Book Review: Machination & Counterpart

* I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  This in no way affected my opinion of the book.

I originally read Machinations but never wrote a review for it and since then, I also got a Kindle copy of its sequel so I decided to do a double review.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

When I first requested this on NetGalley, I didn’t think much of it. I just wanted something sci-fi to read but, I have to admit, I was pretty impressed.

Plot-wise, I really liked it. This kind of plot had always low-key been my favourite. The Machination series is set in a post-apocalyptic world where machines have risen against humanity. Following Rhona Long when she is killed on a rescue mission gone and later wakes up in a new body, a clone of herself. While I wished the description of the machines themselves were more detailed (like the higher echelon) but I was quite satisfied with the overall way the world works.

Certain characters were kind slow to like, and it took some time for me personally to like them. Rhona, as a protagonist, was very easy to understand. She’s witty and likeable but the pop references she makes were a bit too much for me. They were funny amidst the bad things that happen but sometimes not needed.

As with most YA, there was a beginning of a love triangle but it doesn’t actually play out like one but…. I still feel like she worked better with the person she didn’t choose. They, together, were more relaxed and interesting. The romance in this could’ve been toned down a little since it was irritating that Rhona spends so much time pining for her lost love when she barely even remembers him or much of their past life. She’s trying to regain everyone’s trust but I wouldn’t trust her since she’s so distracted by her angsty feelings all the time.

While the machines are considered the actual antagonists of the series, there are secondary ones but the ones in Counterpart were more exciting and thrilling to read about, where Rhona has to go up against her other clones but the build-up that reveal was a bit slow but nonetheless more exciting than book 1 (I have to admit, I didn’t even remember who it was in book one until Rhona mentions it again)

Counterpart didn’t suffer, what I had hoped didn’t happen, a sophomore slump and, in fact, I think it was much stronger and better to read than book one but Rhona still continues to make the same mistakes over and over again. Overall, I gave both books 4* stars on goodreads but together, the series so far, I would give it 3 and maybe it will shift higher, but that all depends on how I feel about book 3, which I’m actually excited to read.

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you can find the books at:

GoodReads | Author’s website | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
GoodReads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble