deedeereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
emjayreads's review against another edition
The first chapter is confusing and disorienting. Read it twice and still confused.
bentheoverlordsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
A quick, exciting read in a slighlty confusing world.
alienor's review against another edition
4.0
I have a confession: I tried reading this book a few years ago and dnfed it around 20% because my god, I did not understand anything and it was so frustrating!!! There's a calendar and I have no clue what it does!!!! Maths!!!!
BUT. Second time's the charm! I've gotten better at pushing through in the last few years, though, and this time, I had a great time reading it. Did I understand everything in the world building? Fuck no, but I enjoyed following the characters still, and it was actually funny and moving at times???? WHO KNEW??? Not my 2017 self, that's for sure. So if you can handle being lost for a while, I'd recommend this imaginative and captivating novel. It gets better, I swear. As for me, I cannot wait to read the sequel.
BUT. Second time's the charm! I've gotten better at pushing through in the last few years, though, and this time, I had a great time reading it. Did I understand everything in the world building? Fuck no, but I enjoyed following the characters still, and it was actually funny and moving at times???? WHO KNEW??? Not my 2017 self, that's for sure. So if you can handle being lost for a while, I'd recommend this imaginative and captivating novel. It gets better, I swear. As for me, I cannot wait to read the sequel.
paperpaladin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This is an amazing military SF that does a good job of showing the horrors of war from the perspective of a general. Charis and Jedao are a great combination with each character having vital flaws and visible conflicts. So much of this book is great that I just don't know what to say. There is critiques of war and empires without it feeling heavy handed in the way that I remember Ancillary Justice and A Memory Called Empire being. The characters are interesting and complex. This one "down" side to this book is that there is a steep learning curve to begin with at the beginning but once you get past that it is very manageable.
My rating system
1 - Did not enjoy
2 - Not irredeemable but has too many flaws to say I enjoyed
3 - Enjoyed it
4 - Great book but didn't love it
5 - Amazing book
My rating system
1 - Did not enjoy
2 - Not irredeemable but has too many flaws to say I enjoyed
3 - Enjoyed it
4 - Great book but didn't love it
5 - Amazing book
cwgk85's review against another edition
3.0
I have to admit that I found this to be a difficult book to read. It is, on the surface, a typical space opera/military sci-fi story. But if you're not a fan of technobabble or of authors who like to toss out imaginary words and concepts with no explanation of what they are, then this book could become frustrating. Definitely not a book for everyone. If you decide to take the plunge, I'd suggest checking out the Machineries of Empire Wiki as you read. You may run into spoilers but it will limit the confusion you're sure to run into...
ghostmuppet's review against another edition
1.0
What a terrible start to the new year of reading. I just did not get this book in the slightest. To me, it was just filled with technobabble, no explanation in the slightest of what was going on and poor dialog. Cool idea having a traitor in someone else, but that doesn't help the fact that the characters were basically forgettable.
I know there are people that love this book, and good for them and the author. Not all people will enjoy the same style, hence my liking authors that others will detest as well. It is safe to say that i will NOT be continuing this series and will seek to get a refund on the Audible.
The audio was so poorly narrated as well, but i do not think that this would have improved my enjoyment of the book. I was lost from the first chapter. Time is too short to waste in books i am not enjoying.
I know there are people that love this book, and good for them and the author. Not all people will enjoy the same style, hence my liking authors that others will detest as well. It is safe to say that i will NOT be continuing this series and will seek to get a refund on the Audible.
The audio was so poorly narrated as well, but i do not think that this would have improved my enjoyment of the book. I was lost from the first chapter. Time is too short to waste in books i am not enjoying.
kpeninger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I could kick myself for taking so long to get to this book. I was scared off by all the people mentioning ALL THE MATH, because I am... not good at math. However, I want to say up front: while there technically is math in this book (and even some stuff I understood!), most of the time you could totally handwave it as some type of magic. Because if you are sufficiently bad at math, like I am, all math is magic anyway. So if you're considering this book, but worried about the math, don't be. Just enjoy the ride and roll with it.
Because this book is really worth it. Now, I am admittedly a sucker for queer outsider type folks challenging empire, especially if they came from within empire, so this story is basically tailored made to hit all my "YES!" buttons, but it did it so WELL. I am fascinated by Jedao and want to know everything about him. Cheris is such a great character, and I love all the little hints we get early on that she's maybe not totally satisfied with the way of things, which ultimately comes together so well at the end. I need to know everything about the servitors and am hopeful that we see more of them in the next two books.
I can't wait to start the next book, and am grateful that for whatever reason, my library has these readily available via ebook, so I don't have to wait! (Except I have a few other books that I have to prioritize first, because I got them from the library first and need to read them before the due date because it took me at least twelve weeks to get them in the first place, UGH, I just want to read the next book in this series!)
Because this book is really worth it. Now, I am admittedly a sucker for queer outsider type folks challenging empire, especially if they came from within empire, so this story is basically tailored made to hit all my "YES!" buttons, but it did it so WELL. I am fascinated by Jedao and want to know everything about him. Cheris is such a great character, and I love all the little hints we get early on that she's maybe not totally satisfied with the way of things, which ultimately comes together so well at the end. I need to know everything about the servitors and am hopeful that we see more of them in the next two books.
I can't wait to start the next book, and am grateful that for whatever reason, my library has these readily available via ebook, so I don't have to wait! (Except I have a few other books that I have to prioritize first, because I got them from the library first and need to read them before the due date because it took me at least twelve weeks to get them in the first place, UGH, I just want to read the next book in this series!)
geekcliche's review against another edition
4.0
Difficult start
It took me a really long time to get into this despite many good reviews from people whose views I trust. I really struggled to get past the first few chapters and actually set the book aside for a few months.
However, I’m glad I’m came back to it and persevered as I found it more engaging and intriguing as it went on
It took me a really long time to get into this despite many good reviews from people whose views I trust. I really struggled to get past the first few chapters and actually set the book aside for a few months.
However, I’m glad I’m came back to it and persevered as I found it more engaging and intriguing as it went on