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The Curious Case of the Cyborg Circus #1
The Cyborg Tinkerer
IN A DEADLY CIRCUS COMPETITION, EVEN HEARTS ARE ON THE LINE.
Gwendolyn Grimm intended to seduce men and women across the galaxy while working as a ship tinkerer on the finest vessels in the Crescent Star System. Alas, terminal illness is a buzzkill. When a life-saving opportunity struts into her life dressed in a pinstripe suit, she is made an offer she can’t refuse: become a cyborg and work as a tinkerer for Cirque du Borge, the once renowned cyborg circus.
The problem is, a new law has banned the creation of new cyborgs and becoming one means execution if caught. Thus, no one cares to see the wonders of man and machine anymore.
Ticket sales continue to fall as the circus announces a competition to determine which acts will perform for the emperor on his home planet—an opportunity with the potential to save the circus from bankruptcy. But the competition has deadly consequences. Losing acts have their cyborg implants forcibly removed, and those who survive the extraction are banished from the circus.
As the tinkerer, Gwendolyn is forced to perform the revolting task of removing the cyborg implants from the losing performers. When she falls for both the man running the competition and a woman competing in it, she must decide who to protect. But can she risk having to harvest the people she loves the most?
GENRE: Steampunk Romance
AGE CATEGORY: Adult
COMP. TITLES: Readers of Sarah J. Maas will enjoy this LGBTQ+ dark steampunk romance set in a deadly Treasure Planet-esque galaxy.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: This novel contains graphic violence, sexual content, profanity, and references to eating disorders. Reader discretion is advised.
Gwendolyn Grimm intended to seduce men and women across the galaxy while working as a ship tinkerer on the finest vessels in the Crescent Star System. Alas, terminal illness is a buzzkill. When a life-saving opportunity struts into her life dressed in a pinstripe suit, she is made an offer she can’t refuse: become a cyborg and work as a tinkerer for Cirque du Borge, the once renowned cyborg circus.
The problem is, a new law has banned the creation of new cyborgs and becoming one means execution if caught. Thus, no one cares to see the wonders of man and machine anymore.
Ticket sales continue to fall as the circus announces a competition to determine which acts will perform for the emperor on his home planet—an opportunity with the potential to save the circus from bankruptcy. But the competition has deadly consequences. Losing acts have their cyborg implants forcibly removed, and those who survive the extraction are banished from the circus.
As the tinkerer, Gwendolyn is forced to perform the revolting task of removing the cyborg implants from the losing performers. When she falls for both the man running the competition and a woman competing in it, she must decide who to protect. But can she risk having to harvest the people she loves the most?
GENRE: Steampunk Romance
AGE CATEGORY: Adult
COMP. TITLES: Readers of Sarah J. Maas will enjoy this LGBTQ+ dark steampunk romance set in a deadly Treasure Planet-esque galaxy.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: This novel contains graphic violence, sexual content, profanity, and references to eating disorders. Reader discretion is advised.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 17, 2020
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August 17, 2020
OK. This review is not based on the entire book. Thankfully, I only read the first few pages that were available for free downloading on the website of the author - Meg LaTorre.
Meg LaTorre has a rather well developed Youtube channel - iWriterly, where she presents herself as an authority on how to write a book, citing her own experience in working for a literary agency. She's made a few videos on the reasons why agents and editors often reject a manuscript after the first page. On her website you can find a paid course on how to write a query letter.
At first I thought her videos provided some useful information and, as an aspiring writer, I gobbled up a lot of them quickly. I soon found out, though, that a lot of the advice this person offers is, to put it bluntly, bull, especially if you're not interested in writing young adult fiction. Following her advice won't make anyone a better writer - or, at the very least, it didn't make her a better writer. I'll get to that later. Before ripping her writing to shreds, I want to mention the simple fact that Meg LaTorre is prone to lying. In the information about her here, on Goodreads, you can see she's described as a bestselling science fiction and fantasy author - which is a blatant lie. How can one be a bestselling author, if their debut novel hasn't even been published yet? Then there is the question of her credentials, which turned out incredibly difficult to prove. In other words, although I do believe she's worked in a literary agency, I couldn't even find the name of one published author she's worked as an agent with. And if she knows so much about finding an agent and getting traditionally published that she's selling courses about this, why is she self-publishing? Why isn't she using the knowledge she supposedly has for her own works?
The answer to this question is simple - she is just not a good writer, if we're to judge on the basis of the chapters she's chosen to advertise her book with. At least she's had the courtesy to put a content warning in the beginning, but even so, the abundant swearing is really off-putting, and I'm saying this as a Scott Lynch fan. It just sounds fake. If I were an agent or an editor, I'd just delete the manuscript after I read the description of the ship where everything started - "this creaking bucket of soured engines and deflated t*ts for sails." I'm not an agent or an editor, though, I'm a mere reader, so I kept on reading... until I realized that everything, literally everything on the first few pages was blatant info-dumping. Every single word, even the deflated mammaries I just mentioned. And the more I read, the worse the info-dumping got. Eventually, I stopped at this:
In case you don't see the problem here - this piece of dialogue is a perfect demonstration of the "as you know, Bob" trope - which is probably the clumsiest writing technique used to fill readers in on details about the setting. These two characters here aren't talking to each other, they're talking to us, the readers, because the author's decided that we're too stupid to actually get what she's trying to tell us. On top of this, she also explains everything in the following paragraph.
And then there is the bigger problem - what the author is telling us doesn't match what she's showing us. The author desperately wants us to believe that her main character hates the ship she's just quit working on. (I mean, look at the description I've quoted...) At the same time, the author shows us how much the crew cares about the main character. Now, under different circumstances I'd probably think she wanted to show us how bitter her leading lady was, but the prose here is so bad that I find it hard to consider this possibility.
Truth to be told, I wouldn't even consider reading this book, if I hadn't stumbled upon the author's Youtube channel. Sadly, her claims of expertise turned out to be completely unfounded. Her credentials are questionable, to say the least, and her writing leaves a lot to be desired. Sorry.
Meg LaTorre has a rather well developed Youtube channel - iWriterly, where she presents herself as an authority on how to write a book, citing her own experience in working for a literary agency. She's made a few videos on the reasons why agents and editors often reject a manuscript after the first page. On her website you can find a paid course on how to write a query letter.
At first I thought her videos provided some useful information and, as an aspiring writer, I gobbled up a lot of them quickly. I soon found out, though, that a lot of the advice this person offers is, to put it bluntly, bull, especially if you're not interested in writing young adult fiction. Following her advice won't make anyone a better writer - or, at the very least, it didn't make her a better writer. I'll get to that later. Before ripping her writing to shreds, I want to mention the simple fact that Meg LaTorre is prone to lying. In the information about her here, on Goodreads, you can see she's described as a bestselling science fiction and fantasy author - which is a blatant lie. How can one be a bestselling author, if their debut novel hasn't even been published yet? Then there is the question of her credentials, which turned out incredibly difficult to prove. In other words, although I do believe she's worked in a literary agency, I couldn't even find the name of one published author she's worked as an agent with. And if she knows so much about finding an agent and getting traditionally published that she's selling courses about this, why is she self-publishing? Why isn't she using the knowledge she supposedly has for her own works?
The answer to this question is simple - she is just not a good writer, if we're to judge on the basis of the chapters she's chosen to advertise her book with. At least she's had the courtesy to put a content warning in the beginning, but even so, the abundant swearing is really off-putting, and I'm saying this as a Scott Lynch fan. It just sounds fake. If I were an agent or an editor, I'd just delete the manuscript after I read the description of the ship where everything started - "this creaking bucket of soured engines and deflated t*ts for sails." I'm not an agent or an editor, though, I'm a mere reader, so I kept on reading... until I realized that everything, literally everything on the first few pages was blatant info-dumping. Every single word, even the deflated mammaries I just mentioned. And the more I read, the worse the info-dumping got. Eventually, I stopped at this:
“Did you hear? Cirque du Borge is in town.”
Gwen raised an eyebrow, unbelieving. “I thought the cyborg circus had been run out of the Crescent Star System.”
In case you don't see the problem here - this piece of dialogue is a perfect demonstration of the "as you know, Bob" trope - which is probably the clumsiest writing technique used to fill readers in on details about the setting. These two characters here aren't talking to each other, they're talking to us, the readers, because the author's decided that we're too stupid to actually get what she's trying to tell us. On top of this, she also explains everything in the following paragraph.
And then there is the bigger problem - what the author is telling us doesn't match what she's showing us. The author desperately wants us to believe that her main character hates the ship she's just quit working on. (I mean, look at the description I've quoted...) At the same time, the author shows us how much the crew cares about the main character. Now, under different circumstances I'd probably think she wanted to show us how bitter her leading lady was, but the prose here is so bad that I find it hard to consider this possibility.
Truth to be told, I wouldn't even consider reading this book, if I hadn't stumbled upon the author's Youtube channel. Sadly, her claims of expertise turned out to be completely unfounded. Her credentials are questionable, to say the least, and her writing leaves a lot to be desired. Sorry.
October 20, 2022
The cover is good…
Unfortunately, the rest is laughably bad.
This is supposed to be an adult novel, but aside from the ‘graphic violence’, the cringey sex, and the swear-words sprinkled throughout, it seems more like a child's book.
'Tinkerer'??
I mean, I'm unfamiliar with the word other than as denoting someone who 'tinkers' around with something. The connotation here is 'fiddling with an object over time with a view towards repairing or revamping it'. I wouldn't use it in the title of an adult novel; it's too cute. Perhaps in the world of 'steampunk' it has more credibility (I'm told it's stand-in for Engineer). But to my (admittedly old) ears it makes the book sound like something out of Disney: a childish fantasy, probably involving a little elf or dwarf or some agreeable talking frogs.
But: the artwork’s nice. A flying space-boat!
Apparently there was some film or TV show which featured a flying space-boat (I don’t know, I’m a grown man) which the author recognises as an influence here…
Yes: again the cover (and title) says: 'middle-grade'.
But, the suggestion of a nice child-friendly book is undermined by a trigger-warning which precedes the first chapter and flags-up the (soon to be very apparent) graphic sex, violence and swearing. (more on that later)
The genre of the book is also unclear.
We are told it is Steampunk - and there are elements of this, admittedly - but there simply isn’t enough world building for it to appeal to those who like to be immersed in a believable atmosphere. Nor can this physics-free world be considered a satisfactory 'sci-fi' experience.
Perhaps it could be described as a flimsy Space-Opera, but, honestly, all the slight world-building elements are just a half-hearted backdrop to the real genre…
Romance!
Yes, what we have here is a middle-grade or YA Romance inappropriately filled with cringey sex.
Count the tropes: a ‘Love-Triangle’ (yawn), a ‘Coming-of-age-Realisation’ (yawn) and a ‘DEADLY COMPETITION’ (jezus). It's beginning to sound terrifying close to a spaced-up version of ‘The Saviour’s Champion’.
We are all pretty clued in about space these days. We know that you can’t go springing about the galaxy, popping up here there and everywhere with scant regard to physics. So when we are presented with a space-ship (yes, it’s literally a ship) constructed from wood, with real ropes and rigging (which the crew clamber up) and sails which deflate (like ‘saggy tits’) or ‘bloom in the solar wind’ as they sail to the next moon - we know we are in a half-arsed Disney universe.
There is nothing adult about this world. It's a child-fantasy inappropriately larded with F-bombs and awkward sex.
But, where IS it set?
Well, we're not in the Solar System but the 'Crescent Star System'. The protagonists seem to be human though, and we hear of ‘an Arctic bear, a tiger and an albino wolf…’ so it’s got Earth animals as well? Some explanation would be nice in order to navigate the strange juxtapositions.
It's more 'cartoon' than 'Steampunk. Even though we have advanced inter-galactic space travel, people still communicate with letters (or at least some form of physical communication) for, as we discover, Gwen is never on a planet or moon ‘long enough to receive mail’.
Along with wooden space-ships we have bare light-bulbs and canvas tents. Anything the author wants to lob in to ‘improve’ the atmosphere.
Frankly, there is no attempt at credibility. At one point Gwen joins a queue of ‘dockworkers, barmaids, wenches’ who are waiting to view an illegal circus. They know that if the Police catch them doing this they will be thrown in prison. Are we really expected to believe the city's ‘lowlife’ (as she calls these workers) are willing to gamble so wildly with their freedom just to view a burlesque-circus? That makes no sense. This Circus is contained in a pretty damn obvious tent and everybody seems to know it's there (do they really think the police don't know?)
Are we supposed to believe that 'lowlife' types would say things like:
‘I’ve heard rumours of the ringleader who can bend cyborg beasts to his will, magicians who can pluck your soul straight from your chest, fire breathers who need no torch, and acrobats who tumble skilfully beneath the sheets.’
Which ‘lowlife’ said this? A dock-worker, a barmaid? No wonder Gwen’s rolling her eyes at this point.
The ‘Crescent Star System' is both a ‘Union’ and an ‘Empire’. The planets have ‘formed a union’ you see - which sounds pretty chummy, like they are in a voluntary club. But they're ruled by an 'Emperor'. FYI: Emperors rule empires, usually comprising lands and peoples that have been subjected to conquest. I guess the author thought ‘Emperor’ sounded cool, but perhaps she should have considered the meaning of the word too?
In the world of 'The Cyborg Tinkerer' Cyborgs are pariahs--almost illegal. It would help to know why. It seems pretty arbitrary. It’s also irrational, after all becoming a Cyborg might just save your life (as with Gwen). It certainly confers super-strength. Wouldn’t that be seen as a benefit by most people?
How do the authorities draw a distinction between cyborgs and non-cyborgs. What if you have a prosthetic leg, or a pace-maker, or a hearing aid? Where's the cut-off point?
How come Cirque de Borg has so much money? They have fancy horse-drawn carriages, dandy clothing, big space-ships, lots of ostentatious prestige. They even seem to own a city, which is ‘centred around the needs of Cirque de Borg.’ But, they're all outlaws who get their money from the turnstyles of an illegal circus! It makes no sense.
How does it even operate? The big-top is ‘massive’ and would require time and energy to assemble not to mention the noise and commotion. The gear must be transported: the canvas, the scaffolding, the robotic animals, the food and neccessities, the personnel. It's not a small operation (it's making lots of money after all). And yet we are to believe it is all done in secret; only the intitiated whisper about it. You can't have it both ways! Either it is making lots of money (it's a big operation and lots of people know about it); or it's a small and secretive operation, know only by a select few (and making peanuts).
The author uses the word ‘fuck’ frequently. Her hero can’t articulate a thought without it.
‘good fucking riddance’
‘and a good fucking life to you’
‘and fucking proud if it’
‘nicely fucking done’
‘what the fuck is wrong with you.’
‘…fuck, already?’
‘get the fuck up or you’ll be next.’
‘fancy as fuck clothes’
‘she was fucking fabulous at it’
The swearing is pathological and unconvincing.
Any value the word has fades with the umpteenth repetition, leaving just a redundant noise, empty of nuance.
And how strange it is that when a character’s voice would actually be improved with a swear-word, the author neglects them. Why on earth doesn’t the anonymous ‘lowlife’, mentioned above, swear when he/she describes the circus instead of waxing poetical? Surely a few 'Blast!'s would be more evocative of a ‘dock-worker’? And why does the prison guard on the moon (which is apparaently ‘skanky as fuck’) refer to the prisoners simply as a ‘dreadful lot’ with not even a ‘Bloomin!’ to spice things up?
The writing style (other than the profanity) is also pitched to a middle-grade readership:
‘As she strode inside, her breath whooshed out.’
Then we have all the silly names for planets: ‘Orthodocks’ anyone? A town is called ‘Apparatus’. WTF.
What about ‘The Crusty Tulip’ (the ship Gwen arrives on). There are shades of a rather distasteful reference here which I have to presume is intentional. Whatever, it’s difficult to imagine anyone other than a schoolchild being impressed.
You get some melodramatic phrases:
‘In here it was almost possible to forget she was dying. Almost’
Clumsy wording:
‘The ringleader seemed rather disinclined to reflect upon his mortal state…’
Unrealistic description:
When walking toward the space ship we see Gwen: ‘Skidding to a halt…’
(Gwen at this point is severely ill and presumably walking slowly. You don’t generally skid to a halt (outside of a cartoon) when you are walking along a street, unless it’s icy (it isn’t).)
Physical impossibilities:
‘…her board’s engine had clicked off as it slammed somewhere in the storage yard.’ These elements are happening simultaneously, how could she hear a distant ‘click’ over a distant ‘slam’?
There's an invented idiomatic oath: ‘What in the galaxy!’ Not bad, I suppose. But given the enthusiastic embrace of regulation swear-words what's the point? Why not just say 'What the FUCK!!!!' like she did two sentences earlier?? Then we get: ‘She was dying, for stars’ sake’ and then just: ‘Stars!’
It just won't do. So, your hero is a space-traveller. Why should it mean they'll start using celestial bodies as curse words?
Some random funny lines:
‘Hot damn. Those cheekbones could cut out a woman’s heart.’
‘All she could think about was her inevitable end and the worms - rather than fingers or cocks - about to fill her vagina.’
‘We’re looking for someone with your particular set of skills’ (Liam Neason unavailable)
Gwen (the hero) is fixated on two things: her fast approaching death, and sex. The death bit takes up some of her time but she mostly thinks about sex, which in this weird Disney world is frighteningly casual (not to mention unsanitary).
At the circus she meets an unkempt female manual worker who propositions her. They go outside without delay and the stranger begins sticking fingers into her ‘entrance’. Apart from the alarming immediacy at the beginning of the book, why does this scene even happen? Gwen is supposed to be interested only in the circus at this point (for reasons) to the extent that she will risk prison to be part of the audience. She is also supposedly (for the moment) not interested in sex and has just declined a session on the 'Crusty Tulip'. And yet, as soon as a random slut propositions her, she scampers out of the Big Top without a backwards glance to have her 'entrance' rammed with greasy fingers.
Still at least Gwen recognises this won’t cure her terminal illness:
‘… no quick finger-fuck … would change that.’
ok.
I do love that Gwen wears her tools on her belt though, including her welder's-goggles. I'm guessing she doesn’t carry the welder around with her though... couldn’t the goggles live with the welder?
Unfortunately, the rest is laughably bad.
This is supposed to be an adult novel, but aside from the ‘graphic violence’, the cringey sex, and the swear-words sprinkled throughout, it seems more like a child's book.
'Tinkerer'??
I mean, I'm unfamiliar with the word other than as denoting someone who 'tinkers' around with something. The connotation here is 'fiddling with an object over time with a view towards repairing or revamping it'. I wouldn't use it in the title of an adult novel; it's too cute. Perhaps in the world of 'steampunk' it has more credibility (I'm told it's stand-in for Engineer). But to my (admittedly old) ears it makes the book sound like something out of Disney: a childish fantasy, probably involving a little elf or dwarf or some agreeable talking frogs.
But: the artwork’s nice. A flying space-boat!
Apparently there was some film or TV show which featured a flying space-boat (I don’t know, I’m a grown man) which the author recognises as an influence here…
Yes: again the cover (and title) says: 'middle-grade'.
But, the suggestion of a nice child-friendly book is undermined by a trigger-warning which precedes the first chapter and flags-up the (soon to be very apparent) graphic sex, violence and swearing. (more on that later)
The genre of the book is also unclear.
We are told it is Steampunk - and there are elements of this, admittedly - but there simply isn’t enough world building for it to appeal to those who like to be immersed in a believable atmosphere. Nor can this physics-free world be considered a satisfactory 'sci-fi' experience.
Perhaps it could be described as a flimsy Space-Opera, but, honestly, all the slight world-building elements are just a half-hearted backdrop to the real genre…
Romance!
Yes, what we have here is a middle-grade or YA Romance inappropriately filled with cringey sex.
Count the tropes: a ‘Love-Triangle’ (yawn), a ‘Coming-of-age-Realisation’ (yawn) and a ‘DEADLY COMPETITION’ (jezus). It's beginning to sound terrifying close to a spaced-up version of ‘The Saviour’s Champion’.
We are all pretty clued in about space these days. We know that you can’t go springing about the galaxy, popping up here there and everywhere with scant regard to physics. So when we are presented with a space-ship (yes, it’s literally a ship) constructed from wood, with real ropes and rigging (which the crew clamber up) and sails which deflate (like ‘saggy tits’) or ‘bloom in the solar wind’ as they sail to the next moon - we know we are in a half-arsed Disney universe.
There is nothing adult about this world. It's a child-fantasy inappropriately larded with F-bombs and awkward sex.
But, where IS it set?
Well, we're not in the Solar System but the 'Crescent Star System'. The protagonists seem to be human though, and we hear of ‘an Arctic bear, a tiger and an albino wolf…’ so it’s got Earth animals as well? Some explanation would be nice in order to navigate the strange juxtapositions.
It's more 'cartoon' than 'Steampunk. Even though we have advanced inter-galactic space travel, people still communicate with letters (or at least some form of physical communication) for, as we discover, Gwen is never on a planet or moon ‘long enough to receive mail’.
Along with wooden space-ships we have bare light-bulbs and canvas tents. Anything the author wants to lob in to ‘improve’ the atmosphere.
Frankly, there is no attempt at credibility. At one point Gwen joins a queue of ‘dockworkers, barmaids, wenches’ who are waiting to view an illegal circus. They know that if the Police catch them doing this they will be thrown in prison. Are we really expected to believe the city's ‘lowlife’ (as she calls these workers) are willing to gamble so wildly with their freedom just to view a burlesque-circus? That makes no sense. This Circus is contained in a pretty damn obvious tent and everybody seems to know it's there (do they really think the police don't know?)
Are we supposed to believe that 'lowlife' types would say things like:
‘I’ve heard rumours of the ringleader who can bend cyborg beasts to his will, magicians who can pluck your soul straight from your chest, fire breathers who need no torch, and acrobats who tumble skilfully beneath the sheets.’
Which ‘lowlife’ said this? A dock-worker, a barmaid? No wonder Gwen’s rolling her eyes at this point.
The ‘Crescent Star System' is both a ‘Union’ and an ‘Empire’. The planets have ‘formed a union’ you see - which sounds pretty chummy, like they are in a voluntary club. But they're ruled by an 'Emperor'. FYI: Emperors rule empires, usually comprising lands and peoples that have been subjected to conquest. I guess the author thought ‘Emperor’ sounded cool, but perhaps she should have considered the meaning of the word too?
In the world of 'The Cyborg Tinkerer' Cyborgs are pariahs--almost illegal. It would help to know why. It seems pretty arbitrary. It’s also irrational, after all becoming a Cyborg might just save your life (as with Gwen). It certainly confers super-strength. Wouldn’t that be seen as a benefit by most people?
How do the authorities draw a distinction between cyborgs and non-cyborgs. What if you have a prosthetic leg, or a pace-maker, or a hearing aid? Where's the cut-off point?
How come Cirque de Borg has so much money? They have fancy horse-drawn carriages, dandy clothing, big space-ships, lots of ostentatious prestige. They even seem to own a city, which is ‘centred around the needs of Cirque de Borg.’ But, they're all outlaws who get their money from the turnstyles of an illegal circus! It makes no sense.
How does it even operate? The big-top is ‘massive’ and would require time and energy to assemble not to mention the noise and commotion. The gear must be transported: the canvas, the scaffolding, the robotic animals, the food and neccessities, the personnel. It's not a small operation (it's making lots of money after all). And yet we are to believe it is all done in secret; only the intitiated whisper about it. You can't have it both ways! Either it is making lots of money (it's a big operation and lots of people know about it); or it's a small and secretive operation, know only by a select few (and making peanuts).
The author uses the word ‘fuck’ frequently. Her hero can’t articulate a thought without it.
‘good fucking riddance’
‘and a good fucking life to you’
‘and fucking proud if it’
‘nicely fucking done’
‘what the fuck is wrong with you.’
‘…fuck, already?’
‘get the fuck up or you’ll be next.’
‘fancy as fuck clothes’
‘she was fucking fabulous at it’
The swearing is pathological and unconvincing.
Any value the word has fades with the umpteenth repetition, leaving just a redundant noise, empty of nuance.
And how strange it is that when a character’s voice would actually be improved with a swear-word, the author neglects them. Why on earth doesn’t the anonymous ‘lowlife’, mentioned above, swear when he/she describes the circus instead of waxing poetical? Surely a few 'Blast!'s would be more evocative of a ‘dock-worker’? And why does the prison guard on the moon (which is apparaently ‘skanky as fuck’) refer to the prisoners simply as a ‘dreadful lot’ with not even a ‘Bloomin!’ to spice things up?
The writing style (other than the profanity) is also pitched to a middle-grade readership:
‘As she strode inside, her breath whooshed out.’
Then we have all the silly names for planets: ‘Orthodocks’ anyone? A town is called ‘Apparatus’. WTF.
What about ‘The Crusty Tulip’ (the ship Gwen arrives on). There are shades of a rather distasteful reference here which I have to presume is intentional. Whatever, it’s difficult to imagine anyone other than a schoolchild being impressed.
You get some melodramatic phrases:
‘In here it was almost possible to forget she was dying. Almost’
Clumsy wording:
‘The ringleader seemed rather disinclined to reflect upon his mortal state…’
Unrealistic description:
When walking toward the space ship we see Gwen: ‘Skidding to a halt…’
(Gwen at this point is severely ill and presumably walking slowly. You don’t generally skid to a halt (outside of a cartoon) when you are walking along a street, unless it’s icy (it isn’t).)
Physical impossibilities:
‘…her board’s engine had clicked off as it slammed somewhere in the storage yard.’ These elements are happening simultaneously, how could she hear a distant ‘click’ over a distant ‘slam’?
There's an invented idiomatic oath: ‘What in the galaxy!’ Not bad, I suppose. But given the enthusiastic embrace of regulation swear-words what's the point? Why not just say 'What the FUCK!!!!' like she did two sentences earlier?? Then we get: ‘She was dying, for stars’ sake’ and then just: ‘Stars!’
It just won't do. So, your hero is a space-traveller. Why should it mean they'll start using celestial bodies as curse words?
Some random funny lines:
‘Hot damn. Those cheekbones could cut out a woman’s heart.’
‘All she could think about was her inevitable end and the worms - rather than fingers or cocks - about to fill her vagina.’
‘We’re looking for someone with your particular set of skills’ (Liam Neason unavailable)
Gwen (the hero) is fixated on two things: her fast approaching death, and sex. The death bit takes up some of her time but she mostly thinks about sex, which in this weird Disney world is frighteningly casual (not to mention unsanitary).
At the circus she meets an unkempt female manual worker who propositions her. They go outside without delay and the stranger begins sticking fingers into her ‘entrance’. Apart from the alarming immediacy at the beginning of the book, why does this scene even happen? Gwen is supposed to be interested only in the circus at this point (for reasons) to the extent that she will risk prison to be part of the audience. She is also supposedly (for the moment) not interested in sex and has just declined a session on the 'Crusty Tulip'. And yet, as soon as a random slut propositions her, she scampers out of the Big Top without a backwards glance to have her 'entrance' rammed with greasy fingers.
Still at least Gwen recognises this won’t cure her terminal illness:
‘… no quick finger-fuck … would change that.’
ok.
I do love that Gwen wears her tools on her belt though, including her welder's-goggles. I'm guessing she doesn’t carry the welder around with her though... couldn’t the goggles live with the welder?
November 19, 2020
Edit: Ok, so I made it to 55% before I put it down. I returned it. Got my refund, and asked myself: "Why did I do that."
It was bad. Nothing meant anything in this book. The leading lady...I don't know shit about her, only that she doesn't make friends cause she's dying. There was hardly any breathing room for me to get to know the MC. Everything was told. There was so much telling. I could not picture anything.
The pacing was awful. The emotional moments were too soon and made no sense. The MC fell in love so quickly, even said 'I love you,' to one of the love interest -- and we were barely into the meat of the story! The MC cared nothing for the cyborgs, and then all of a sudden she did? She never spent time with any of them! Only people she interacted with were RORA, BASTIAN, and the Mistress....
"No body fucks with my family," she says. I have no idea where that even came from! Not once has she interacted with any of them. Not. Once. You telling me they are family now?
The leading MC is also bisexual, but the author uses that one trope we all hate.. the slutty one. I don't have the word for it...but like why? Why do you do that.
I hated this book. Nothing made sense. I was struggling to understand what everything was and where our MC was at. I couldn't understand her character because she said one thing && her actions would express another. Is she a stoic character? I couldn't tell you, she was everything and the author failed at expressing that.
Being in Rora's head was even worst. Bastian was suddenly great at animal taming? Since when lmao Bastian && the MC (fuck whats her name) are suddenly pals? How? Since when? they never spent anytime together!!!
Grimm Reaper -- this was so funny. I laughed so hard when one of the cyborgs called her that. I just....what kinda book is this.
Was it steampunk? I can't tell you. Is she a tinkerer? Can't tell you that either. So much telling instead of showing.
"I love you." Bitch, you don't even know her. I can't believe I had to read that with my own eyes.
MC was like "why do i care so much about her?' and i'm like fuck that my question too!!! lmao like you don't know her. "I can't lose you." SINCE WHEN did you feel that way hahahahah
My thoughts aren't coherent enough but i hope ya'll understand lmao
Don't pick it up. This author has bad friends. They did her dirty lmao
No wonder Jenna Moreci didn't bother doing a whole ass essay hahahah
How generic was her praise? Lmao She knew it sucked, and she wrong for not telling her that...hahaha
rip to my brain, i lost braincells reading this book.
It was bad. Nothing meant anything in this book. The leading lady...I don't know shit about her, only that she doesn't make friends cause she's dying. There was hardly any breathing room for me to get to know the MC. Everything was told. There was so much telling. I could not picture anything.
The pacing was awful. The emotional moments were too soon and made no sense. The MC fell in love so quickly, even said 'I love you,' to one of the love interest -- and we were barely into the meat of the story! The MC cared nothing for the cyborgs, and then all of a sudden she did? She never spent time with any of them! Only people she interacted with were RORA, BASTIAN, and the Mistress....
"No body fucks with my family," she says. I have no idea where that even came from! Not once has she interacted with any of them. Not. Once. You telling me they are family now?
The leading MC is also bisexual, but the author uses that one trope we all hate.. the slutty one. I don't have the word for it...but like why? Why do you do that.
I hated this book. Nothing made sense. I was struggling to understand what everything was and where our MC was at. I couldn't understand her character because she said one thing && her actions would express another. Is she a stoic character? I couldn't tell you, she was everything and the author failed at expressing that.
Being in Rora's head was even worst. Bastian was suddenly great at animal taming? Since when lmao Bastian && the MC (fuck whats her name) are suddenly pals? How? Since when? they never spent anytime together!!!
Grimm Reaper -- this was so funny. I laughed so hard when one of the cyborgs called her that. I just....what kinda book is this.
Was it steampunk? I can't tell you. Is she a tinkerer? Can't tell you that either. So much telling instead of showing.
"I love you." Bitch, you don't even know her. I can't believe I had to read that with my own eyes.
MC was like "why do i care so much about her?' and i'm like fuck that my question too!!! lmao like you don't know her. "I can't lose you." SINCE WHEN did you feel that way hahahahah
My thoughts aren't coherent enough but i hope ya'll understand lmao
Don't pick it up. This author has bad friends. They did her dirty lmao
No wonder Jenna Moreci didn't bother doing a whole ass essay hahahah
How generic was her praise? Lmao She knew it sucked, and she wrong for not telling her that...hahaha
rip to my brain, i lost braincells reading this book.
September 29, 2020
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of The Cyborg Tinkerer in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, I really really wanted to like this book. I went into it extremely excited to read about space circuses and fun romances. However, this was not fulfilled and instead I read a story that left me wondering if the book description was accurate.
My main issue is that I went into this book expecting a sci-fi/fantasy adventure, and let me be clear, it's not. And that's likely my own fault, I didn't realize that the romance would be front and center and the main plot in the book. But be warned, this is mostly romance with a space background, so if you were coming here for what I was expecting, you may also be disppointed.
With that said, this book could have had potential. I don't outright hate romances, but the romances (because it's polyamorous) were uneven. One was straight-up instalove (which I usually hate) and the other was so incredibly slow it was barely established by 50% through the book. I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters and, therefore, didn't care about the romances either. Further, because the romance was so forward, the circus aspect seemed barely relevant. I also truly wanted a space circus, and instead we're barely at the circus because the circus is about to be broken apart and instead we're in a Hunger Games-esque survival competition, which was not at all what I was expecting. I wanted intrigue, danger, and romance within the circus, not because the circus was in danger of falling apart.
What further hindered my enjoyment was the use of SO many swear words, seemingly for no reason. I swear in real life constantly, but usually it's organic for one reason or another. The cursing in this book seemed almost for developing the characters - but cursing doesn't make character development on its own. Therefore, there was no character development (or world development) that made me believe the characters should be cursing as such.
With that in mind, there is no world development at all. We were dropped into outer space with little to no background information throughout the book. There seems to be no reason why a Lord on one planet banned Cyborgs other than to make it work for the plot. Also, it seemed weird that the Circus would still be traveling in the open if it were illegal. Additionally, outer space and dragons are a weird combo - it really threw me when these dropped into the story with, again, no background. There is also little description of the dragons so one is to assume they are the normal fantasy kind, which just seemed weird to me.
Back to the cursing, because honestly, it was so weird to me. Some phrases were straight-up cringy and uncomfortable, honestly as though a 16yo boy wrote them. And other times, the language was too much like our own world, which made me wonder why it just didn't take place on Earth or our solar system. Additionally, most of the naming in this book (from planets to solar systems to general items) was incredibly generic and often made me roll my eyes.
I was all about the inclusivity! I loved how things were casual; however, sometimes it was too casual. Paragraphs about sexual orientation and sexuality were dropped in with no other context before or after - seemed like it was there to be there at times (with side characters). I wish it felt more organic because it came off as tokenism (though the main character is bisexual and that was in your face from the start).
This book was filled with typical YA tropes - which in turn made it feel like a YA book versus adult (with extra cursing and sex thrown in). I love reading YA, but I feel that this is in the wrong age category, and as such, I had expectations that were not met.
Overall, I really struggled reading this book. It was nothing like I was expecting and as such, it left me extremely disappointed. I think there will be fans out there, but for hardcore fantasy/sci-fi lovers, I feel like this will be a pass.
First of all, I really really wanted to like this book. I went into it extremely excited to read about space circuses and fun romances. However, this was not fulfilled and instead I read a story that left me wondering if the book description was accurate.
My main issue is that I went into this book expecting a sci-fi/fantasy adventure, and let me be clear, it's not. And that's likely my own fault, I didn't realize that the romance would be front and center and the main plot in the book. But be warned, this is mostly romance with a space background, so if you were coming here for what I was expecting, you may also be disppointed.
With that said, this book could have had potential. I don't outright hate romances, but the romances (because it's polyamorous) were uneven. One was straight-up instalove (which I usually hate) and the other was so incredibly slow it was barely established by 50% through the book. I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters and, therefore, didn't care about the romances either. Further, because the romance was so forward, the circus aspect seemed barely relevant. I also truly wanted a space circus, and instead we're barely at the circus because the circus is about to be broken apart and instead we're in a Hunger Games-esque survival competition, which was not at all what I was expecting. I wanted intrigue, danger, and romance within the circus, not because the circus was in danger of falling apart.
What further hindered my enjoyment was the use of SO many swear words, seemingly for no reason. I swear in real life constantly, but usually it's organic for one reason or another. The cursing in this book seemed almost for developing the characters - but cursing doesn't make character development on its own. Therefore, there was no character development (or world development) that made me believe the characters should be cursing as such.
With that in mind, there is no world development at all. We were dropped into outer space with little to no background information throughout the book. There seems to be no reason why a Lord on one planet banned Cyborgs other than to make it work for the plot. Also, it seemed weird that the Circus would still be traveling in the open if it were illegal. Additionally, outer space and dragons are a weird combo - it really threw me when these dropped into the story with, again, no background. There is also little description of the dragons so one is to assume they are the normal fantasy kind, which just seemed weird to me.
Back to the cursing, because honestly, it was so weird to me. Some phrases were straight-up cringy and uncomfortable, honestly as though a 16yo boy wrote them. And other times, the language was too much like our own world, which made me wonder why it just didn't take place on Earth or our solar system. Additionally, most of the naming in this book (from planets to solar systems to general items) was incredibly generic and often made me roll my eyes.
I was all about the inclusivity! I loved how things were casual; however, sometimes it was too casual. Paragraphs about sexual orientation and sexuality were dropped in with no other context before or after - seemed like it was there to be there at times (with side characters). I wish it felt more organic because it came off as tokenism (though the main character is bisexual and that was in your face from the start).
This book was filled with typical YA tropes - which in turn made it feel like a YA book versus adult (with extra cursing and sex thrown in). I love reading YA, but I feel that this is in the wrong age category, and as such, I had expectations that were not met.
Overall, I really struggled reading this book. It was nothing like I was expecting and as such, it left me extremely disappointed. I think there will be fans out there, but for hardcore fantasy/sci-fi lovers, I feel like this will be a pass.
December 3, 2020
I really wanted to like this book. Steampunk is my jam. From Verne to Diamond Age.
I'm all for it. Yet sadly this was a disaster.
There were two points where I felt so bad I had to put down the book for a breather.
The first was the finger banging scene right at the beginning. One moment our hero has the hots for a slackline artist who will turn out to be one of the main love interests. A second later she is off with a nobody. We won't even get a proper description of her newly found partner. We learn that she has grease-stained pants. What is her eye colour? Who cares! Does she even have clean hands? Meh! That was really disgusting. What did we learn about the hero? She is horny and not picky.
The second such was the first cyborg butchering scene. What would you do if a bad person forces you to maim and potentially kill a dozen innocents? Would you freeze up? Or try to escape? Or lash out against your captors? Or maybe you would try to free the innocents and together try to free yourself? Any of those are possible.
What would surely not happen is that I just go and willingly maim them. Not without them breaking my will first. And yet. Gwen just does that. She gives some lip, gets told off and then she willingly butchers innocents. She certainly maims them, maybe even kills a few. Meanwhile, these people are
conscious and presumably begging for her mercy. And this is the hero I should feel sympathy for.
And this inexplainable craziness overpowers not only Gwen but the whole circus. After the first "trial" they all know that their life is at danger. They are at liberty to go as they please. There is a whole scene in the local pub. They have access to tools and materials. Yet none of them thinks about overthrowing the Mistress. What if a select few tries to stabby stab her? Or burns her lodgings down? Or just walks away for crying out loud. Their life is at stake and they just... do as they told. Now presumably doing any of these would have bad consequences. But shouldn't at least a few of them try something? Or discuss the idea at least? Nah!
The only reason I kept on reading because it felt there must be some method to this madness. Some grand plan which will explain
all the strangeness. Alas not so much...
I'm all for it. Yet sadly this was a disaster.
There were two points where I felt so bad I had to put down the book for a breather.
The first was the finger banging scene right at the beginning. One moment our hero has the hots for a slackline artist who will turn out to be one of the main love interests. A second later she is off with a nobody. We won't even get a proper description of her newly found partner. We learn that she has grease-stained pants. What is her eye colour? Who cares! Does she even have clean hands? Meh! That was really disgusting. What did we learn about the hero? She is horny and not picky.
The second such was the first cyborg butchering scene. What would you do if a bad person forces you to maim and potentially kill a dozen innocents? Would you freeze up? Or try to escape? Or lash out against your captors? Or maybe you would try to free the innocents and together try to free yourself? Any of those are possible.
What would surely not happen is that I just go and willingly maim them. Not without them breaking my will first. And yet. Gwen just does that. She gives some lip, gets told off and then she willingly butchers innocents. She certainly maims them, maybe even kills a few. Meanwhile, these people are
conscious and presumably begging for her mercy. And this is the hero I should feel sympathy for.
And this inexplainable craziness overpowers not only Gwen but the whole circus. After the first "trial" they all know that their life is at danger. They are at liberty to go as they please. There is a whole scene in the local pub. They have access to tools and materials. Yet none of them thinks about overthrowing the Mistress. What if a select few tries to stabby stab her? Or burns her lodgings down? Or just walks away for crying out loud. Their life is at stake and they just... do as they told. Now presumably doing any of these would have bad consequences. But shouldn't at least a few of them try something? Or discuss the idea at least? Nah!
The only reason I kept on reading because it felt there must be some method to this madness. Some grand plan which will explain
all the strangeness. Alas not so much...
March 2, 2021
Well, well, well…
I wasn’t going to write my review because I believe there have been enough one-star reviews and lengthy arguments discussing the problems this book has to get the point across.
Meg LaTorre is a first-time author and authortuber, and for that, I support her. It is tough to finish a book, much less getting it edited and published. I can also imagine that it must have hurt to hear the feedback, many of her readers going through the trouble of explaining where the story and editing fall short. It takes a lot of courage to subject one’s creative writing to such scrutiny.
However…
The sudden shenanigans with the ratings over the past few days have changed my opinion on Meg 180 degrees. The benefit of the doubt evaporated the moment Meg appeared to have bought an unbroken string of five-star ratings.
So, without further ado, here is my DNF review.
This book is absolutely atrocious. One of the worst things I’ve ever read.
The problems start on the very first page of chapter one, where we meet our MC, who travels aboard a wooden spaceship. (I’m imagining the look of a 17th-century galleon powered by solar winds.) But that is not what pulls me from the story. I can appreciate the fantasy element.
No, what pulls me from the story is when we get down to the crew’s living conditions.
---
A woman appeared beside Gwen on the main deck, carrying her own pack.
“Why didn’t you come to my cot last night?” Alberta cooed, her red lips parted and cracked from too many days on low water rations.
It was tradition to find a partner below deck before coming to port, but Gwen hadn’t exactly been in the mood. “I’m kind of busy dying.”
---
Lips parted and cracked from too many days on low water rations, and the only thing you can think of is scissoring? Who in their right mind is thinking about romping when they’re dehydrated to the point of cracked lips? I thought we were all low on fluids?
But the fun doesn’t stop there.
---
Gwen shook her head. “I’d be dead before I made it back to Orthodocks.”
---
The planet Orthodocks… Because our MC is a polygamous bisexual. Get it? Reader, did you get it? She left Orthodocks! ORTHODOCKS! She is gay! Did you get it? Did you?? I rolled my eyes so hard at this they still hurt.
Meg… It is 2021… Nobody cares who you bang.
Anyway… on to the next gem…
---
Gwen headed for her customary cheap inn near the docks. As she paid off the greasy innkeeper, he hissed under his breath. “Did you hear? Cirque du Borge is in town.
---
Ah… the ‘did you hear?’ trope. Designed to explain to us readers that this thing is happening. Even though it has absolutely no place in any believable conversation. But that is not the worst part of it. No, the worst part is what this fellow says next.
---
“Best be keeping quiet.” The man grabbed a soiled rag, wiping the counter. “Wouldn’t want the feds hearing about it. Anyone caught at that circus will spend time behind bars. Mark my words.”
---
What do you mean… if the feds find out? Is it an underground circus? That was my natural assumption—something like an underground boxing arena or dog fighting pit. I could get that. But no… As it turns out, it is an actual circus tent. And I mean a huge circus tent with all the fanfare of an actual honest to god 20th-century circus. And… They’re surprised when the feds show up and arrest everyone…
Gee… I wonder how anyone found out?
Beats me… Huge mystery. How did anyone spot the GIANT ILLEGAL CYBORG CIRCUS TENT??
...
I think I’m going to stop this review now. I’m not even ten pages in, and I’m already over 600 words into this review.
So, here are some final words to the author.
Meg, writing isn’t for everyone, and it is especially hard when you start out. I hope your next book fares better. I really do.
BUT
Please, out of respect for all your fellow authors and those who have taken the time to provide you with invaluable feedback, DON’T BUY 5-STAR REVIEWS!
WORK ON YOUR CRAFT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE!
All the best.
I wasn’t going to write my review because I believe there have been enough one-star reviews and lengthy arguments discussing the problems this book has to get the point across.
Meg LaTorre is a first-time author and authortuber, and for that, I support her. It is tough to finish a book, much less getting it edited and published. I can also imagine that it must have hurt to hear the feedback, many of her readers going through the trouble of explaining where the story and editing fall short. It takes a lot of courage to subject one’s creative writing to such scrutiny.
However…
The sudden shenanigans with the ratings over the past few days have changed my opinion on Meg 180 degrees. The benefit of the doubt evaporated the moment Meg appeared to have bought an unbroken string of five-star ratings.
So, without further ado, here is my DNF review.
This book is absolutely atrocious. One of the worst things I’ve ever read.
The problems start on the very first page of chapter one, where we meet our MC, who travels aboard a wooden spaceship. (I’m imagining the look of a 17th-century galleon powered by solar winds.) But that is not what pulls me from the story. I can appreciate the fantasy element.
No, what pulls me from the story is when we get down to the crew’s living conditions.
---
A woman appeared beside Gwen on the main deck, carrying her own pack.
“Why didn’t you come to my cot last night?” Alberta cooed, her red lips parted and cracked from too many days on low water rations.
It was tradition to find a partner below deck before coming to port, but Gwen hadn’t exactly been in the mood. “I’m kind of busy dying.”
---
Lips parted and cracked from too many days on low water rations, and the only thing you can think of is scissoring? Who in their right mind is thinking about romping when they’re dehydrated to the point of cracked lips? I thought we were all low on fluids?
But the fun doesn’t stop there.
---
Gwen shook her head. “I’d be dead before I made it back to Orthodocks.”
---
The planet Orthodocks… Because our MC is a polygamous bisexual. Get it? Reader, did you get it? She left Orthodocks! ORTHODOCKS! She is gay! Did you get it? Did you?? I rolled my eyes so hard at this they still hurt.
Meg… It is 2021… Nobody cares who you bang.
Anyway… on to the next gem…
---
Gwen headed for her customary cheap inn near the docks. As she paid off the greasy innkeeper, he hissed under his breath. “Did you hear? Cirque du Borge is in town.
---
Ah… the ‘did you hear?’ trope. Designed to explain to us readers that this thing is happening. Even though it has absolutely no place in any believable conversation. But that is not the worst part of it. No, the worst part is what this fellow says next.
---
“Best be keeping quiet.” The man grabbed a soiled rag, wiping the counter. “Wouldn’t want the feds hearing about it. Anyone caught at that circus will spend time behind bars. Mark my words.”
---
What do you mean… if the feds find out? Is it an underground circus? That was my natural assumption—something like an underground boxing arena or dog fighting pit. I could get that. But no… As it turns out, it is an actual circus tent. And I mean a huge circus tent with all the fanfare of an actual honest to god 20th-century circus. And… They’re surprised when the feds show up and arrest everyone…
Gee… I wonder how anyone found out?
Beats me… Huge mystery. How did anyone spot the GIANT ILLEGAL CYBORG CIRCUS TENT??
...
I think I’m going to stop this review now. I’m not even ten pages in, and I’m already over 600 words into this review.
So, here are some final words to the author.
Meg, writing isn’t for everyone, and it is especially hard when you start out. I hope your next book fares better. I really do.
BUT
Please, out of respect for all your fellow authors and those who have taken the time to provide you with invaluable feedback, DON’T BUY 5-STAR REVIEWS!
WORK ON YOUR CRAFT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE!
All the best.
May 8, 2021
I had to get this book just for the comments alone. I came looking for copper and found gold instead. Keep my 5 bucks I’ve never read something so funny.
This is The Room of novels. Tommy Wiseau needs to go through the author’s door and say, “Oh hai Meg.”
She created a new subgenre for books. So bad it’s good. God bless self-publishing authors and their overconfidence.
TLDR: This is a badly written novel. You don’t read it like a normal one. You read it like you’re watching a circus train crashing in slow motion. It just gets worse the more you watch.
BTW I will say fuck a lot like the novel. Because, reasons. So wear a poncho you may get wet.
Let’s get the fucking pretentious shit out the way.
Sentence structure- She is at a high school level. Seriously it’s A+ in Ms. Johnson’s 10th-grade creative writing class. B- on Grammarly. I checked.
She has issues showing and telling. There’s 2 MC Gwen and Rora aka Ms. Expostion. If you’re in her POV get readying for the info dump. So much afterthought and useless text to bulk up the word count.
EX: Lord Bartholomew Blight had paid Clara Cabbell’s bail, as they were old acquaintances and he’d been passing through Anchorage when he’d heard of his friend’s predicament. Or that’s the story they’d told the jailer.
Does this matter? Fuck no. It has no barren on the story at all.
“But I did hear of the infamous ringleader who could bend cyborg beasts to his will, magicians who could pluck your soul straight from your chest, firebreathers who need no torch.” She looked straight into Rora’s brown eyes then. “Acrobats who could tumble into your heart.”
This entire paragraph was repeated later in the book. Why? To go from a chunky novella to a lite novel. I guess.
The author does this a lot. Overstating obvious and over describing. You will say, “Ya no shit sherlock.” a lot reading this bitch.
Here’s the infamous dragon afterthought. Most dragons had been hunted down and killed over the past few centuries. But the humanitarians and wildlife specialists had fought against the extinction of dragons after the emperor’s rise to power. Thus, the cyborgs had the pleasure of their company and frequent raids into the cities for food.
That’s it. What fucking raids? Nothing is explained when you want it to be. I hope you didn’t like dragons because that’s it for them. Usually, you mention this shit for foreshadowing. No no. Not here. We break all norms in this bitch.
Plot- Hmmm Well Gwen’s is wrapped up in the first 2 chapters. She’s dying and now a cyborg. A cyborg tinkerer. Roll credits!
It also has the base plot about Emporer Trump get’s into power 10 years ago and hates the space Mexicans or cyborgs if you want to be PC. The space Mexicans are bad hombres. They can be programmed into rapist murders and terrorists. And they’re going to take yer JERBS! So the Union or Space GOP vote Emporer Trump in and all Space Mexicans out. I’m not fucking kidding.
Emperor Titus Valerius had capitalized on humankind’s fears, securing his place ten years ago as the leader of what had once been the warring planets of the Crescent Star System. Under his charismatic rule, they had united against their new enemy: cyborgs. Cyborgs are modern-day’s greatest threat to the safety of society. These creatures are more machine than human. They are nothing but super soldiers that can be controlled by terrorists and used against the good people of the Union.
I don’t understand why they care. These cyborgs are made out of tinfoil and papier mache. They can stub their toe and have to get their affairs in order. Seriously, a lot of them can die by getting wet.
Later Emporer Trump invites the space Mexicans to Space Florida or Covenant. So they can put on a show. Why? Because I already told you the MC finished her goal in Chapter 2. Fucking pay attention.
There are these subplots of Ms exposition trying to seduce Gwen to get a new robo hand so she can perform in front of Emporer Trump and win the respect of her Space GOP family. Thinking her bullshit slackline routine will win the hearts and minds of Space Mexican haters and change the laws.
Then some weird Belko Experiment plot comes around the middle. Instead of firing people, the boss decides to have a winner take all contest. Some of you may die but that’s a risk she’s willing to take. I mean they are just Space Mexicans. Then later on Boss bitch wants to get revenge on Trump because he had her family killed.
A lot of shit doesn’t make sense and she does her best to explain it. But Meg doesn’t know what a lot of words mean. I assume she just went to Thesaurus.com and pick a few cool sounding words. Most of the time when I don’t understand how something works. I say Space Jesus did it.
Why does a moon base have so much smog and smoke? How are people and animals breathing?
Space Jesus.
How do solar winds move wooden space ships so fast when the sails are inside the oxygen field?
Space Jesus
If space Mexicans can’t get wet what happens if it rains?
Uh, Space Jesus?
How did a circus that is illegal own a giant spaceship and literal fucking palace and still able to operate?
Mother fucking SPACE JESUS!
This is supposed to be Steampunk fantasy space opera. I think she only knows the Steampunk clothing style and faux English slang to jazz it up. You know the words. Privy, tinkerer, dreadful lot, etc.
He wore a midnight black jacket and pants lined with golden glittering pinstripes. The jacket ended in a coattail, and his vest was lined with gears of polished brass.
Drink it in you Steampunks. It got gears on the clothes!
Characters- Yup you got that. No matter how bland or stereotypical. But they are there. There’s a transgender one. That’s neat. It’s only mentioned once but it’s there I promise. Their name is Apple or Manzana doesn’t fucking matter. You are not attached to anyone.
I’ll say one thing Chuck Norris checks under his bed for Ms. Gwendolyn Fucking Grimm. Because she can do it all. Best tinkerer in the Cresent Star system. She drinks whisky fucks bitches and steals yo man. When everyone is kung fu fighting she’s everyone and those 6 or 12 guards better recognize, but that’s just a Tuesday for Ms. Grimm. Or that’s what I got from the book.
The prose- This book can’t decide WTF it wants. It changes from ignorant speech to using big words incorrectly and back again. I think it supposed to be, rich people smart low class no smart. It’s a bit jarring.
I saw people said she didn’t edit it. She did with her free trial of Grammarly with a dash of Hemingway Editor. If she paid the premium maybe they would give her some tips. Like your names are they lazy shit I ever read. It's like you didn't even try. When I saw the moon was called anchorage and they had an Arctic bear I really thought it would be a twist if the moon was Earth's. Since you use all the other fucking terminology.
Overall I can tell with 99% certainty that Meg wrote this in high school then over the years kept adding shit she liked. Till her friends were like, you should publish it and Meg was like, Fuck ya. You can tell the longer you read her writing sort of improved. It’s there but she needs a fuck ton of practice. This story is basically Treasure Planet Final Fantasy 9 with some Hunger game action for a little razzle-dazzle. 2 stars
This is The Room of novels. Tommy Wiseau needs to go through the author’s door and say, “Oh hai Meg.”
She created a new subgenre for books. So bad it’s good. God bless self-publishing authors and their overconfidence.
TLDR: This is a badly written novel. You don’t read it like a normal one. You read it like you’re watching a circus train crashing in slow motion. It just gets worse the more you watch.
BTW I will say fuck a lot like the novel. Because, reasons. So wear a poncho you may get wet.
Let’s get the fucking pretentious shit out the way.
Sentence structure- She is at a high school level. Seriously it’s A+ in Ms. Johnson’s 10th-grade creative writing class. B- on Grammarly. I checked.
She has issues showing and telling. There’s 2 MC Gwen and Rora aka Ms. Expostion. If you’re in her POV get readying for the info dump. So much afterthought and useless text to bulk up the word count.
EX: Lord Bartholomew Blight had paid Clara Cabbell’s bail, as they were old acquaintances and he’d been passing through Anchorage when he’d heard of his friend’s predicament. Or that’s the story they’d told the jailer.
Does this matter? Fuck no. It has no barren on the story at all.
“But I did hear of the infamous ringleader who could bend cyborg beasts to his will, magicians who could pluck your soul straight from your chest, firebreathers who need no torch.” She looked straight into Rora’s brown eyes then. “Acrobats who could tumble into your heart.”
This entire paragraph was repeated later in the book. Why? To go from a chunky novella to a lite novel. I guess.
The author does this a lot. Overstating obvious and over describing. You will say, “Ya no shit sherlock.” a lot reading this bitch.
Here’s the infamous dragon afterthought. Most dragons had been hunted down and killed over the past few centuries. But the humanitarians and wildlife specialists had fought against the extinction of dragons after the emperor’s rise to power. Thus, the cyborgs had the pleasure of their company and frequent raids into the cities for food.
That’s it. What fucking raids? Nothing is explained when you want it to be. I hope you didn’t like dragons because that’s it for them. Usually, you mention this shit for foreshadowing. No no. Not here. We break all norms in this bitch.
Plot- Hmmm Well Gwen’s is wrapped up in the first 2 chapters. She’s dying and now a cyborg. A cyborg tinkerer. Roll credits!
It also has the base plot about Emporer Trump get’s into power 10 years ago and hates the space Mexicans or cyborgs if you want to be PC. The space Mexicans are bad hombres. They can be programmed into rapist murders and terrorists. And they’re going to take yer JERBS! So the Union or Space GOP vote Emporer Trump in and all Space Mexicans out. I’m not fucking kidding.
Emperor Titus Valerius had capitalized on humankind’s fears, securing his place ten years ago as the leader of what had once been the warring planets of the Crescent Star System. Under his charismatic rule, they had united against their new enemy: cyborgs. Cyborgs are modern-day’s greatest threat to the safety of society. These creatures are more machine than human. They are nothing but super soldiers that can be controlled by terrorists and used against the good people of the Union.
I don’t understand why they care. These cyborgs are made out of tinfoil and papier mache. They can stub their toe and have to get their affairs in order. Seriously, a lot of them can die by getting wet.
Later Emporer Trump invites the space Mexicans to Space Florida or Covenant. So they can put on a show. Why? Because I already told you the MC finished her goal in Chapter 2. Fucking pay attention.
There are these subplots of Ms exposition trying to seduce Gwen to get a new robo hand so she can perform in front of Emporer Trump and win the respect of her Space GOP family. Thinking her bullshit slackline routine will win the hearts and minds of Space Mexican haters and change the laws.
Then some weird Belko Experiment plot comes around the middle. Instead of firing people, the boss decides to have a winner take all contest. Some of you may die but that’s a risk she’s willing to take. I mean they are just Space Mexicans. Then later on Boss bitch wants to get revenge on Trump because he had her family killed.
A lot of shit doesn’t make sense and she does her best to explain it. But Meg doesn’t know what a lot of words mean. I assume she just went to Thesaurus.com and pick a few cool sounding words. Most of the time when I don’t understand how something works. I say Space Jesus did it.
Why does a moon base have so much smog and smoke? How are people and animals breathing?
Space Jesus.
How do solar winds move wooden space ships so fast when the sails are inside the oxygen field?
Space Jesus
If space Mexicans can’t get wet what happens if it rains?
Uh, Space Jesus?
How did a circus that is illegal own a giant spaceship and literal fucking palace and still able to operate?
Mother fucking SPACE JESUS!
This is supposed to be Steampunk fantasy space opera. I think she only knows the Steampunk clothing style and faux English slang to jazz it up. You know the words. Privy, tinkerer, dreadful lot, etc.
He wore a midnight black jacket and pants lined with golden glittering pinstripes. The jacket ended in a coattail, and his vest was lined with gears of polished brass.
Drink it in you Steampunks. It got gears on the clothes!
Characters- Yup you got that. No matter how bland or stereotypical. But they are there. There’s a transgender one. That’s neat. It’s only mentioned once but it’s there I promise. Their name is Apple or Manzana doesn’t fucking matter. You are not attached to anyone.
I’ll say one thing Chuck Norris checks under his bed for Ms. Gwendolyn Fucking Grimm. Because she can do it all. Best tinkerer in the Cresent Star system. She drinks whisky fucks bitches and steals yo man. When everyone is kung fu fighting she’s everyone and those 6 or 12 guards better recognize, but that’s just a Tuesday for Ms. Grimm. Or that’s what I got from the book.
The prose- This book can’t decide WTF it wants. It changes from ignorant speech to using big words incorrectly and back again. I think it supposed to be, rich people smart low class no smart. It’s a bit jarring.
I saw people said she didn’t edit it. She did with her free trial of Grammarly with a dash of Hemingway Editor. If she paid the premium maybe they would give her some tips. Like your names are they lazy shit I ever read. It's like you didn't even try. When I saw the moon was called anchorage and they had an Arctic bear I really thought it would be a twist if the moon was Earth's. Since you use all the other fucking terminology.
Overall I can tell with 99% certainty that Meg wrote this in high school then over the years kept adding shit she liked. Till her friends were like, you should publish it and Meg was like, Fuck ya. You can tell the longer you read her writing sort of improved. It’s there but she needs a fuck ton of practice. This story is basically Treasure Planet Final Fantasy 9 with some Hunger game action for a little razzle-dazzle. 2 stars
March 1, 2021
Talking of 'curious cases', I find it odd that over the last day or so many five-star reviews have been added. Count them: an unbroken string of tens upon tens. How very weird; only the barest minimum have a written review, but all have the glowing five-stars. Well I never. I guess popular opinion on this execrable work has changed overnight...
that, or something else.
that, or something else.
June 28, 2020
I have not read the novel in its completion, however, I doubt I would be able to. I have read the free chapters preview.
Despite Meg's flaunted work history within the industry, I believe she has failed to use the most important part and aspect, prior to publishing a novel.
An editor.
Within the first two pages, I lost count at over 23 errors. Grammatical, punctuation problems can be over-looked. However, her inability to write in the same consistent TENSE per sentence halts any flow the reader would have to enjoy the novel.
(example: "Frowning, Gwen nodded her head in return."
A basic editor should have caught such obvious errors ... and others.
I have followed Meg on her video channel for a long time, and she should have followed her own advice.
The cover for the novel was amazing, but the words within will be her downfall. The crude language within seemed to be there for pure shock value and the sexual scenes as well. If they were there to enhance a story, perfect. However, she fell short of the mark.
Self-publishing such a rough draft with her expertise, was a let down.
Despite Meg's flaunted work history within the industry, I believe she has failed to use the most important part and aspect, prior to publishing a novel.
An editor.
Within the first two pages, I lost count at over 23 errors. Grammatical, punctuation problems can be over-looked. However, her inability to write in the same consistent TENSE per sentence halts any flow the reader would have to enjoy the novel.
(example: "Frowning, Gwen nodded her head in return."
A basic editor should have caught such obvious errors ... and others.
I have followed Meg on her video channel for a long time, and she should have followed her own advice.
The cover for the novel was amazing, but the words within will be her downfall. The crude language within seemed to be there for pure shock value and the sexual scenes as well. If they were there to enhance a story, perfect. However, she fell short of the mark.
Self-publishing such a rough draft with her expertise, was a let down.
September 14, 2020
I read the sample chapters and they were enough for me to decide I don’t want to read more pages.
But I’m judging harder people who give writing advice. I’ll give some examples to support my opinion:
*“This was precisely why Gwen wasn’t big on making friends in the workplace—and why she hadn’t bothered to get to know anyone on the ship.” – show, don’t tell. The writer came up with character flaws (Gwen can’t make friends) and instead of showing these flaws to the reader, she tells us about them (“Gwen has a hard time making friends. She’s a loner and about to die alone. Therefore, Gwen must be a likeable character and readers must like her!”)
*“Desire swam through her.” – show, don’t tell.
*“The woman took Gwen’s hand, leading her to a quiet, secluded spot outside of the tent.” – what does a quiet, secluded spot outside of the tent look like? Show it so the reader gets a picture of the scene. This make out scene feels like its only purpose is to show people making out, as if the reader doesn’t need to visualize the scene, just the woman’s nipples.
*“Panic surged through her veins.” – show, don’t tell.
*“Of all times to have an episode from her illness, why now?” – because it suits the writer?
*The pacing. My critique partners always tell me that my pacing is off and I never understood what was wrong with it. But I get it now. In less than 10 pages the protagonist manages to quit her job, watch a circus show, make out with a woman she just met, escape from the feds, have an episode from her illness, and fall into the open air.
*What does the character really want? What’s stopping her from getting it?
*Filer words: could see, could hear
But the setting is nice and I like the worldbuilding.
But I’m judging harder people who give writing advice. I’ll give some examples to support my opinion:
*“This was precisely why Gwen wasn’t big on making friends in the workplace—and why she hadn’t bothered to get to know anyone on the ship.” – show, don’t tell. The writer came up with character flaws (Gwen can’t make friends) and instead of showing these flaws to the reader, she tells us about them (“Gwen has a hard time making friends. She’s a loner and about to die alone. Therefore, Gwen must be a likeable character and readers must like her!”)
*“Desire swam through her.” – show, don’t tell.
*“The woman took Gwen’s hand, leading her to a quiet, secluded spot outside of the tent.” – what does a quiet, secluded spot outside of the tent look like? Show it so the reader gets a picture of the scene. This make out scene feels like its only purpose is to show people making out, as if the reader doesn’t need to visualize the scene, just the woman’s nipples.
*“Panic surged through her veins.” – show, don’t tell.
*“Of all times to have an episode from her illness, why now?” – because it suits the writer?
*The pacing. My critique partners always tell me that my pacing is off and I never understood what was wrong with it. But I get it now. In less than 10 pages the protagonist manages to quit her job, watch a circus show, make out with a woman she just met, escape from the feds, have an episode from her illness, and fall into the open air.
*What does the character really want? What’s stopping her from getting it?
*Filer words: could see, could hear
But the setting is nice and I like the worldbuilding.
December 9, 2020
I purchased this book after watching several of the author’s Youtube videos. Even though it’s not something I’d normally read, I was open to giving it a shot and liked the idea of supporting an independent author.
I did read the book, but honestly ended up skimming through whole pages. I just couldn’t do it. Particularly, the fight and tournament scenes. I didn’t care about the characters and found it hard to figure out what was happening. The story just didn’t really do it for me. I was constantly like, “Wait, what? Why? Since when? Oh, come on *rolling eyes*…”
For a book that apparently has a ton of sex in it, the sex scenes were pretty minimal, in my opinion. There’s a brief encounter at the very beginning, a dream, various mentions of sex throughout, and then a legit, longer sex scene right at the end. Again, maybe I skipped, but I don’t think so.
The writing is what I found really annoying/distracting. The mix of casual modern vulgar and weird formal was off-putting and clunky. It seemed childish to me, like a teenager writing about adults. There was a lot of info dumping, and descriptions that took me right out of the story –“Heart heavier than a large woman’s tits, Gwen limped back to the emperor’s palace”, is how Chapter 33 opens, for example.
My biggest pet peeve was the showing vs. telling. This was especially irritating as this author literally is paid to help other people write. It’s as if she hasn’t figured out saying someone was physically gripped with an emotion is basically the same as telling the reader they were experiencing that emotion, rather than showing them through actions and descriptions. For example, a quick search of the word, “chest” in this book, and a plethora of examples of this show up:
11 – “Gwen nodded to the nearest feds, ignoring the fear squeezing her chest”
14 – “A deep sorrow swelled in Gwen’s chest”
22 – “Panic tightened in her chest”
69 – “Swallowing back the fear tightening her chest”
76 – “Realization dawned on her as fear sliced through her chest”
79 – “Bitterness took root in Rora’s chest”
102 – “Relief flooded Gwen’s chest”
149 – “Fear seized her chest”
151 – “she forgot how to breathe as dread tightened her chest”
166 – “A fury bright as starlight burst in her chest”
167 – “A deep heaviness settled on her chest”
184 – “Fear tightened her chest”
189 – “A sense of safety and belonging swelled in her chest”
191 – “Fear squeezing her chest”
199 – “Bitterness rooted in Gwen’s chest”
204 – “Overwhelming gratitude swelled in Gwen’s chest”
204 –“Fear tightened Gwen’s chest”
212 – “Fear, panic and regret tightened her chest”
212 – “As a deep restlessness settled on her chest”
251 – “Guilt weighed heavily on her chest”
264 – “Relief flooded her chest”
269 – “Anger filled Gwen’s chest”
285 – “Panic tore through her chest”
287 – “Relief swelled in Gwen’s chest”
290 – “Guilt tightened her chest”
There are a bunch more, but you get the idea. A couple of these wouldn't have bothered me, but there were just too many.
I did like the cover art and I think if the idea was handed over to someone else to gut/write, there could be an interesting movie in there somewhere.
I did read the book, but honestly ended up skimming through whole pages. I just couldn’t do it. Particularly, the fight and tournament scenes. I didn’t care about the characters and found it hard to figure out what was happening. The story just didn’t really do it for me. I was constantly like, “Wait, what? Why? Since when? Oh, come on *rolling eyes*…”
For a book that apparently has a ton of sex in it, the sex scenes were pretty minimal, in my opinion. There’s a brief encounter at the very beginning, a dream, various mentions of sex throughout, and then a legit, longer sex scene right at the end. Again, maybe I skipped, but I don’t think so.
The writing is what I found really annoying/distracting. The mix of casual modern vulgar and weird formal was off-putting and clunky. It seemed childish to me, like a teenager writing about adults. There was a lot of info dumping, and descriptions that took me right out of the story –“Heart heavier than a large woman’s tits, Gwen limped back to the emperor’s palace”, is how Chapter 33 opens, for example.
My biggest pet peeve was the showing vs. telling. This was especially irritating as this author literally is paid to help other people write. It’s as if she hasn’t figured out saying someone was physically gripped with an emotion is basically the same as telling the reader they were experiencing that emotion, rather than showing them through actions and descriptions. For example, a quick search of the word, “chest” in this book, and a plethora of examples of this show up:
11 – “Gwen nodded to the nearest feds, ignoring the fear squeezing her chest”
14 – “A deep sorrow swelled in Gwen’s chest”
22 – “Panic tightened in her chest”
69 – “Swallowing back the fear tightening her chest”
76 – “Realization dawned on her as fear sliced through her chest”
79 – “Bitterness took root in Rora’s chest”
102 – “Relief flooded Gwen’s chest”
149 – “Fear seized her chest”
151 – “she forgot how to breathe as dread tightened her chest”
166 – “A fury bright as starlight burst in her chest”
167 – “A deep heaviness settled on her chest”
184 – “Fear tightened her chest”
189 – “A sense of safety and belonging swelled in her chest”
191 – “Fear squeezing her chest”
199 – “Bitterness rooted in Gwen’s chest”
204 – “Overwhelming gratitude swelled in Gwen’s chest”
204 –“Fear tightened Gwen’s chest”
212 – “Fear, panic and regret tightened her chest”
212 – “As a deep restlessness settled on her chest”
251 – “Guilt weighed heavily on her chest”
264 – “Relief flooded her chest”
269 – “Anger filled Gwen’s chest”
285 – “Panic tore through her chest”
287 – “Relief swelled in Gwen’s chest”
290 – “Guilt tightened her chest”
There are a bunch more, but you get the idea. A couple of these wouldn't have bothered me, but there were just too many.
I did like the cover art and I think if the idea was handed over to someone else to gut/write, there could be an interesting movie in there somewhere.
December 10, 2020
YouTube review:
https://youtu.be/2alYrFkID3g
I tried to get through this book, I really did, but I’m going to be very honest. This book wasn’t ready to be published.
The concept was great, a circus in space, learning how to live life as a cyborg. However, an idea is only so much and it wasn’t implemented on the page well.
Awkward Sentences:
This was one of the biggest things that kept taking me out of the story. I wish the author would put more care into the sentence structure and words being used. I’m not sure to what extend editors, critique partners and betas readers were used, but I was so surprised to see so many awkward sentences. That’s one of the biggest things that brings a book down stars.
Main Characters:
Main characters are hard to write. There’s no doubt about that. What I’m seeing in many books is that there is a WANT for the character, an objective that needs to be achieved. But the NEED is missing, which is how a character grows throughout the story and what they need to learn. Having only the want is what makes characters so flat.
Gwen is a Mary Sue. Everyone wants to sleep with her. She likes sex. She doesn’t want to lose her memories after she’s turned into a cyborg. That’s really all I got out of the character.
Language and sex scenes:
I’ve said it before in my other videos and I’ll say it again. Swearing and sex does not make a book adult. It does not mean it will appeal to adult readers. I’ve read some dark dark books and I’ve often seen these things used sparingly to push a plot forward, develop a character or prove a point. There is nothing wrong with adding swearing or sex scenes in a book, but it has to be used in a constructive way.
Swearing and sex scenes paired with the awkward sentences in the book made the writing look juvenile.
World Building:
The reader gets minimal world building. I got halfway through the book and I still couldn’t tell you much about the setting and how everything worked. I needed much more than what was on the page.
There were a lot more little things in the book that needed to be fixed, but those were the main points.
Feel free to read the book and decide for yourself. Every review is going to be different and there may be some people that will like this story.
I would’ve loved to see more time taken editing this to solidify the idea into an incredible story. I hope this writer comes back in a few years and writes a fantastic book. 😁
https://youtu.be/2alYrFkID3g
I tried to get through this book, I really did, but I’m going to be very honest. This book wasn’t ready to be published.
The concept was great, a circus in space, learning how to live life as a cyborg. However, an idea is only so much and it wasn’t implemented on the page well.
Awkward Sentences:
This was one of the biggest things that kept taking me out of the story. I wish the author would put more care into the sentence structure and words being used. I’m not sure to what extend editors, critique partners and betas readers were used, but I was so surprised to see so many awkward sentences. That’s one of the biggest things that brings a book down stars.
Main Characters:
Main characters are hard to write. There’s no doubt about that. What I’m seeing in many books is that there is a WANT for the character, an objective that needs to be achieved. But the NEED is missing, which is how a character grows throughout the story and what they need to learn. Having only the want is what makes characters so flat.
Gwen is a Mary Sue. Everyone wants to sleep with her. She likes sex. She doesn’t want to lose her memories after she’s turned into a cyborg. That’s really all I got out of the character.
Language and sex scenes:
I’ve said it before in my other videos and I’ll say it again. Swearing and sex does not make a book adult. It does not mean it will appeal to adult readers. I’ve read some dark dark books and I’ve often seen these things used sparingly to push a plot forward, develop a character or prove a point. There is nothing wrong with adding swearing or sex scenes in a book, but it has to be used in a constructive way.
Swearing and sex scenes paired with the awkward sentences in the book made the writing look juvenile.
World Building:
The reader gets minimal world building. I got halfway through the book and I still couldn’t tell you much about the setting and how everything worked. I needed much more than what was on the page.
There were a lot more little things in the book that needed to be fixed, but those were the main points.
Feel free to read the book and decide for yourself. Every review is going to be different and there may be some people that will like this story.
I would’ve loved to see more time taken editing this to solidify the idea into an incredible story. I hope this writer comes back in a few years and writes a fantastic book. 😁
April 25, 2020
This is a luscious, sultry science fiction, steampunk fairytale mash up to die for. Gwen, the protagonist is a sassy badass who knows what she’s wants and will fight to get it. If you love romance, in particular polyamory, this book is for you. It’s hard to choose which character to love more, Gwen, Bastian or Rora. *whispers team Bastian* LaTorre builds a rich world with terrifying obstacles Gwen must face in order to save those she cares about, all building to a hot, steamy, climax... pun intended. A fantastic start to a series I cannot wait to read more of.
January 2, 2022
PSA: Please be kind.
You may love this book, and that's great! You may also not enjoy it, and that's ok too. Your opinion is as valid as mine. But always bear in mind that there's a person on the other end of these reviews who's put every bit of their heart into this work. Constructive criticism is great, but a few of these comments seem to be against the author herself, which isn't fair.
You may love this book, and that's great! You may also not enjoy it, and that's ok too. Your opinion is as valid as mine. But always bear in mind that there's a person on the other end of these reviews who's put every bit of their heart into this work. Constructive criticism is great, but a few of these comments seem to be against the author herself, which isn't fair.
June 19, 2020
Well this is an insta skip.
October 30, 2020
I received this book from the author in return for an honest review.
Let me preface this with a few words: I absolutely ADORE the author. She is a hard worker, gives fantastic advice to authors, and is a pillar in the author community. I was absolutely ecstatic when I received this book, and eagerly ate up the first few chapters. That being said, I hate to have to post this review, and am trying my best to keep it as distanced from the author as possible. I am writing this review based solely on the book itself and I will not attack the author personally whatsoever. Now that's settled, let's move on to my review.
WORLD BUILDING
At first, the world building seemed to promise lush settings filled with exciting details; however, as the story moved forward, the world building and settings fell to the wayside. A lot of time was spent inside Gwen's head, and unfortunately a lot of her thoughts either seemed a little irrational (especially in the end) or they repeated what we already knew over and over.
I'd thought there'd be a lot more steampunk elements to the story, but I found that wasn't the case, which was a minor disappointment since that was one of my main draws to the book. What I received instead was pages upon pages of feeling like I had a bandanna wrapped over my eyes.
CHARACTERS
To me, the biggest downfall of this book was the lack of character development. Gwen was distant, and her emotions lingered just out of my reach. I couldn't empathize with her plights, or even care if she made it out alive in the end.
Bastian had so much potential, but I was left unsatisfied with his character. As for Rora, I couldn't understand anyone's draw to her. In the end, I closed the book with a wince, wondering what the heck it was I'd read. Everyone lacked a personality, and I could never really tell the difference between quite a few characters.
PLOT
The plot itself was all over the place. The villain, even with their intentions revealed in the very end, still left me scratching my head. The sheer amount of bloodlust and villainy that oozed from that character was forced, underdeveloped, and could have used a little more fleshing out. There were several plot holes, one large one which stood out, that I won't post in this review to spare anyone from reading spoilers.
PACING
For the most part, the pacing was fairly well done; however, once I reached 70% through the book, it'd felt like the climax should have happened. So, it was good up until about 60% through the book.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This book is riddled with sexual innuendos, spends little to no time on character development and world building, and doesn't leave you feeling satisfied. I won't be reading the next book in this series, but I can see how some people would love to read it. These are my personal thoughts and feelings.
Let me preface this with a few words: I absolutely ADORE the author. She is a hard worker, gives fantastic advice to authors, and is a pillar in the author community. I was absolutely ecstatic when I received this book, and eagerly ate up the first few chapters. That being said, I hate to have to post this review, and am trying my best to keep it as distanced from the author as possible. I am writing this review based solely on the book itself and I will not attack the author personally whatsoever. Now that's settled, let's move on to my review.
WORLD BUILDING
At first, the world building seemed to promise lush settings filled with exciting details; however, as the story moved forward, the world building and settings fell to the wayside. A lot of time was spent inside Gwen's head, and unfortunately a lot of her thoughts either seemed a little irrational (especially in the end) or they repeated what we already knew over and over.
I'd thought there'd be a lot more steampunk elements to the story, but I found that wasn't the case, which was a minor disappointment since that was one of my main draws to the book. What I received instead was pages upon pages of feeling like I had a bandanna wrapped over my eyes.
CHARACTERS
To me, the biggest downfall of this book was the lack of character development. Gwen was distant, and her emotions lingered just out of my reach. I couldn't empathize with her plights, or even care if she made it out alive in the end.
Bastian had so much potential, but I was left unsatisfied with his character. As for Rora, I couldn't understand anyone's draw to her. In the end, I closed the book with a wince, wondering what the heck it was I'd read. Everyone lacked a personality, and I could never really tell the difference between quite a few characters.
PLOT
The plot itself was all over the place. The villain, even with their intentions revealed in the very end, still left me scratching my head. The sheer amount of bloodlust and villainy that oozed from that character was forced, underdeveloped, and could have used a little more fleshing out. There were several plot holes, one large one which stood out, that I won't post in this review to spare anyone from reading spoilers.
PACING
For the most part, the pacing was fairly well done; however, once I reached 70% through the book, it'd felt like the climax should have happened. So, it was good up until about 60% through the book.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This book is riddled with sexual innuendos, spends little to no time on character development and world building, and doesn't leave you feeling satisfied. I won't be reading the next book in this series, but I can see how some people would love to read it. These are my personal thoughts and feelings.
March 9, 2021
THIS BOOK HAS EVERYTHING!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1xS-...
Finger banging in an alley, cyborgs, polyamory, eating disorders, DRAGONS, weird science and deflated tits for sails... and NONE of it works. That's why I give it 1 star.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1xS-...
Finger banging in an alley, cyborgs, polyamory, eating disorders, DRAGONS, weird science and deflated tits for sails... and NONE of it works. That's why I give it 1 star.
March 14, 2021
When Meg first announced that she would be self-publishing, my hopes for TCT were dashed. Not because I have anything against self-publishing, especially self-published romance, but because her channel was built of her knowledge of traditional publishing, based off her internship at a literary agency. To me that said she knew she wouldn’t be able to sell her book to an agent or editor, and if your whole schtick is teaching people how to market/hook tradpub professionals, well...you can see why I was worried that TCT would be less than stellar.
I wish I had been wrong. Instead I’m only thankful that I decided not to preorder.
The world building, although rife with adjectives, is shallow and uninspiring.
The info dumps are endless, and not even subtle.
The characters are uninspired and one-dimensional.
The smut is cringe-worthy and unrealistic in a way that pulls you out of the scene instead of drawing you in.
I feel very strongly that if this was a monogamous/heterosexual romance people would fight for the characters much less and be more open to accepting their general awfulness. Which is quite sad. More LGBTQ+ rep is necessary, and one reason why I was hopeful for this book. And yet it is not quality representation. And we really must ask ourselves, where do we draw the line between quality and quantity as we seek to diversify our stories and support them? Should we be more lenient simply because it’s not heteronormative? Or should we have some standards, some baseline for LGBTQ+ romances and smut so that they don’t appear cheap and fetishized?
This book is in sore need of an editor, both developmentally and mechanically. At the very least, Meg would’ve benefitted from a CP with a spine- I can’t imagine someone publishing this under the impression that was both well-written and ready to be published unless a) every bit of feedback was nothing but gush and glow or b) the author dismissed all constructive critiques of merit and plowed ahead.
As lackluster as this debut is, I do hope that Meg takes the time to really develop her craft and try again. She has interesting ideas that I would love to see well-executed. And if you did enjoy this book, I’m happy it brought you refreshment during this difficult past year and current times.
I wish I had been wrong. Instead I’m only thankful that I decided not to preorder.
The world building, although rife with adjectives, is shallow and uninspiring.
The info dumps are endless, and not even subtle.
The characters are uninspired and one-dimensional.
The smut is cringe-worthy and unrealistic in a way that pulls you out of the scene instead of drawing you in.
I feel very strongly that if this was a monogamous/heterosexual romance people would fight for the characters much less and be more open to accepting their general awfulness. Which is quite sad. More LGBTQ+ rep is necessary, and one reason why I was hopeful for this book. And yet it is not quality representation. And we really must ask ourselves, where do we draw the line between quality and quantity as we seek to diversify our stories and support them? Should we be more lenient simply because it’s not heteronormative? Or should we have some standards, some baseline for LGBTQ+ romances and smut so that they don’t appear cheap and fetishized?
This book is in sore need of an editor, both developmentally and mechanically. At the very least, Meg would’ve benefitted from a CP with a spine- I can’t imagine someone publishing this under the impression that was both well-written and ready to be published unless a) every bit of feedback was nothing but gush and glow or b) the author dismissed all constructive critiques of merit and plowed ahead.
As lackluster as this debut is, I do hope that Meg takes the time to really develop her craft and try again. She has interesting ideas that I would love to see well-executed. And if you did enjoy this book, I’m happy it brought you refreshment during this difficult past year and current times.
December 21, 2020
I like supporting indie authors, and for that reason, I wanted to give this book a fair shot by reading it in full. Sadly for me, it didn't redeem itself. The story as a whole has serious developmental issues that I felt could've been resolved if the right pool of beta readers was consulted. Specifically, the book has a catchy premise but suffers from poor characterization, incomplete worldbuilding, and a clunky structure.
Gwen, the MC, is a borderline Mary Sue for the most part. Yes, she has agency now and then, but apparently, she can also master new skills like programming in the span of one page without any prior experience. Her entire motivation to engage with the plot hinges on one thing: she wants to be the best cyborg tinkerer and save all cyborgs from their plight. Why? We never get to know her backstory, and we don't learn of the needs and fears that drive her from within. And that makes Gwen a hard character to sympathize with.
Gwen also starts off as a person at the brink of death, but post the surgery that cures her of it and also turns her into a cyborg, we hear nothing of it. No meaningful insight, no existential reflection on what it means to be human. This was a great opportunity for Meg to make some kind of commentary on AI/tech (a theme most steampunk stories tackle), but it got so terribly wasted.
Bastian is done relatively better. We understand his fears and needs, but unfortunately, he's neither a PoV character nor is he used to his potential. As a "tamer of beasts," you'd expect him to save the day when a dragon ravages a city, but nope. He's chucked to the curb for Gwen the MC to steal his thunder, even though she has never worked with an animal before.
Rora, the other PoV character, is one of the most inconsistently written characters out there. Either that, or she's a flat-out hypocrite. Her plan to accomplish her life's biggest goal involves seducing the MC. As if we don't have enough stories where the only tool available for female characters is seduction! As if that isn't bad enough, when Gwen calls her out, Rora plays the morality card and turns the table. Not to mention that I'm supposed to root for this relationship (the author even calls them "endgame." The only thing worse would've been to shove a ship-name in the face) that's founded on manipulation, lies, and a sense of ownership. Wonder what it would take for authors to stop writing toxic relationships!
I get that this is a romance story, but it's hard for me to take the stakes seriously when characters think and talk of sex during a tense situation that's sometimes even life-or-death. And yet, the author seems to confuse lust for love, making these perpetually horny characters question whether they were in love early on, dropping L-words around the midpoint. Without any chemistry or character establishment, the sequences get more cringe-worthy every-time.
Worldbuilding is a key element to any fantasy, but here, it's almost non-existent. The story is set in a solar system of 13 planets and some moons, and the characters shuttle between at least 2 or 3 planets. And yet, I can't tell you a single distinct feature about any of these planets. Nothing about the terrain, the type of species that inhabit them, the climate, or the culture. The author paints them all in one color using a single brush stroke with no lore or context to provide depth. We have computers, dragons, cyborgs, an evil emperor, pirates, literal ships sailing across space, and even force fields. But they're all just there with nothing to bind them into a cohesive world. For all I care, this story could've taken place in Victorian Era Europe, and the story wouldn't have changed one bit. And that's a red flag if you're writing fantasy.
There were several issues with the writing style and sentence structure that broke my immersion:
- The author uses phrases like "as you know," "as always," and "again," as if self-aware of repeating information with no additional insight. I found it quite patronizing
- The pacing is atrocious. Weeks pass between important scenes, and the characters behave like clean slates when we meet them again. Some characters suffer injuries but bear no mental trauma from any of that. Characters "land several blows," "fix numerous cyborgs," "spend several hours"
- The circus owner, Mistress, is one of the antagonists. She has minions to do her bidding, and yet, they seem to conveniently vanish when the plot needs the MC to do something, and appear when the plot needs conflict
- Programming is given the same stereotypical treatment that Hollywood gives hackers: just tap a few keys away and you can just about do anything. Computers are expensive in this world and only the nobility seems to have one, and yet, when the plot requires one, the MC and her friend (both being cyborgs who are banished from the country) manage to acquire a computer overnight without any conflict or consequence. Also, the MC, who has zero experience writing code, taps some keys and wakes a cyborg up from a coma! All in the span of two pages. If that doesn't make the MC a Mary Sue, I don't know what
- Characters make weird leaps of judgment and indulge in interpersonal conflicts that can be resolved by a single conversation
- The humor was lost on me. Often, the characters would strike up banter that's mostly small talk and full of cheesy flirtatious lines that go nowhere
- As our antagonists, we have two ridiculously dumb people. The emperor's character is so fickle that he bends over to every demand the MC makes of him. He's not cunning, shrewd, or charismatic. Heck, we don't even know why he's the bad guy! Just a puppet who's somehow the emperor of 13 planets that we ought to be afraid of? Ha, good one!
Overall, I felt that this book could've been so much more if it was given the right amount of attention and effort. Early on, Meg had marketed the book on YouTube as a steampunk space opera with action and romance, prompting me to preorder it, and only later did I learn that she pivoted and rebranded the genre as steampunk romance. I don't fault her entirely as this is her debut and we all make mistakes. But I do wish I'd known the correct genre earlier, in which case I'd have skipped buying it. Needless to say, I won't be continuing this series.
All said I'll still continue to follow Meg's journey on YouTube and earnestly hope she does her due diligence the next time and improves her craft. We all have to start somewhere!
Gwen, the MC, is a borderline Mary Sue for the most part. Yes, she has agency now and then, but apparently, she can also master new skills like programming in the span of one page without any prior experience. Her entire motivation to engage with the plot hinges on one thing: she wants to be the best cyborg tinkerer and save all cyborgs from their plight. Why? We never get to know her backstory, and we don't learn of the needs and fears that drive her from within. And that makes Gwen a hard character to sympathize with.
Gwen also starts off as a person at the brink of death, but post the surgery that cures her of it and also turns her into a cyborg, we hear nothing of it. No meaningful insight, no existential reflection on what it means to be human. This was a great opportunity for Meg to make some kind of commentary on AI/tech (a theme most steampunk stories tackle), but it got so terribly wasted.
Bastian is done relatively better. We understand his fears and needs, but unfortunately, he's neither a PoV character nor is he used to his potential. As a "tamer of beasts," you'd expect him to save the day when a dragon ravages a city, but nope. He's chucked to the curb for Gwen the MC to steal his thunder, even though she has never worked with an animal before.
Rora, the other PoV character, is one of the most inconsistently written characters out there. Either that, or she's a flat-out hypocrite. Her plan to accomplish her life's biggest goal involves seducing the MC. As if we don't have enough stories where the only tool available for female characters is seduction! As if that isn't bad enough, when Gwen calls her out, Rora plays the morality card and turns the table. Not to mention that I'm supposed to root for this relationship (the author even calls them "endgame." The only thing worse would've been to shove a ship-name in the face) that's founded on manipulation, lies, and a sense of ownership. Wonder what it would take for authors to stop writing toxic relationships!
I get that this is a romance story, but it's hard for me to take the stakes seriously when characters think and talk of sex during a tense situation that's sometimes even life-or-death. And yet, the author seems to confuse lust for love, making these perpetually horny characters question whether they were in love early on, dropping L-words around the midpoint. Without any chemistry or character establishment, the sequences get more cringe-worthy every-time.
Worldbuilding is a key element to any fantasy, but here, it's almost non-existent. The story is set in a solar system of 13 planets and some moons, and the characters shuttle between at least 2 or 3 planets. And yet, I can't tell you a single distinct feature about any of these planets. Nothing about the terrain, the type of species that inhabit them, the climate, or the culture. The author paints them all in one color using a single brush stroke with no lore or context to provide depth. We have computers, dragons, cyborgs, an evil emperor, pirates, literal ships sailing across space, and even force fields. But they're all just there with nothing to bind them into a cohesive world. For all I care, this story could've taken place in Victorian Era Europe, and the story wouldn't have changed one bit. And that's a red flag if you're writing fantasy.
There were several issues with the writing style and sentence structure that broke my immersion:
- The author uses phrases like "as you know," "as always," and "again," as if self-aware of repeating information with no additional insight. I found it quite patronizing
- The pacing is atrocious. Weeks pass between important scenes, and the characters behave like clean slates when we meet them again. Some characters suffer injuries but bear no mental trauma from any of that. Characters "land several blows," "fix numerous cyborgs," "spend several hours"
- The circus owner, Mistress, is one of the antagonists. She has minions to do her bidding, and yet, they seem to conveniently vanish when the plot needs the MC to do something, and appear when the plot needs conflict
- Programming is given the same stereotypical treatment that Hollywood gives hackers: just tap a few keys away and you can just about do anything. Computers are expensive in this world and only the nobility seems to have one, and yet, when the plot requires one, the MC and her friend (both being cyborgs who are banished from the country) manage to acquire a computer overnight without any conflict or consequence. Also, the MC, who has zero experience writing code, taps some keys and wakes a cyborg up from a coma! All in the span of two pages. If that doesn't make the MC a Mary Sue, I don't know what
- Characters make weird leaps of judgment and indulge in interpersonal conflicts that can be resolved by a single conversation
- The humor was lost on me. Often, the characters would strike up banter that's mostly small talk and full of cheesy flirtatious lines that go nowhere
- As our antagonists, we have two ridiculously dumb people. The emperor's character is so fickle that he bends over to every demand the MC makes of him. He's not cunning, shrewd, or charismatic. Heck, we don't even know why he's the bad guy! Just a puppet who's somehow the emperor of 13 planets that we ought to be afraid of? Ha, good one!
Overall, I felt that this book could've been so much more if it was given the right amount of attention and effort. Early on, Meg had marketed the book on YouTube as a steampunk space opera with action and romance, prompting me to preorder it, and only later did I learn that she pivoted and rebranded the genre as steampunk romance. I don't fault her entirely as this is her debut and we all make mistakes. But I do wish I'd known the correct genre earlier, in which case I'd have skipped buying it. Needless to say, I won't be continuing this series.
All said I'll still continue to follow Meg's journey on YouTube and earnestly hope she does her due diligence the next time and improves her craft. We all have to start somewhere!
January 7, 2021
the cover is pretty and that’s where my compliments of the book ends. the writing is just. so. awful. if the author didn’t have a youtube channel, no one would want to read this book
December 26, 2020
I wasn't able to finish this book. Only made it halfway before I gave up. This is brutal to read. It's just a constant string of nonsense (but nonsense in space!!). I'm no prude with language, but the extreme level of vulgarity in this book was off-putting. It's not just dialogue either; even the 3rd person narrator will drop 10-15 f-bombs per page. Not for any narrative purpose, just because the author seems to be under the impression to excessive swears makes them edgy or something. But all it's really doing is slowing the pacing. Overall, one of the worst books I've ever read.
March 9, 2021
the cyborg fingerer
both storytelling and prose in this book are of the lowest possible grade
the popularity of this thing can only be explained by the fact that it was conceived in the writertube environment which consists of a bunch of uneducated chicks fingering each other and pretending to be authors
both storytelling and prose in this book are of the lowest possible grade
the popularity of this thing can only be explained by the fact that it was conceived in the writertube environment which consists of a bunch of uneducated chicks fingering each other and pretending to be authors
December 31, 2020
I do not recommend this book. It is confusing, has little to no world-building, lack of character development, and seems rushed. The premise seems good, but the book needed beta readers and revision.
July 25, 2021
A fun, steamy debut novel by Ms. Latorre! Around the halfway mark, the writing style and characters really started to shine and kept me hooked till the end. A decent read that will please plenty.
December 7, 2020
Returned for a refund.
October 23, 2020
If Gideon the Ninth (from the book by Tamsyn Muir) decided to write a polyamorous, steampunk romance set in space, the end result would probably be something like The Cyborg Tinkerer. While certainly not a perfect book, this debut novel is fun, fast paced, brutal, irreverent, steamy, and will probably hold your attention.
Gwndolyn Grimm is dying from a brain tumor because advanced surgery and cyborg implants are illegal. In her final days she plans to drink, hook up with men and women, and attend a highly contested cyborg circus. Then she gets an offer she can't refuse- get a life saving surgery in exchange for a years-long contract working with the circus. Gwendolyn reminds me a lot of Gideon (excessive swearing, irreverent, devil may care attitude)... She has saccharine moments that I didn't find particularly believable, but I think she's intended to be a sort of rakess with a heart of gold.
I won't go into too much detail for the rest, but overall I think the world was interesting and the book was certainly action packed. The romance...didn't really work for me on an emotional level. I believed everyone was attracted to each other, but in love? Ehh....maybe not. I think part of the problem is this book is trying to be two things at once- both a polyamorous romance and a sci-fi action adventure. There isn't space to adequately do both, so we end up with a romance that feels too-quickly forced (especially with three characters and only two with perspectives) and an action plot that skips over important moments and information. I wish this had picked one and done it really well, probably the action portion with a slight romantic subplot perhaps that didn't need to end with a believe-able, intact relationship.
That said, I moved through this pretty quickly and generally had a good time with it. As a self-published debut it's reasonably strong and I think if you go in with the right expectations, you will probably enjoy it, if this is your thing. I did receive an advance copy of this book from the author for review. All opinions are my own.
Content warnings include a lot of language, violence, blood, torture, violence toward animals, mind-control, emotional manipulation, mentions of eating disorders, death, bodily injury.
Gwndolyn Grimm is dying from a brain tumor because advanced surgery and cyborg implants are illegal. In her final days she plans to drink, hook up with men and women, and attend a highly contested cyborg circus. Then she gets an offer she can't refuse- get a life saving surgery in exchange for a years-long contract working with the circus. Gwendolyn reminds me a lot of Gideon (excessive swearing, irreverent, devil may care attitude)... She has saccharine moments that I didn't find particularly believable, but I think she's intended to be a sort of rakess with a heart of gold.
I won't go into too much detail for the rest, but overall I think the world was interesting and the book was certainly action packed. The romance...didn't really work for me on an emotional level. I believed everyone was attracted to each other, but in love? Ehh....maybe not. I think part of the problem is this book is trying to be two things at once- both a polyamorous romance and a sci-fi action adventure. There isn't space to adequately do both, so we end up with a romance that feels too-quickly forced (especially with three characters and only two with perspectives) and an action plot that skips over important moments and information. I wish this had picked one and done it really well, probably the action portion with a slight romantic subplot perhaps that didn't need to end with a believe-able, intact relationship.
That said, I moved through this pretty quickly and generally had a good time with it. As a self-published debut it's reasonably strong and I think if you go in with the right expectations, you will probably enjoy it, if this is your thing. I did receive an advance copy of this book from the author for review. All opinions are my own.
Content warnings include a lot of language, violence, blood, torture, violence toward animals, mind-control, emotional manipulation, mentions of eating disorders, death, bodily injury.
September 27, 2021
Sadly I had to DNF this book.
Meg please, please, please find some new beta readers, the ones you have are not doing you any favours and from the part of the book I read, appear to be actively sabotaging you.
There are some really great ideas in this book but as a whole was far from ready to be in print. A lot of dramatic editing is still required.
There is too much focus on the wrong plot points, namely the constant thoughts of sex the MC has instead of any personality or backstory, apart from of course the fact she is dying.
Scenes that could have and should have been drawn out, used to develop characters, make the reader feel for Gwen are hastily written or simply fade to black. It’s so lazy.
There are far too many continuity issues to ignore in the first few chapters alone. The characters lack any basic level of common sense and behave like they are in grade school with their inability to have any sort of discussion regarding their feelings despite the fact they are meant to be open minded, sexually liberated adults.
Gwen as a MC is so unlikeable and narcissistic. She is not strong or progressive she is a sad sex addict in need of a lot of therapy. Her thoughts are always on sex, it’s disturbing.
I feel like if Meg just embraced her erotica heart and wrote and filthy, dark, twisted romance/erotica she would have a lot more success in her writing. Many titles in that genre require no character development or logic to be enjoyed.
Like many other Author-tubers from youtube, Meg has created a young adult love triangle romance that is trying to hide in some sort of dystopian world but the main focus of this story is the MC's sex/love life.
Meg please, please, please find some new beta readers, the ones you have are not doing you any favours and from the part of the book I read, appear to be actively sabotaging you.
There are some really great ideas in this book but as a whole was far from ready to be in print. A lot of dramatic editing is still required.
There is too much focus on the wrong plot points, namely the constant thoughts of sex the MC has instead of any personality or backstory, apart from of course the fact she is dying.
Scenes that could have and should have been drawn out, used to develop characters, make the reader feel for Gwen are hastily written or simply fade to black. It’s so lazy.
There are far too many continuity issues to ignore in the first few chapters alone. The characters lack any basic level of common sense and behave like they are in grade school with their inability to have any sort of discussion regarding their feelings despite the fact they are meant to be open minded, sexually liberated adults.
Gwen as a MC is so unlikeable and narcissistic. She is not strong or progressive she is a sad sex addict in need of a lot of therapy. Her thoughts are always on sex, it’s disturbing.
I feel like if Meg just embraced her erotica heart and wrote and filthy, dark, twisted romance/erotica she would have a lot more success in her writing. Many titles in that genre require no character development or logic to be enjoyed.
Like many other Author-tubers from youtube, Meg has created a young adult love triangle romance that is trying to hide in some sort of dystopian world but the main focus of this story is the MC's sex/love life.
March 1, 2022
As much as it hurts me to pile on another 1 star review for this book, I have to be honest. This book was an unequivocal disaster. It didn't have anything to save it. Not characters, not plot, not world building. Everything was just a slow motion car crash. And I mean that in the most affectionate way, because I think it might enter so bad it's good territory at some point. As long as you can get past characters you wish would just be eaten by a dragon.
Nothing in this book makes sense. No one makes a single logical choice and every character believes everything they're told by the obvious villains who also don't have good plans.
This book is also EXTREMELY derivative. It barely has a thought of its own that wasn't borrowed from some other media. This is a hallmark of a novice author who just needs to grow and find their way. Meg needs more experience, she needs to find her voice, to find ideas of her own.
I know it's extremely hard to hear when you've worked on a book for years and are looking forward to publishing it, but sometimes you have to write several duds before you find your feet as an author and Meg just isn't there yet. I think she can get there, but she shot herself in the foot publishing this for money instead of for free somewhere. She needs to keep writing, keep learning. She's not a natural and that's okay! I hope she keeps working and finds her style some day!
Watch me read this book on youtube: https://youtu.be/MeuZD8oATAY
Nothing in this book makes sense. No one makes a single logical choice and every character believes everything they're told by the obvious villains who also don't have good plans.
This book is also EXTREMELY derivative. It barely has a thought of its own that wasn't borrowed from some other media. This is a hallmark of a novice author who just needs to grow and find their way. Meg needs more experience, she needs to find her voice, to find ideas of her own.
I know it's extremely hard to hear when you've worked on a book for years and are looking forward to publishing it, but sometimes you have to write several duds before you find your feet as an author and Meg just isn't there yet. I think she can get there, but she shot herself in the foot publishing this for money instead of for free somewhere. She needs to keep writing, keep learning. She's not a natural and that's okay! I hope she keeps working and finds her style some day!
Watch me read this book on youtube: https://youtu.be/MeuZD8oATAY
April 11, 2021
Found this while looking for sci-fi reads featuring cyborgs and ugh. Another YA/NA style masquerading as an “adult” sci-fi book. I think self publish authors think they can get away with this because the YA/NA market is so saturated they decide to add the liberal use of f-bombs bombs, sex, and violence and call it adult. F-bombs, sex, and violence (both which I like just fine in a story) does not make your book an adult-class read despite trying so hard to give it an R rating. This writing was cheesy and eye eye rolling and poorly conceived. Read Sandman Slim for an adult book with lots of cursing and violence (I could name 10 more good ones right now). The Cyborg Tinkerer does not have the depth of plot and complexity of character to make it an adult book. The villains are mustache twirling and the main character is a Mary Sue everyone lusts after. In other words it’s shallowly (and just poorly) written.
August 11, 2020
3.5 Stars
Reasons to stan The Cyborg Tinkerer:
-Steampunk cyborg circus
-Bi protagonist
-Sleeping Beauty/Beauty and the Beast mashup retelling
-Poly rep
As a queer woman and obsessive fan of steampunk (I literally had a steampunk-themed murder mystery party not too long ago), I knew I had to read this one. I was delighted when Meg sent me an ARC in exchange for review!
With its queer rep and unique genre blend, this book holds an important place in the market. For that reason, I think this would be a great read for anyone interested in diversifying their reading in a typically heteronormative-whitewashed genre. (AKA this book is hella gay.) I enjoyed the writing—it was fast-paced and engaging, so much so that it was easy to breeze through the book. That said, other than the occasionally graphic descriptions of sex and frequent cursing, I did feel the writing would have suited a YA market better than the Adult classification it has been given. The sentences and word choices are fairly simple, and the protagonist primarily goes through a coming of age journey where she learns who she is and what she believes is worth fighting for, despite her actual age (I think she was somewhere in her early 20s).
This book’s primary strength is its plot. It is highly engaging and unique, but with some fun tropes that make it a recognizable fairytale-esque adventure story. Where I found myself struggling was regarding the character motivations. Personally, I am not a huge fan of insta-love, and sudden romance was a driving factor for the character’s decisions early on, without giving us readers much reason to believe in the romance. I found this lack of depth was present in the motivations of the villains as well. I believe this could be easily corrected with further character development and world building, so hopefully we’ll see that in the sequel.
On the subject of world building, I would have liked more detail here as well. This high concept story is about a cyborg circus that holds twisted secrets, and yet we see very little of that. We are told the world hates cyborgs, and yet again there is no real reason given for this marginalization or how oppressive laws arose. We are told the changes occurred in recent history, but not why or what politics/events lead to the development. More descriptions of the steam-punky things would have also increased the atmosphere for me, and taken this book to the next level.
Overall, I enjoyed this book for its representation and its seductive plot. It managed to get me out of a reading slump, which is an awesome plus!
An aside to conclude—everyone in this book is SUPER horny. Be prepared. 😂
Reasons to stan The Cyborg Tinkerer:
-Steampunk cyborg circus
-Bi protagonist
-Sleeping Beauty/Beauty and the Beast mashup retelling
-Poly rep
As a queer woman and obsessive fan of steampunk (I literally had a steampunk-themed murder mystery party not too long ago), I knew I had to read this one. I was delighted when Meg sent me an ARC in exchange for review!
With its queer rep and unique genre blend, this book holds an important place in the market. For that reason, I think this would be a great read for anyone interested in diversifying their reading in a typically heteronormative-whitewashed genre. (AKA this book is hella gay.) I enjoyed the writing—it was fast-paced and engaging, so much so that it was easy to breeze through the book. That said, other than the occasionally graphic descriptions of sex and frequent cursing, I did feel the writing would have suited a YA market better than the Adult classification it has been given. The sentences and word choices are fairly simple, and the protagonist primarily goes through a coming of age journey where she learns who she is and what she believes is worth fighting for, despite her actual age (I think she was somewhere in her early 20s).
This book’s primary strength is its plot. It is highly engaging and unique, but with some fun tropes that make it a recognizable fairytale-esque adventure story. Where I found myself struggling was regarding the character motivations. Personally, I am not a huge fan of insta-love, and sudden romance was a driving factor for the character’s decisions early on, without giving us readers much reason to believe in the romance. I found this lack of depth was present in the motivations of the villains as well. I believe this could be easily corrected with further character development and world building, so hopefully we’ll see that in the sequel.
On the subject of world building, I would have liked more detail here as well. This high concept story is about a cyborg circus that holds twisted secrets, and yet we see very little of that. We are told the world hates cyborgs, and yet again there is no real reason given for this marginalization or how oppressive laws arose. We are told the changes occurred in recent history, but not why or what politics/events lead to the development. More descriptions of the steam-punky things would have also increased the atmosphere for me, and taken this book to the next level.
Overall, I enjoyed this book for its representation and its seductive plot. It managed to get me out of a reading slump, which is an awesome plus!
An aside to conclude—everyone in this book is SUPER horny. Be prepared. 😂
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