A review by pippinthepuffin
Hullmetal Girls, by Emily Skrutskie
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy to review.
DNF'ed around 54%
To explain a few things: I read over half of this book before I decided to DNF and I really didn't want to because this was sent to me as an ARC and therefore I feel that I should read the whole book and give a proper review and most importantly, I WAS EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK! In the beginning, I was somewhat enjoying it. It wasn't the greatest book that I have ever read but that is okay as it was the beginning. But then the story was just making me so mad.
First, I detest long expositions. They are probably the number one reason why I DNF a book or at least give that book a low rating. I love being thrown into a story with little information (hence why I don't usually read the synopsis for a book) And this exposition went on for about 150 pages, which was about half the book. To clarify, I consider the exposition to end when the book starts the main conflict. For this, it was Key finding out her past and Aisha dealing with her family issues and them hating each but then having to work together to solve their issue. Sounds pretty good right?
What Went Wrong:
Key. She was truly the reason that sent me over the edge. She has no memories before becoming Scela and at around the 150-page mark we find out that she was ArchAngel, basically the leader of the Resistance Group. And this was used as a major plot twist. I just did not appreciate it because up until this point Key doesn't question at all why she became a Scela. If you, all of a sudden woke up as a super powerful solider with no memories wouldn't you have questions? I know I would. But she is just a doormat and then the author all of a sudden gives us this huge flashback and then the plot starts and ugh. I would have much rather enjoy Key if she questioned why she was there if there were flashbacks to her past to fuel her questions, and then maybe use a plot twist like she was the Commander's daughter or there are Aliens or something.
Now Aisha. She has her own issues. Her aunt is the major figure in the resistance. And Aisha is solely depending on her aunt to keep her siblings alive. So what does this aunt do? In exchange for not making Aisha's siblings homeless, she makes Aisha become a spy for the resistance. When I was reading this I was ranting about how stupid this decision was as Aisha's higher-ups don't seem like terrible people. Side note: this was the one good point in this book that I really enjoyed. The leaders except for the Commander (but I can even understand her cold heart) actually had feelings. They seemed to care about Aisha, Key, and the other Scela. (I will get to the other Scela in a minute.) In my opinion, Aisha should have just gone and told her higher-ups to listen, "My aunt is a big wig in the Resistance and she wants me to spy on you in exchange to keep my siblings safe. Can you help me?" And I am sure that they would have gone "Totally, we would love to have you help us get this thorn out of our side." Though I can understand for the author not wanting to do this because it is not as exciting but there is the chance that they could say "What if you are a double agent and we will hurl you into space to get rid of you."
Next issue that I had with the characters was the two other Scela in Aisha and Key's group, Woojin, and Pravaa. The story is told in Aisha and Key's POVs but Woojin and Pravaa had their backstories mentioned and I think that it would have been really interesting to see that further developed.
Also, there is LBGTA+ representation in the book, but from what I have heard from other readers since I DNF'ed before I got to those scenes was that there was some issues with this and I encourage you to read other reviews on GoodReads to learn more about this.
Now this book wasn't all bad. Like the previously mentioned non-heartless leaders. There was also the interesting dichotomy of the Resistance and the Government. The Resistance wanted to find a planet so they could get off the ship and be free of the Government but the Government likes to be in control of the people. Well, Aisha, Key, and the two other Scela in the group find a habitable planet and well you can see why this is an issue.
So that was my rant. It was quite cathartic actually. If you have any thoughts about this book, book rants, or DNF reviews please leave a comment! I would love to hear from you!
DNF'ed around 54%
To explain a few things: I read over half of this book before I decided to DNF and I really didn't want to because this was sent to me as an ARC and therefore I feel that I should read the whole book and give a proper review and most importantly, I WAS EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK! In the beginning, I was somewhat enjoying it. It wasn't the greatest book that I have ever read but that is okay as it was the beginning. But then the story was just making me so mad.
First, I detest long expositions. They are probably the number one reason why I DNF a book or at least give that book a low rating. I love being thrown into a story with little information (hence why I don't usually read the synopsis for a book) And this exposition went on for about 150 pages, which was about half the book. To clarify, I consider the exposition to end when the book starts the main conflict. For this, it was Key finding out her past and Aisha dealing with her family issues and them hating each but then having to work together to solve their issue. Sounds pretty good right?
What Went Wrong:
Key. She was truly the reason that sent me over the edge. She has no memories before becoming Scela and at around the 150-page mark we find out that she was ArchAngel, basically the leader of the Resistance Group. And this was used as a major plot twist. I just did not appreciate it because up until this point Key doesn't question at all why she became a Scela. If you, all of a sudden woke up as a super powerful solider with no memories wouldn't you have questions? I know I would. But she is just a doormat and then the author all of a sudden gives us this huge flashback and then the plot starts and ugh. I would have much rather enjoy Key if she questioned why she was there if there were flashbacks to her past to fuel her questions, and then maybe use a plot twist like she was the Commander's daughter or there are Aliens or something.
Now Aisha. She has her own issues. Her aunt is the major figure in the resistance. And Aisha is solely depending on her aunt to keep her siblings alive. So what does this aunt do? In exchange for not making Aisha's siblings homeless, she makes Aisha become a spy for the resistance. When I was reading this I was ranting about how stupid this decision was as Aisha's higher-ups don't seem like terrible people. Side note: this was the one good point in this book that I really enjoyed. The leaders except for the Commander (but I can even understand her cold heart) actually had feelings. They seemed to care about Aisha, Key, and the other Scela. (I will get to the other Scela in a minute.) In my opinion, Aisha should have just gone and told her higher-ups to listen, "My aunt is a big wig in the Resistance and she wants me to spy on you in exchange to keep my siblings safe. Can you help me?" And I am sure that they would have gone "Totally, we would love to have you help us get this thorn out of our side." Though I can understand for the author not wanting to do this because it is not as exciting but there is the chance that they could say "What if you are a double agent and we will hurl you into space to get rid of you."
Next issue that I had with the characters was the two other Scela in Aisha and Key's group, Woojin, and Pravaa. The story is told in Aisha and Key's POVs but Woojin and Pravaa had their backstories mentioned and I think that it would have been really interesting to see that further developed.
Also, there is LBGTA+ representation in the book, but from what I have heard from other readers since I DNF'ed before I got to those scenes was that there was some issues with this and I encourage you to read other reviews on GoodReads to learn more about this.
Now this book wasn't all bad. Like the previously mentioned non-heartless leaders. There was also the interesting dichotomy of the Resistance and the Government. The Resistance wanted to find a planet so they could get off the ship and be free of the Government but the Government likes to be in control of the people. Well, Aisha, Key, and the two other Scela in the group find a habitable planet and well you can see why this is an issue.
So that was my rant. It was quite cathartic actually. If you have any thoughts about this book, book rants, or DNF reviews please leave a comment! I would love to hear from you!