Review: Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Godolia wished for gods so badly that they set about creating them, secured with the invention of Windups, giant mechanized weapons piloted by cybernetically enhanced individuals. Now Godolia’s tyranny is endless and those that resist are at the mercy of their cruelty. Eris Shindanai is a Gearbreaker, a rebel tasked with crippling Windups from the inside and bringing Godolia to its breaking point. On a day that ends with a mission gone badly, Eris is captured and brought to one of Godolia’s prisons. There she finds an ally where she least expects it, Sona Steelcrest, a newly enhanced windup pilot with loyalties of her own. Sona has successfully infiltrated the Windup program in an effort to quell Godolia, and though the two could not be more different, they share a common goal: to destroy Godolia’s tyrannical reign from within.

As a fan of pretty much anything sci-fi-related, Gearbreakers ticked all the boxes for me. A brilliant debut perfect for fans of Pacific Rim, Red Rising, and the Legend series that could not have possibly lived up to those comparisons any more so than it did. Set in a world with divided loyalties and an oppressive regime, this intense novel brings heart-stopping action sequences and a wholesome found family all together under one roof. With an exceptional cast of characters to follow, each with their own motivations, reading this was like slowly easing open a door and unlocking all of its secrets. Zoe Hana Mikuta certainly takes her time to set the stage for what’s currently at play in this futuristic society but makes everything down the line all the more rewarding. I loved gradually learning more about each of the characters and the part they had to play in the rebellion and to one another. While each of these characters felt distinct and could stand on their own, by far the best part of the book was seeing all that they could accomplish together. The camaraderie and more lighthearted moments between the crew spaced out the serious parts of the story and helped solidify the found family aspect I was looking for. There was definitely a lot to keep up with at times, give or take some heavy lifting at the beginning, but where Gearbreakers excels is in the thick of the action. Every battle or skirmish was so vividly described and clearly thought out I felt as if I was there. It’s not often I can visualize a whole scene or action sequence and Gearbreakers did that for me. An added bonus is absolutely the romance between Eris and Sona, two people on seemingly opposite sides of a war, drawn together by their desire to end it. The tension and small moments they had together completely outsold everything else for me and I will be needing more immediately. After the way this ended, I am not sure I can wait until 2022 for the sequel. Zoe, please pay for my therapy, my lawyer will be in contact.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: death, blood, violence, torture

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