Scan barcode
jimenainovaro's review
4.0
I've followed Kristen's writing for years, and her books never fail to delight. "Riwenne and the Mechanical Beasts" is a fun, quick read with fantastic worldbuilding and compelling characters. I was hooked from the beginning on the intriguing idea that all children in the floating city of Lyndamon are essentially raised by the state and don't know their parents, and the world only got more intriguing from there. I was especially drawn to the pantheon of gods who feature heavily in the story, making the world's belief system feel believable (no pun intended) and adding twists and turns to the narrative. It's a mix of steampunk, high fantasy, and dystopian; I might not have thought that combination would work, but it's highly entertaining. The book plays to the strength of the Magical Girl anime genre as the main character gathers her team of powerful girls with their customized outfits and powers, which added to my enjoyment.
Riwenne, the main character, is a kind and compassionate girl, if sometimes naive and easily misled, which isn't that strange for a fifteen-year-old. Throughout the novel, she fights to find her strength and fulfill her purpose. Her journey felt compelling and had realistic pitfalls and setbacks. I loved the romance, which began with a classic butting-heads setup that made the eventual closeness that much sweeter and more exciting. The novel is light on the romance, though, and focuses more on Riwenne's friendship with each of the girls on her team. Each girl is unique and memorable, as is Riwenne's relationship with them. I had hoped for a little more nuance from the villain and thought a twist that comes near the end with one of the main characters could have been built up a little more, but it didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the novel.
The novel seems to be targeted at a slightly younger audience than the books I usually read, which took some getting used to, but I think it will be highly enjoyable to readers of younger Young Adult and middle-grade literature.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Riwenne, the main character, is a kind and compassionate girl, if sometimes naive and easily misled, which isn't that strange for a fifteen-year-old. Throughout the novel, she fights to find her strength and fulfill her purpose. Her journey felt compelling and had realistic pitfalls and setbacks. I loved the romance, which began with a classic butting-heads setup that made the eventual closeness that much sweeter and more exciting. The novel is light on the romance, though, and focuses more on Riwenne's friendship with each of the girls on her team. Each girl is unique and memorable, as is Riwenne's relationship with them. I had hoped for a little more nuance from the villain and thought a twist that comes near the end with one of the main characters could have been built up a little more, but it didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the novel.
The novel seems to be targeted at a slightly younger audience than the books I usually read, which took some getting used to, but I think it will be highly enjoyable to readers of younger Young Adult and middle-grade literature.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
bookwormbunny's review
5.0
Riwenne and the Mechanical Beasts is book one in Kristen S. Walker’s Divine Warrior series. Riwenne and her best friend Nexita are preparing for the biggest day of their lives…Choosing Day. This is the day when they will be chosen by the gods into their apprenticeships and that is where they will serve. Both girls hope that they will be priestesses, but it seems that Fate has other plans. Riwenne is special though. She has a connection to one of the goddesses. She wishes to understand more, but in due time the pieces will begin to come together and it all begins with a little sandpiper and a mechanical beast that attacks her best friend. From there, Riwenne begins to learn so much and more about the world around her and what she has been taught.
Are you a fan of anime? Do you enjoy a good steampunk novel? Then this is the book for you. The author blends steampunk with my favorite anime – Sailor Moon. Once I realized this in the way the author develops the story this book truly became hard to put down. I had to read more and see what was going to happen next. I see the wonderful blending of favorite characters brought to life in new ones. This story is full of fun surprises and some predictable moments, but I can’t complain, because it’s honestly how I wanted it to go. Now! I will say this…there is a HUGE twist the author throws into this book. My jaw dropped and my heart broke.
There honestly isn’t anything that I can really complain about concerning this story. The author has done a pretty good job telling this unique blending of a story. The characters are well-done and make this an enjoyable story.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. You get so much with this book. You get romance, drama, steampunk, danger, thrills, surprises, and heartbreak. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series and learn what happens next and really hope for the best! If you’re a fan of Sailor Moon and looking for a fun new twist on it then this book is a good choice! Just make sure you check out the pronunciation guide in the back first so that you can get their names right. LOL!
Are you a fan of anime? Do you enjoy a good steampunk novel? Then this is the book for you. The author blends steampunk with my favorite anime – Sailor Moon. Once I realized this in the way the author develops the story this book truly became hard to put down. I had to read more and see what was going to happen next. I see the wonderful blending of favorite characters brought to life in new ones. This story is full of fun surprises and some predictable moments, but I can’t complain, because it’s honestly how I wanted it to go. Now! I will say this…there is a HUGE twist the author throws into this book. My jaw dropped and my heart broke.
There honestly isn’t anything that I can really complain about concerning this story. The author has done a pretty good job telling this unique blending of a story. The characters are well-done and make this an enjoyable story.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. You get so much with this book. You get romance, drama, steampunk, danger, thrills, surprises, and heartbreak. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series and learn what happens next and really hope for the best! If you’re a fan of Sailor Moon and looking for a fun new twist on it then this book is a good choice! Just make sure you check out the pronunciation guide in the back first so that you can get their names right. LOL!
booksavvyreviews's review
3.0
This story was adventurous and fun. I enjoyed the mythology entwined with science fiction. I didn't connect with the characters as much as I'd like, but I did enjoy the world aspects.
kittyg's review
2.0
* I read this as a judge for the #SPFBO*
This book was a super easy read but it also felt as though it was aimed quite young. Personally I felt as though this story didn't surprise or grip me, I was just told the events as they happened.
We follow a young girl called Riwenne and one of her best friends, Nex. They're about to go through the ceremony where they get sorted into their new careers, and it's a fun concept from the start.
I actually think the idea of the mechanical beasts being the enemy was very steampunk and I have read some great steampunk stories and graphic novels, but the execution of this just didn't work as well as I wanted here.
I found Riwenne to be a pretty basic character and fairly dull at times. She really didn't make me want to root for her as she was so incredibly surface level and I never felt a true connection to her or her mission.
I also found the whole concept of the story to be a really basic one with very little backstory or set up.
Honestly, the ideas were good here but the execution felt too young and simple to me and I guessed pretty much everything about the plot. I'd have to give this a 2*s. It was okay but I think there's room for improvement on the story as a whole.
This book was a super easy read but it also felt as though it was aimed quite young. Personally I felt as though this story didn't surprise or grip me, I was just told the events as they happened.
We follow a young girl called Riwenne and one of her best friends, Nex. They're about to go through the ceremony where they get sorted into their new careers, and it's a fun concept from the start.
I actually think the idea of the mechanical beasts being the enemy was very steampunk and I have read some great steampunk stories and graphic novels, but the execution of this just didn't work as well as I wanted here.
I found Riwenne to be a pretty basic character and fairly dull at times. She really didn't make me want to root for her as she was so incredibly surface level and I never felt a true connection to her or her mission.
I also found the whole concept of the story to be a really basic one with very little backstory or set up.
Honestly, the ideas were good here but the execution felt too young and simple to me and I guessed pretty much everything about the plot. I'd have to give this a 2*s. It was okay but I think there's room for improvement on the story as a whole.
borisignatievich's review
3.0
This was OK, but tbf I’m not really the target audience for it. It’s aimed pretty young, both in feel and in author note description, and it’s also pretty action driven where I tend to prefer more character focused books. I liked the idea of the giant mechanical steampunk monsters, and the execution for those scenes was generally pretty good, but I didn’t really give a crap about the characters or find them particularly engaging in between the fighty bits - it felt like the plot existed purely to get us to the next cool beast at times. It was a very easy read and enjoyable enough, but didn’t really do it for me.
More...