A review by monstrouscosmos
Machinehood by S.B. Divya

adventurous challenging hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Characters: 8/10
Relationships: 9/10
Atmosphere/Setting: 8/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Plot/Intrigue: 8/10
Internal Logic: 7/10
Entertainment: 10/10
Overall: 58/70, 4*

I think, like other reviewers, I would have liked to see more concept exploration on the tail end. it definitely wrapped up quickly, and I would have loved to have seen more of life

on the space station

. sometimes text felt repetitive, almost like the same paragraph block went into different chapters. maybe it was on purpose? but I wasn't particularly fond of it. I also would have liked to see more interactions between characters long term, the relationship dynamics were interesting and I just wanted more! it was especially great to see so many different kinds of relationships explored, not just interpersonally but also with and between more abstract concepts like statehood, bodyminds, etc. the directly political concepts seemed very surface level though, and didn't have the level of actual nuance I would have liked. I also think I just fundementally disagreed with some of the conclusions? with regard to gender though there was some of the best pronoun handling I've seen in fiction so far, it flowed pretty seamlessly. this was one of my first attempts at reading long form sci-fi in too long, and I'm so glad I gave it a shot! I'm very excited to read more by the author. my rating is heavily influenced by just how much fun I had listening to the audiobook!