing read for me.

Sona is a Pilot, trained to fight in one of the Windup weapons. She’s incredibly good at what she does, but secretly, she despises it and everything Godolia stands for. Meanwhile, Eris is a Gearbreaker, one of the rebels trying to take down Godolia. When she’s captured, Sona offers to free her with one condition: that Eris take her with her. At first, Eris is wary of her, but as they get to know each other better, she finds herself trusting Sona more and more.

I’ll start with the positives! I liked the characters: Sona has a very interesting character arc wherein she is struggling to remain human against what Godolia has programmed her to be, and Eris is fighting to protect her family and has such a big heart. Jenny, Eris’s older sister, was a great mentor who pretends to be heartless but secretly would do anything for Eris. Sona also joins Eris’s gang of misfits, and I really liked seeing this found family.

This book was a quick read, mostly because the plot is so fast-paced. Meanwhile, Sona and Eris’s romance is so soft; their moments hit even harder in such an action-packed book! Also, I believe that Sona is a lesbian and Eris is bisexual, and that they are both Korean-coded.

Before I started this book, I had read a review stating that the writing at the beginning was a bit hard to get through but seriously improved around the 25% mark. I knew this going in and can attest to this, except that for me, I didn’t really find any improvement until about 40% through. Sona’s and Eris’s chapters are written in very different voices, which is great! I love reading distinctive points-of-views.

I know that Sona’s chapters were supposed to read as detached because her character is cold yet feels so much. However, the prose in her chapters read so clunky in a way that it was difficult to parse. Similarly, Eris’s chapters were more of a fun, bouncy tone, but this felt superficial to me, perhaps because it was so different in tone compared to Sona’s.

Again, for me, the writing got better around the 40% mark but then it kinda got rough again for me very quickly. It didn’t help that I couldn’t really grasp the worldbuilding because it felt like this book was built off pure vibes in a way that did not work for me. I think the premise had a lot of potential and still does! Perhaps the world will be more fleshed out in the second book.

I rated this book 3 stars because I’m conflicted about how I feel about it. The premise had potential and I liked the characters well enough, but the writing and the worldbuilding left a lot to be desired. Still, I enjoyed this book for the most part, and these are just my personal opinions! Maybe you will like this book more than me. If you are interested in Gearbreakers, please don’t let my thoughts stop you from checking it out!

#NetGalley #Gearbreakers
I thank NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review :)
All I have to say is this....everyone pick this book up when releases.
You absolutely will not be disappointed 🙌🏼

5/5 stars

This book has everything you would every want. Found family. Enemies to Lovers. Sapphic. And to top it all off, we have a diverse cast.

This book is set in Godalia, where mechanical weapons (Windups) aid in their tyrannical rule. We have Sona, who is a Windup pilot, one of the best. And we have Eris, who is a Gearbreaker, set on taking down the Windups. When Eris' mission goes astray and she finds herself trapped in the hands of the Windup, she meets Sona. But, Sona isn't what Eris thinks she is. Sona has intentionally infiltrated the Windup program to destroy them from within.

I love this book with every fiber of my being. It was amazing in every aspect. The world building was beautiful. The characters, incredible. Just everything.

The plot.
The book was fast paced, I could not put the book down. We had dual POVs and were able to see every event in both perspectives. I loved how everything was introduced and the sequence of the events. The ending was immaculate too. It had you wanting the next book, but still content with the ending. I felt so immersed into the world and wanting more of everything and everyone.

The characters.
I think this book is extremely character driven. Eris' crew was just so fun to get to know. I loved reading their interactions and getting to know them. The way that they are each other's family makes my heart swoon. Sona and Eris were also incredible main characters. Their banter and sexual tension was to die for.

Overall, I loved this book so much and would recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you to Feiwel Friends/Macmillan and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 STARS

What did I just read. Gearbreakers is everything I could have wanted in a book. After that ending, I don't know how I'm going to be able to wait for book 2.

"So what do you say, Sona? Wanna be an inconvenience with me?"

Gearbreakers takes place in Godolia—a high-tech location of tyrannical rule that uses mechas to aid in their power. Told from the point of view of two young girls, both on opposite sides of the war, Gearbreakers allows the story to unfold in such a spectacular and amazing way. When Sona, a Windup pilot, encounters Eris, they discover that they are both secretly fighting for the same side.

"And you . . . you are ridiculous, and chaotic, and arrogant, and a headache, and—and—" Her hands lift from her sides, unfurl helplessly. And then she's laughing. "You are going to kill me one day, Eris Shindanai, I have never been surer of anything."

Gearbreakers is somehow the most violent and terrifying book while also being the fluffiest and wholesome book ever. I love it so much. The found family in Gearbreakers was one of my favorite parts—especially all of the banter and the dynamic between the Gearbreakers. I love seeing a half-asian character in a sf/f book written by an actual half-asian author. It makes me feel so represented to see a queer and wasian character in this book. Reading this book feels both like a warm hug and a stab in the gut. I cannot wait any longer for the next book.

What an incredible read! Eris & Sona will live in my mind rent free. The machines were incredible, the Gearbreakers were impressive, the friendship and family was so beautiful. This was such a good read full of found family, adventure, love and twists! I can’t wait for the sequel!!

The dystopian setting of the book was very interesting! I really enjoyed the dynamic that Eris had with her crew. I am not not sure if this is a standalone or not but I am really hoping the author is able to continue the story.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection and recommended it to students.

Big points for being a mecha story. And it doesn't shy away from kids being forced to do horrible things, which is, well, not integral to mecha stories, but at least a common theme in many of them. And bonus points for queer content.

I do have to say that I frequently felt like I didn't quite get what was going on. I felt like the characters were speaking on a wavelength I wasn't privy to. Like if you want into a room and everyone has all these injokes that you don't get, so you can't quite communicate with them. And you'd think that one of the characters being introduced into this family/community of Gearbreakers would help you, the reader, to better understand them. But she seems to understand them already and then starts talking like them.

Which is to say, I understood this book better in the beginning. And it seemed like I understood it less and less as time went on.

It also seemed more violent than Hunger Games, somehow!

I probably won't be reading the next book in the series, but I'm glad this book exists. I'm sure there are right readers for it out there.

Yesss. Everything about this book was absolutely impeccable. I'm obsessed. From the absolutely exquisite writing to the plot and characters and love story. I can't wait for the next book and everything else Zoe Hana Mikuta writes.

Disclaimer: I got this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review will be up on Pop-Culturalist.com on June 29th. I'm not going to discuss any spoilers in this one, because it will be on the review. This book is ideal for fans of Pacific Rim, Red Rising Saga, and Marie Lu's Legend series. Two, young girls are on different sides during a war but they realize they are fighting for the same cause and they start to fall in love. I loved reading about Eris more than Sona and I enjoyed this overall!

Perfect for YA fans of sci-fi/fantasy, Gearbreakers is a fresh and fun book that will please a wide variety of YA readers. Zoe Hana Mikuta has created a twisty plot with solid works-building that will engage readers and have them turning page after page.