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Magical Girl Mechanical Heart: Volume 1
Luna has always wanted to be an Earth Guardian, but she knows it's far too late to have been chosen. It's a fool's dream anyway. The reality of battling monsters every few days to protect the human race is somewhat less 'Saturday morning cartoon' and somewhat more 'child soldier war story.' But that allure of magic always called to her... and one day, she's given an offer to have everything she's ever dreamed of.
She promptly says no, because the offer is from one of the most obviously evil women Luna has ever seen in her life. She's pining, not stupid. Get out of here with that blatant monkey's paw crap.
Unfortunately, it turns out obviously evil women don't take to being told 'no' all that well. The next thing Luna knows, she's waking up in a robotic body, unable to speak and bound to follow the whims of the monster she tried to reject. How can she find freedom when her every thought is bound in servitude? Will any of the Earth Guardians she's now being forced to fight realize she's in need of help, or are all of them far too busy with their own problems—including but very much not limited to saving the world?
And if she does get saved... is there any chance she could keep the robot body?
She promptly says no, because the offer is from one of the most obviously evil women Luna has ever seen in her life. She's pining, not stupid. Get out of here with that blatant monkey's paw crap.
Unfortunately, it turns out obviously evil women don't take to being told 'no' all that well. The next thing Luna knows, she's waking up in a robotic body, unable to speak and bound to follow the whims of the monster she tried to reject. How can she find freedom when her every thought is bound in servitude? Will any of the Earth Guardians she's now being forced to fight realize she's in need of help, or are all of them far too busy with their own problems—including but very much not limited to saving the world?
And if she does get saved... is there any chance she could keep the robot body?
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
688 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 13, 2025
43 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 20, 2025
What a read.
Wow, this was an amazing read. A very unique spin on the magical girl idea/genre, very much looking at it from the side of the supposed villains. Very tense in some points, some excellent fight scenes and definitely a story that will have you rooting for good girls and bad girls alike.
Wow, this was an amazing read. A very unique spin on the magical girl idea/genre, very much looking at it from the side of the supposed villains. Very tense in some points, some excellent fight scenes and definitely a story that will have you rooting for good girls and bad girls alike.
February 21, 2025
Just an utterly fascinating world and characters. I simply couldn’t put it down. I fell in love with this book and can’t wait for the sequel.
I need more Thea!!!!!! And Minerva/Fulgora!!!
I need more Thea!!!!!! And Minerva/Fulgora!!!
February 17, 2025
Magical Girls But They All Hate Themselves
Thankfully, Maher writes character development very well, so it is enrapturing to watch various girls either learn to love themselves or fall even deeper into their own depravity.
Luna's journey starts off very, very dark. It was a joy watching her make the best of her awful situation in every possible way on her journey to find personhood.
I read this book entirely in an overnight binge, and I look forward to doing the same for the next volume.
Thankfully, Maher writes character development very well, so it is enrapturing to watch various girls either learn to love themselves or fall even deeper into their own depravity.
Luna's journey starts off very, very dark. It was a joy watching her make the best of her awful situation in every possible way on her journey to find personhood.
I read this book entirely in an overnight binge, and I look forward to doing the same for the next volume.
February 17, 2025
Worth double the cost
Once again Natalie manages to craft a fantastic story about neurodiversity and disability. Luna feels so real and relatable. The glimpses into Minerva and fulgora were soooo good as well.
Once again Natalie manages to craft a fantastic story about neurodiversity and disability. Luna feels so real and relatable. The glimpses into Minerva and fulgora were soooo good as well.
February 16, 2025
Snark, Unlikely Friendship, Magic, and Disasters
Gender, depersonalization, action, slice of life, magical girl goodness with a brilliantly creative structure of magic .. I really don't know how to describe this staggering and heartfelt work other than to say that Natalie is an icon and this was a tour de force.
Gender, depersonalization, action, slice of life, magical girl goodness with a brilliantly creative structure of magic .. I really don't know how to describe this staggering and heartfelt work other than to say that Natalie is an icon and this was a tour de force.
August 2, 2025
5/5 Easy.
I loved this book and I love this author. I actually hadn't realized they'd started publishing under a different name, having read a few other things by them under the name Thundamoo.
Bioshifter is one of my all time favs though so I went into this with high expectations. I was not disappointed. Maher explores and represents aspects of mental health and gender fuckery in a way that I think is so brilliant and often viscerally real. Painfully so. That kind of beautiful pain that hurts because of how close it hits to something deeply personal, but validates you by making you feel so seen. Like you're not alone.
If you've read any of Maher's works, you know to expect trauma and boy... this series has TRAUMA. Every character is *going through it*, as one might expect from a story centered around children manipulated into fighting monsters. Its dark and gritty with a happy go lucky veneer that sometimes makes you forget the absolute awfulness that everyone is dealing with until it suddenly peels back and hits you again.
The magic system in this world is both incredibly simplistic and completely fascinating. The exploration of emotions is deep and intriguing and in many ways encourages the reader to be self reflective about their own feelings and where they come from and how you deal with them.
Perspective is split between Luna and Eliza (aka Fulgora... aka Minerva) and really my only complaint so far (though its small) is I find myself liking Eliza less and less as the story goes on. I'm hoping she eventually kind of redeems herself, but at the moment she seems so utterly dumb and not at all empathetic that its hard to care about her. Thankfully, there are plenty of other characters floating around her that are enjoyable and cool that I was able to resist the urge to quickly skim through her chapters. Mostly.
Oh, also as a side note: a Japanese person would never introduce themselves with an honorific. The running joke of Eliza calling Su-san "Susan" would never really happen because Su-san would only ever introduce herself as "Su".
Overall, I had a wonderful time reading this and I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment <3
I loved this book and I love this author. I actually hadn't realized they'd started publishing under a different name, having read a few other things by them under the name Thundamoo.
Bioshifter is one of my all time favs though so I went into this with high expectations. I was not disappointed. Maher explores and represents aspects of mental health and gender fuckery in a way that I think is so brilliant and often viscerally real. Painfully so. That kind of beautiful pain that hurts because of how close it hits to something deeply personal, but validates you by making you feel so seen. Like you're not alone.
If you've read any of Maher's works, you know to expect trauma and boy... this series has TRAUMA. Every character is *going through it*, as one might expect from a story centered around children manipulated into fighting monsters. Its dark and gritty with a happy go lucky veneer that sometimes makes you forget the absolute awfulness that everyone is dealing with until it suddenly peels back and hits you again.
The magic system in this world is both incredibly simplistic and completely fascinating. The exploration of emotions is deep and intriguing and in many ways encourages the reader to be self reflective about their own feelings and where they come from and how you deal with them.
Perspective is split between Luna and Eliza (aka Fulgora... aka Minerva) and really my only complaint so far (though its small) is I find myself liking Eliza less and less as the story goes on. I'm hoping she eventually kind of redeems herself, but at the moment she seems so utterly dumb and not at all empathetic that its hard to care about her. Thankfully, there are plenty of other characters floating around her that are enjoyable and cool that I was able to resist the urge to quickly skim through her chapters. Mostly.
Oh, also as a side note: a Japanese person would never introduce themselves with an honorific. The running joke of Eliza calling Su-san "Susan" would never really happen because Su-san would only ever introduce herself as "Su".
Overall, I had a wonderful time reading this and I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment <3
August 30, 2025
literally the power puff girls but if they were evil. also if they were gayer and their scientist dad was an insane woman who puts an entire person into a robot and then programs away their free will. But hey, at least luna is a girl now! Trans rights (and wrongs)!
let’s be serious though this book is FANTASTIC. It takes a big turn from other Natalie Maher novels in the sense that the main character is somehow more human than 90% of any of her other main characters despite being an actual robot. It’s very “I have no mouth and I must scream” in the beginning, but she eventually gains a mouth and immediately befriends the powerpuff girls.
one thing Maher ALWAYS gets right is the magic systems. From “Bioshifters” weird wheel of Pokémon types to “Are You Even Human” having people get superpowers from accidentally staring at the moon during an apocalypse, to whatever the heck was going on with Vita, we now get “use up your emotions to fuel your magic.” So when happiness is the emotion you have to use, guess who can’t be scared during a fight? And if fear is the emotion you use, you can never be too confident that you will win. If it’s sadness then you just have to be always depressed. It creates this delectable nightmare of making little girls fight the kaiju of the week while using up their emotions.
genuinely an amazing novel. Frankly, you should read all Maher novels. Right now. literally go do it what are you waiting for??
10000/10 go read it
let’s be serious though this book is FANTASTIC. It takes a big turn from other Natalie Maher novels in the sense that the main character is somehow more human than 90% of any of her other main characters despite being an actual robot. It’s very “I have no mouth and I must scream” in the beginning, but she eventually gains a mouth and immediately befriends the powerpuff girls.
one thing Maher ALWAYS gets right is the magic systems. From “Bioshifters” weird wheel of Pokémon types to “Are You Even Human” having people get superpowers from accidentally staring at the moon during an apocalypse, to whatever the heck was going on with Vita, we now get “use up your emotions to fuel your magic.” So when happiness is the emotion you have to use, guess who can’t be scared during a fight? And if fear is the emotion you use, you can never be too confident that you will win. If it’s sadness then you just have to be always depressed. It creates this delectable nightmare of making little girls fight the kaiju of the week while using up their emotions.
genuinely an amazing novel. Frankly, you should read all Maher novels. Right now. literally go do it what are you waiting for??
10000/10 go read it
March 20, 2025
I was planning on pacing myself better on this one, on not reading it all a day. I, of course, failed. This is not the first of Maher's books to totally steal away a day or two, to make me pace myself so poorly. But, once again, I have a hard time really regretting it. Her books are always fun and entertaining, and they always pierce me in a way I was never quite ready for.
Magical Girl Mechanical Heart pokes at– among other things– identity, agency, and emotion. Personhood and humanity. And I think it does a really, really good job at it.
There are several levels of personal connection I have to this book, particular details that relate to my own life that affected my experience of the book in ways that don't bear too much elaboration in a public space. But, I think it's worth mentioning because so much of the book's power, to me, is in how much I feel I relate to it, how much it feels personal and real to me despite being so completely different from how I have ever experienced the world.
And also, it's super fun. It's got cool magic, interesting and endearing characters, and a well paced, well told story. It's gripping and I can't wait for future volumes.
Magical Girl Mechanical Heart pokes at– among other things– identity, agency, and emotion. Personhood and humanity. And I think it does a really, really good job at it.
There are several levels of personal connection I have to this book, particular details that relate to my own life that affected my experience of the book in ways that don't bear too much elaboration in a public space. But, I think it's worth mentioning because so much of the book's power, to me, is in how much I feel I relate to it, how much it feels personal and real to me despite being so completely different from how I have ever experienced the world.
And also, it's super fun. It's got cool magic, interesting and endearing characters, and a well paced, well told story. It's gripping and I can't wait for future volumes.
November 25, 2025
There is something engaging about this book that draws you in and sinks its hooks in, but be aware that this is a dark book - like very dark, and while it has some happy moments, it also drags things back down screaming. It's not afraid to deal with heavy topics, and the lives of the mc's aren't happy. The topics mentioned in the synopsis are core to the story, and it isn't the style where you can go into it expecting a HEA.
Having said all of that, it is a story that will keep you turning the pages, hoping for the best for the characters, even with all of what they're going through, and wanting more. It takes an interesting look at the ecosystem of magical girls, and what's going on in the background, and just how unhealthy (to use a polite term) some aspects of the genre are.
It is a good read, but you need to be aware of what you're getting into, because it will break your heart and more.
Having said all of that, it is a story that will keep you turning the pages, hoping for the best for the characters, even with all of what they're going through, and wanting more. It takes an interesting look at the ecosystem of magical girls, and what's going on in the background, and just how unhealthy (to use a polite term) some aspects of the genre are.
It is a good read, but you need to be aware of what you're getting into, because it will break your heart and more.
February 28, 2025
A captivating metaphysical story
I would never have expected this type of book to be written with so much captivating detail.
I follow this author, and will probably read everything they write, so my biased opinion is that anything they write is worth reading.
I was still blown away by the metaphysical depiction and storytelling. I can't wait for more.
I would never have expected this type of book to be written with so much captivating detail.
I follow this author, and will probably read everything they write, so my biased opinion is that anything they write is worth reading.
I was still blown away by the metaphysical depiction and storytelling. I can't wait for more.
December 29, 2025
I have enjoyed every book I've listened to by Natalie Maher. This is no exception. Somewhat disturbing subject matter with the slavery aspect, but Luna does a pretty good job of fighting back against it as much as possible. The magic system is a little weird, but seems to work, and isn't enough to bother me when it comes up.
Very interested to see where this goes.
Very interested to see where this goes.
April 8, 2025
Phenomenal take on the magical girl genre, it is the classic spells and power of friendship, from the point of view of an unwilling participant on the side of the antagonists. It is a psychological horror(?) as much as it is an action novel. Very fun, basically binged the whole thing.
September 11, 2025
amazing
I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would! The world building! The magic system! And the characters!! I love all of them (yes, even Mel. She’s fun to hate!) and Thea is so adorable. Very impatiently waiting for Vol. 2!
I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would! The world building! The magic system! And the characters!! I love all of them (yes, even Mel. She’s fun to hate!) and Thea is so adorable. Very impatiently waiting for Vol. 2!
May 5, 2025
Fantastic
Super fun adventure and now I'm mad I have to wait for the follow-up. Excellent Cliff hanger and I'm looking forward to what's next for Luna.
Super fun adventure and now I'm mad I have to wait for the follow-up. Excellent Cliff hanger and I'm looking forward to what's next for Luna.
September 22, 2025
Overall, it is a good story. I would personally give it 4 1/2 stars if good reads could do that. This story has a bunch of character development, as well as a good chunk of action and slice of life.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews