About the Book
-
Author:
- Sara Wolf
- Genres:
- Adult
- Science Fiction
- Voices:
- Cis Girl
- White (Non-Specified)
Cover Story: Ca-caw!
BFF Charm: Caution
Talky Talk: Science Feudalism
Bonus Factors: Secrets, Mechs
Factor: Series Starter
Anti-Bonus Factor: Awful Grown-Ups
Relationship Status: Team Synali
Content Warning: Heavenbreaker includes elements regarding grief, violence, murder, suicidal ideation and acts, hospitalization, drug use, poisoning, loss of autonomy, depictions of religious trauma, classism, depictions of sex work, drowning, domestic violence, and sexual abuse.
Cover Story: Ca-caw!
There’s a huge raven who’s created a nest at my office, and it’s an absolute delight to see/hear it every day as I walk through campus. I just love these giant birds. That story has nothing to do with the book, but the raven on the cover reminded me of it. (And I don’t have much to say about the cover, other than I like the color combination.)
The Deal:
Synali Woster has just killed her father—the man who had her mother killed—and attempted to kill herself by jumping into a space jousting tournament between giant mechs, a tournament that’s normally participated in by people with years and years of training, not young women with a death wish. Amazingly, she doesn’t die, and instead is asked to compete for one of the noble houses, one that’s seen better days and is currently much out of favor. Synali’s ask: kill one additional member of her family (those involved in her mother’s death) for each win, and then see that she goes out in a blaze of glory at the end. Her mysterious benefactor agrees, but through training and discovering the secrets of the steed program, Synali realizes that dying maybe isn’t the best way to get back at her family.
BFF Charm: Caution
Synali is a total badass and someone I’d love to get to know. But she has a death wish, quite literally, so it would be hard to break through her thorny exterior to get to know the real her. Would I try? You betcha. I’m just not sure how much headway I’d make; she’s as stubborn as she is awesome.
Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Synali has no time for romance or even close relationships, so it’s immensely annoying to her when Sir Rax Istra-Velrayd starts to worm his way into her brain. Rax is a noble, one of the people she’s fighting hard against, and one of her competitors to boot. But she can’t help but feel warm when he’s around, and she can barely look him in the (“redwood”) eyes without wanting to throw herself at him. Very little actual swoon happens in this book, but I have high hopes that something will come of these feelings in the future.
Talky Talk: Science Feudalism
The setting of Heavenbreaker is a unique one: it takes place on a space station in the far future, far away from Earth. Society has reverted to feudalism, complete with jousting tournaments, but instead of knights riding horses, knights ride giant “steeds,” or massive robot mech suits. And instead of jousting in a dusty arena, they joust in space. As much as the society in the book is flawed—the nobles getting all the good stuff, the lower classes being relegated to slums and leftovers—it’s a fascinating idea. And Wolf, who I know has stellar (heh) worldbuilding skills from her Bring Me Their Hearts series, continues to excel in this new, non-fantasy but kind of fantasy world.
Bonus Factor: Secrets
There are so many secrets in Synali’s world, and I was just as surprised as she was to learn many of them as they were revealed. There are still many that haven’t been explained, however, and I’m looking forward to reading more about them in future book(s).
Bonus Factor: Mechs
I’ve been fascinated with the idea of mechs since watching Pacific Rim, and Heavenbreaker, while depicting the steeds as even more dangerous things, has only brought that fascination back to the forefront of my mind.
Factor: Series Starter
I didn’t realize Heavenbreaker was a series starter until getting close to the end and realizing nothing was wrapping up. (The “To be continued in Hellrunner” note at the end of the last chapter also gave it away.) I’m really excited to have more of this ‘verse to explore, but this is definitely a book that one might want to hold off on reading if you prefer to binge series.
Anti-Bonus Factor: Awful Grown-Ups
Synali is very much an “eat the rich” kind of person, particularly when it comes to the noble side of her lineage. But they’re pretty deserving of her hatred, and it’s not at all sad when they die. Does that make me a callous person? Maybe. But as you find out how awful they truly are, and about the despicable things they do/have done, you’ll probably agree with me.
Relationship Status: Team Synali
You might not want me in your corner, Book, but I’ll be there, regardless. You might think you want to be alone, but after our time together, I think I know better.
Literary Matchmaking
Wolf’s Bring Me Their Hearts is a YA fantasy series with great characters and excellent world-building.
Zoe Hana-Mikuta’s Gearbreakers is another story of downtrodden folks using mechs to damn the man.
Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series also features a future, space-faring feudalistic society and brutal tournaments created for “entertainment.”
FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Entangled: Red Tower Books, but got neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston nor money in exchange for this review. Heavenbreaker is available now.
