Mila’s Reviews > Gearbreakers > Status Update

All in all I love Sona and without her this book would definitely have a lower rating. There is potential for the next book if the world building picks up but after this I’m very skeptical and not sure I even want to read it.

This is just a theory but it might be the dual perspective that kills it. You don’t have to show them developing feelings as much when the reader can just see inside their heads. Just imagine if only Sona had a perspective and the writing had to show Eris slowly growing to trust her and like her through deeper interactions. It would have required more because Eris’s mistrust is so deep towards the pilots.

The romance just wasn’t there for me unfortunately. Sometimes they had chemistry but most of the time their vibes were weird. It almost feels insta-lovey just because it’s hard to say why Eris likes/loves Sona. It kind of felt surface level even though there was a possibility for something deep and meaningful. I kind of wished Milo wasn’t there to distract from their relationship. The drama was pointless.

Sona was the bright light in this book though. The book would have been better without Eris’s chapters because all the emotional force of the book rested solely on Sona. Eris felt like a side character in the story of a rebelling pilot. Sona was just so raw and full of emotion. Her rage and grief was painfully relatable. I was invested until her story became more about Eris than her.

I also had a big problem with the world building. I wasn’t immersed in the world because it just felt too small which made it feel fake. It was just the rebel kids against the big bad government. The book essentially had two locations: the rebel base and the academy. The conflict felt small even though it was about the fate of the whole world. It made it hard to get into the mindset of the gearbreakers.

Something about the writing bothered me in this book. I often had to reread parts because the scene wasn’t set properly. It wouldn’t clarify where the characters were and what they were doing before describing some miniscule details. It made it hard to keep up and took me out of the book constantly.

I had such high expectations for this book and feel like I was let down. This was just meh with some good elements. The middle was such a drag to get through.