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Mechanical
Drew is an android. From the very beginning of her existence, she has been programed by her creators to understand her superiority and overwhelming responsibilities. She was created for a mission, a mission more important than anything she could ever have imagined. Drew is sent to a high school to observe the humans and report back to her creators. But when she begins to form friendships with these humans and starts feeling strange human emotions, she doubts the creators' ways of dealing with her and wonders whether her mission is as wonderful as it once seemed. As Drew falls deeper and deeper into the mystery surrounding her mission and her creation, she's suddenly left with a choice. Does she follow through with what she's known all her life or does she act on what she now knows is right?
174 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
6 people are currently reading
858 people want to read
About the author
Pauline C. Harris
8 books45 followersPauline C. Harris is the author of middle grade and young adult science fiction novels and published her first book at the age of fourteen. She's currently working toward a degree in English. Other than writing, her time is consumed mainly by reading, playing the violin, watching old black and white movies, and trying to survive her college classes.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 31, 2013
I won a free copy of this book but this is an unbiased review.
I really enjoyed the general plot of this book. (I'd actually had a dream a few months before I read this that was essentially the same plot, but that's another story.) However some of the characters bothered me and there were small plot issues that didn't make sense.
For example, since Drew was going to a Christian school, who is paying for orphan/foster kids to go to that private school with her?
I also felt the religious undertone to the story was unnecessary and not well-developed. All of a sudden Drew goes to church one time and is convinced there are souls? Is it weird that I sometimes identified more with the other androids than with Drew? She was just slightly annoying to me with her constant hook-up on souls with no actual evidence for souls. I would assume an android would want logical evidence of some sort before deciding to believe something in one day. There could have been more development of this mental change in Drew.
All in all it was a quick, easy read and I would enjoy reading what happens next.
I really enjoyed the general plot of this book. (I'd actually had a dream a few months before I read this that was essentially the same plot, but that's another story.) However some of the characters bothered me and there were small plot issues that didn't make sense.
For example, since Drew was going to a Christian school, who is paying for orphan/foster kids to go to that private school with her?
I also felt the religious undertone to the story was unnecessary and not well-developed. All of a sudden Drew goes to church one time and is convinced there are souls? Is it weird that I sometimes identified more with the other androids than with Drew? She was just slightly annoying to me with her constant hook-up on souls with no actual evidence for souls. I would assume an android would want logical evidence of some sort before deciding to believe something in one day. There could have been more development of this mental change in Drew.
All in all it was a quick, easy read and I would enjoy reading what happens next.
May 15, 2013
Mechanical is a sci-fi / dystopian mystery.
Drew is an android - mechanical. She is perfect. She is sent to a high school to observe and report back to her creators. It is her purpose, the reason she exists. But as time goes on she comes to realize that she is really not perfect and wants more than anything to have a human soul.
Soon enough she is required to bring in fellow students from school to the institute where she lives.
The story is very engaging, I was constantly wandering what was going to happen next. I'm picky though, so of course there were a few things that bothered me. once she started bringing people in it got a little repetitive and I was wondering when things would move on. Also, in the beginning she made friends with a human girl named Jessica, but once she started bringing people in we don't see much of her for a while, kind of like she's forgotten.
Overall, I liked this book and I recommend it to people who like YA sci-fi mystery dystopian books. :)
Drew is an android - mechanical. She is perfect. She is sent to a high school to observe and report back to her creators. It is her purpose, the reason she exists. But as time goes on she comes to realize that she is really not perfect and wants more than anything to have a human soul.
Soon enough she is required to bring in fellow students from school to the institute where she lives.
The story is very engaging, I was constantly wandering what was going to happen next. I'm picky though, so of course there were a few things that bothered me. once she started bringing people in it got a little repetitive and I was wondering when things would move on. Also, in the beginning she made friends with a human girl named Jessica, but once she started bringing people in we don't see much of her for a while, kind of like she's forgotten.
Overall, I liked this book and I recommend it to people who like YA sci-fi mystery dystopian books. :)
July 10, 2013
The moment I read the blurb for this book, I was hooked. I haven't had the chance to read many books where the main character in a robot or an android so I was excited to get the chance to review this one.
I really, really adored Drew. I thought she was a wonderful protagonist, even though we don't get to see who she truly is until about half way through the book. Despite repressing some of the emotions she felt and things she thought but knew she shouldn't, she was never bland or uninteresting. She did what she was told to without question for a long time but I kept cheering for her and hoping that she would break out of her shell and do what she thought was right. It was also really funny at first seeing how confused she was at some of the words or phrases the "real" people said to her.
Michael and Jessica were also awesome. I loved how their relationships with Drew grew and how she slowly learned how to be human through them. Jessica and Drew were really great friends and they made each other better. I liked Michael and Drew together, too, but I just wish we had seen more of that relationship.
There were some things that were a little confusing. Like how Drew always talked about the "before". I never really understood how she could know Yvonne before she woke up until it was explained way later in the book. *Mild Spoilers* Also towards the end when the creators tried taking one person who wasn't an orphan. I didn't understand why that suddenly changed. *End of Spoilers*
Despite the few problems I had while reading this book, I liked it quite a bit. I stayed up late into the night to read it, anxiously flipping through the pages to find out what was going to happen next. Mechanical is definitely a book I'd go back to again to reread!
For more reviews, visit my blog Wonderland's Reader!
I really, really adored Drew. I thought she was a wonderful protagonist, even though we don't get to see who she truly is until about half way through the book. Despite repressing some of the emotions she felt and things she thought but knew she shouldn't, she was never bland or uninteresting. She did what she was told to without question for a long time but I kept cheering for her and hoping that she would break out of her shell and do what she thought was right. It was also really funny at first seeing how confused she was at some of the words or phrases the "real" people said to her.
Michael and Jessica were also awesome. I loved how their relationships with Drew grew and how she slowly learned how to be human through them. Jessica and Drew were really great friends and they made each other better. I liked Michael and Drew together, too, but I just wish we had seen more of that relationship.
There were some things that were a little confusing. Like how Drew always talked about the "before". I never really understood how she could know Yvonne before she woke up until it was explained way later in the book. *Mild Spoilers* Also towards the end when the creators tried taking one person who wasn't an orphan. I didn't understand why that suddenly changed. *End of Spoilers*
Despite the few problems I had while reading this book, I liked it quite a bit. I stayed up late into the night to read it, anxiously flipping through the pages to find out what was going to happen next. Mechanical is definitely a book I'd go back to again to reread!
For more reviews, visit my blog Wonderland's Reader!
September 17, 2013
This book is a fun teenage adventure story. I don't want to give anything away, but this sort of reminded me of the Stepford Wives, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, with a few elements of Silver Metal Lover in reverse. Except for one thing: there is very little science fiction and more teen lit to this book.
The science fiction aspect of involving androids (very human androids) was extremely thin. More so, the science fiction element didn't matter. It is secondary to the development of the teenage character's relationships. That's not a bad thing, but if you are looking for a science fiction book focused on an AI character: her nature as AI, her interactions with NI (natural intelligence)...That's not what this is. This is more in the vein of the robot turned human theme.
It works as a young adult fiction, but not so much as a science fiction book. It was an okay read and I liked it for what it was. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for. What I was looking for was a clearly defined female type AI heroine. What this book has is a human teenager in a metal body. Her almost indistinguishable human traits eventually (near the very end of the book) make sense. It works. I liked it. It was okay. Not exactly a gushing review, but if you like teen lit and don't care too much for clear science fiction elements, then you might enjoy this work. I hope you get more out of it than I did.
Check out these if humanoid androids interest you, or you enjoyed the basic idea of this book The Silver Metal Lover
The Stepford Wives Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
The science fiction aspect of involving androids (very human androids) was extremely thin. More so, the science fiction element didn't matter. It is secondary to the development of the teenage character's relationships. That's not a bad thing, but if you are looking for a science fiction book focused on an AI character: her nature as AI, her interactions with NI (natural intelligence)...That's not what this is. This is more in the vein of the robot turned human theme.
It works as a young adult fiction, but not so much as a science fiction book. It was an okay read and I liked it for what it was. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for. What I was looking for was a clearly defined female type AI heroine. What this book has is a human teenager in a metal body. Her almost indistinguishable human traits eventually (near the very end of the book) make sense. It works. I liked it. It was okay. Not exactly a gushing review, but if you like teen lit and don't care too much for clear science fiction elements, then you might enjoy this work. I hope you get more out of it than I did.
Check out these if humanoid androids interest you, or you enjoyed the basic idea of this book The Silver Metal Lover
The Stepford Wives Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
September 12, 2013
Originally posted on Reading-AndCoffee
A copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion.
I was pleasantly surprised by Mechanical, a book that managed to draw me in instantly, and kept me reading until I devoured it all!
Mechanical has a contemporary setting, but with androids. My biggest complaint about Mechanical would be the lack of back story. You're sort of dropped into this world and not told a whole lot about it. This sort of works into the underlying mystery of the story, but it also got a little confusing at points. I wanted to know a little more about Drew and her past. This applies to all of the characters. Just a little more development would have been nice. Beyond the lack of development, the characters were decent. They legitimately felt like kids who were early in their high school years.
The plot isn't overly complex, but there is this damn mission going on and it keeps getting referenced but the suspense in figuring it out is what did it for me. I was actually getting flustered from the suspense. Seriously, they're all like "this is your mission" and I'm like "WHAT IS THE MISSION?!". This I-just-have-to-know aspect made it a good, quick read.
Overall, I did enjoy Mechanical. A little more back story would have been nice, but there remains that ability to draw you in and not let go.
A copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion.
I was pleasantly surprised by Mechanical, a book that managed to draw me in instantly, and kept me reading until I devoured it all!
Mechanical has a contemporary setting, but with androids. My biggest complaint about Mechanical would be the lack of back story. You're sort of dropped into this world and not told a whole lot about it. This sort of works into the underlying mystery of the story, but it also got a little confusing at points. I wanted to know a little more about Drew and her past. This applies to all of the characters. Just a little more development would have been nice. Beyond the lack of development, the characters were decent. They legitimately felt like kids who were early in their high school years.
The plot isn't overly complex, but there is this damn mission going on and it keeps getting referenced but the suspense in figuring it out is what did it for me. I was actually getting flustered from the suspense. Seriously, they're all like "this is your mission" and I'm like "WHAT IS THE MISSION?!". This I-just-have-to-know aspect made it a good, quick read.
Overall, I did enjoy Mechanical. A little more back story would have been nice, but there remains that ability to draw you in and not let go.
May 17, 2019
Mechanical by Pauline C. Harris
You know you have a great thing going when you finish the story leaving the reader wanting more and you've left them with a soft cliffhanger and you have a trilogy planned. There is so much to love about this novel, the most important is that it's well written. This is one of those rare instances when I stumbled across this by way of a friend in Facebook who was a friend of the author.
The big question is what does it take to have a soul and what happens when man creates androids. Where do they fall in this equation. But this story has a bit more than that and a few twist along the way that, as a reader, I saw coming; but that just made the whole thing better.
Drew is young girl who is not a young girl because she's just been activated, or in this case reactivated according to her memories. She's set out on a mission for the Creator or creators in this case. She's everything that can be superior to her human counterpart. Or is she?
She and Yvonne have been friends for a long time, as much as a mechanical person can be friends, but this time things are different and Drew is having some issues trying to figure out what's so different with Yvonne.
She's soon going to find out there are things different about herself. And when she learns that humans have souls, something a mechanical can't have, she discovers the one thing in her whole creation cycle that she's ever wanted.
To go any further would give away too much of this story. The reader gets to watch Drew go through a transformation through the narrative that comes from her POV. There are many other moral questions posed to the reader that make this one good thought provoking novel.
This is listed as YA and it is a great story for YA but it's also great for all fans of SFF and as Pauline C. Harris matures into her writing she's going to give us some stuff that will rival such greats as Philip K. Dick and his classic Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.
There is more to read after this one and all I can say is keep them coming.
J.L. Dobias
You know you have a great thing going when you finish the story leaving the reader wanting more and you've left them with a soft cliffhanger and you have a trilogy planned. There is so much to love about this novel, the most important is that it's well written. This is one of those rare instances when I stumbled across this by way of a friend in Facebook who was a friend of the author.
The big question is what does it take to have a soul and what happens when man creates androids. Where do they fall in this equation. But this story has a bit more than that and a few twist along the way that, as a reader, I saw coming; but that just made the whole thing better.
Drew is young girl who is not a young girl because she's just been activated, or in this case reactivated according to her memories. She's set out on a mission for the Creator or creators in this case. She's everything that can be superior to her human counterpart. Or is she?
She and Yvonne have been friends for a long time, as much as a mechanical person can be friends, but this time things are different and Drew is having some issues trying to figure out what's so different with Yvonne.
She's soon going to find out there are things different about herself. And when she learns that humans have souls, something a mechanical can't have, she discovers the one thing in her whole creation cycle that she's ever wanted.
To go any further would give away too much of this story. The reader gets to watch Drew go through a transformation through the narrative that comes from her POV. There are many other moral questions posed to the reader that make this one good thought provoking novel.
This is listed as YA and it is a great story for YA but it's also great for all fans of SFF and as Pauline C. Harris matures into her writing she's going to give us some stuff that will rival such greats as Philip K. Dick and his classic Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.
There is more to read after this one and all I can say is keep them coming.
J.L. Dobias
August 14, 2016
Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm
*Received from author in exchange for an honest review*
Pauline contacted me and asked me if I wanted to read her book, and I jumped at the chance to read it because the synopsis sounded really intriguing. The story line was interesting and kept me reading, but the characters were what brought this book down for me. I honestly didn't care about any of them and, to be honest, they all really annoyed me - especially Drew.
Drew is an android and she was sent into a high school to observe humans and report back to her creators. Drew started off as an alright character. It was interesting seeing her interact with humans and seeing her come to terms with what she is. She had some internal battles over whether she had a soul or not and she wanted something to believe in. The main thing that annoyed me about Drew was her constant questioning of whether she had a soul or not. She kept saying she was an android and I was like 'I know you're android. You don't have to tell me every single chapter!' It did start to bug me after a while. Also, she was extremely naive. At first, even when she knows there's something else going on, she just accepts what everyone else tells her even though she doesn't believe it.
I also didn't really care about Jessica and Michael. I couldn't believe how easily both of them accepted the fact that Drew was an android. I mean, if I found out one of my friends was an android, I wouldn't just be like 'Oh, OK.' I'd have tons of questions! They both just really annoyed me.
I did like the story line though. Like I said, it was interesting. I did enjoy finding out what Drew's creators were really doing and finding out what they were doing. I also really enjoyed finding out the secret surrounding Drew and the other androids. Although parts of this story were predictable, I did find it enjoyable.
The ending was good, but like I said, I don't really care for any of these characters so I'm not really interested in seeing what happens to them next.
Overall, this was an OK book. The story was good, but I just didn't connect with any of the characters which meant I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.
*Received from author in exchange for an honest review*
Pauline contacted me and asked me if I wanted to read her book, and I jumped at the chance to read it because the synopsis sounded really intriguing. The story line was interesting and kept me reading, but the characters were what brought this book down for me. I honestly didn't care about any of them and, to be honest, they all really annoyed me - especially Drew.
Drew is an android and she was sent into a high school to observe humans and report back to her creators. Drew started off as an alright character. It was interesting seeing her interact with humans and seeing her come to terms with what she is. She had some internal battles over whether she had a soul or not and she wanted something to believe in. The main thing that annoyed me about Drew was her constant questioning of whether she had a soul or not. She kept saying she was an android and I was like 'I know you're android. You don't have to tell me every single chapter!' It did start to bug me after a while. Also, she was extremely naive. At first, even when she knows there's something else going on, she just accepts what everyone else tells her even though she doesn't believe it.
I also didn't really care about Jessica and Michael. I couldn't believe how easily both of them accepted the fact that Drew was an android. I mean, if I found out one of my friends was an android, I wouldn't just be like 'Oh, OK.' I'd have tons of questions! They both just really annoyed me.
I did like the story line though. Like I said, it was interesting. I did enjoy finding out what Drew's creators were really doing and finding out what they were doing. I also really enjoyed finding out the secret surrounding Drew and the other androids. Although parts of this story were predictable, I did find it enjoyable.
The ending was good, but like I said, I don't really care for any of these characters so I'm not really interested in seeing what happens to them next.
Overall, this was an OK book. The story was good, but I just didn't connect with any of the characters which meant I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.
July 27, 2013
Mechanical is a story about a high school student named Drew. Drew is much different from the typical student. She is an android, and she is perfect. She has been asleep for many years until the creators turned her on again. Drew is given a mission and she must follow through with it. She is sent to a local high school, and observes the humans. Things start to change for Drew. She starts to make friends with the humans, and starts to fall in love with one. This is where things start to get difficult. Drew’s mission changes and Drew starts to question her creators and why exactly she had been turned back on from years of being shut off.
Mechanical is your classic droid vs maker and good vs. evil. I really enjoyed this book. It isn’t the typical YA book that I read, and it was the first sci-fi one that I’ve read. I loved Drew. It was interesting to watch her go through the process of what she was used to doing to what she thought was right; being with the humans changed her ways of thinking on the creators. It was a struggle for her, and that struggle made her more human. She also has to work at blending in with the humans. Picking up on how they laugh, talk, and behave around each other so she fits in.
It wasn’t until half way through the book that Drew started to see the real picture. She hears that her roommate Yvonne’s mission changed, and she wants to empress the creators so bad. However, when she starts to realize what she’s doing she again fights her inner morals. She begins to rebel.
Overall this book was a fast and enjoyable read. At the end, I literally said ‘Oh man!’ out loud because I wanted more, and it does leave you hanging. It’s a perfect set up for a trilogy. I can’t wait to read the next ones!
Mechanical is your classic droid vs maker and good vs. evil. I really enjoyed this book. It isn’t the typical YA book that I read, and it was the first sci-fi one that I’ve read. I loved Drew. It was interesting to watch her go through the process of what she was used to doing to what she thought was right; being with the humans changed her ways of thinking on the creators. It was a struggle for her, and that struggle made her more human. She also has to work at blending in with the humans. Picking up on how they laugh, talk, and behave around each other so she fits in.
It wasn’t until half way through the book that Drew started to see the real picture. She hears that her roommate Yvonne’s mission changed, and she wants to empress the creators so bad. However, when she starts to realize what she’s doing she again fights her inner morals. She begins to rebel.
Overall this book was a fast and enjoyable read. At the end, I literally said ‘Oh man!’ out loud because I wanted more, and it does leave you hanging. It’s a perfect set up for a trilogy. I can’t wait to read the next ones!
May 26, 2014
I was glad to get my hands on this one - a refreshing break from the fantasy and paranormal fiction which seems to be dominating YA right now. This is a science fiction story, which focuses on the dilemma of just how far mankind should go with android technology. But what makes this one fun, is that it's thrown into a high school setting.
Drew is an android teenager, who fits in a bit too well. During her mission, she becomes more 'human' than expected and develops a sense of right and wrong. Yes, in some ways this story is familiar, but it was great to sit there with Drew and watch how she has a teenager deals with not only her new self, but must decipher between good and evil.
I enjoyed the characters. Drew was very convincing and sympathetic. It was easy to slip into her shoes and fever for her as she falls from one situation into the next. The scenes were believable and pulled me in, so I really could picture myself in her world. It was no problem to sit down and read this in one setting (of course, the wonderfully shorter length made this a little easier too.)
The only thing which bothered me was the cliff hanger ending. I wanted to know more. Now. Normally, I hate endings like this (and did here too), but it definitely has me itching to get my hands on book 2.
Drew is an android teenager, who fits in a bit too well. During her mission, she becomes more 'human' than expected and develops a sense of right and wrong. Yes, in some ways this story is familiar, but it was great to sit there with Drew and watch how she has a teenager deals with not only her new self, but must decipher between good and evil.
I enjoyed the characters. Drew was very convincing and sympathetic. It was easy to slip into her shoes and fever for her as she falls from one situation into the next. The scenes were believable and pulled me in, so I really could picture myself in her world. It was no problem to sit down and read this in one setting (of course, the wonderfully shorter length made this a little easier too.)
The only thing which bothered me was the cliff hanger ending. I wanted to know more. Now. Normally, I hate endings like this (and did here too), but it definitely has me itching to get my hands on book 2.
July 27, 2014
This book wasn't perfect. But it was pretty freaking great considering this is one of Pauline's first books ever!
The story was pretty cool and, although it was a little predictable at times, it was still interesting enough to keep me wanting to finish it :) At times the plot was actually pretty bold too which I wasnt expecting. That was a nice surprise.
The narrative voice can use some work (but I can be a pretty big snob about that) but Pauline's basic storytelling seems very sound. I can tell that with practice, she'll become an author to be feared.
I'd definitely recommend this book if you want to support a new young author (and a friend of mine) :D
The story was pretty cool and, although it was a little predictable at times, it was still interesting enough to keep me wanting to finish it :) At times the plot was actually pretty bold too which I wasnt expecting. That was a nice surprise.
The narrative voice can use some work (but I can be a pretty big snob about that) but Pauline's basic storytelling seems very sound. I can tell that with practice, she'll become an author to be feared.
I'd definitely recommend this book if you want to support a new young author (and a friend of mine) :D
June 29, 2014
I really liked this, it felt real and the concept of it was great! It also raised two important questions like what is perfection and what does it mean to be human?
Some things I liked a bit less was for example that the conflict with her love interest was quite cheesy and obvious, and some things were repeated quite a lot.
But as I said, this was a joy to read and I'm definitely interested to read the whole trilogy!
I uploaded a review of this on my booktube channel where I talk a lot more about it, so go check that out if you want to know more!
Some things I liked a bit less was for example that the conflict with her love interest was quite cheesy and obvious, and some things were repeated quite a lot.
But as I said, this was a joy to read and I'm definitely interested to read the whole trilogy!
I uploaded a review of this on my booktube channel where I talk a lot more about it, so go check that out if you want to know more!
July 28, 2015
Full review to follow.
January 16, 2016
I can't believe I read the whole thing. It gets kind of dumb after the first half and slides into pathetic at the end.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews