This book’s concept was a lot more interesting than the plot ended up being. It had so many good ideas but barely went into most of them. The subplot about a character whose husband gets mad at her when she gets an abortion was the most interesting part to me.

This novel is one that falls in the "good, not great" category for me. The characters were lively and the author did a great job of building not only backstory into the main story to paint a picture of why we should want to follow along on their journey, but took adequate time to flesh them out fully as well. At the end of the novel, all had a satisfying (albeit, not necessarily the expected) conclusion to their story and the reader could certainly connect with them along the way.

The concept was very high science fiction: lots of robots, sentient artificial intelligence, space, and invasive drones. At points during the story, it got a bit convoluted and it was hard to picture some of the tech and understand what the author was explaining was happening. Not to the point that I got lost, but I needed to slow my reading a bit to get all the facts and not miss something.

I gave this novel 3/5 stars because even though the characters were intriguing and there was absolutely an action component to the story, it was very slow at times and the story failed to fully capture my attention.

For the first 90% I was absolutely loving this in allll of the ways. It felt like such a confident, fully-realized concept of a world, paying attention to places that I appreciate (labor rights! reproductive rights!), and was a total page-turner, with pretty good action and engaging characters.

The problem is the main conflict and how the main character deals with it. See, all the time while I was reading the book, I knew that it could go two ways: 1. the blechhh liberal route or 2. the radical route. Sadly, you can probably guess which way it went. I feel like Welga, the main character of this, should probably have read Rosa Luxemburg's Reform or Revolution and made better choices. She is a character trying to stop a 'terrorist' group (and uphold the status quo, basically, because she is pretty privileged within the system, as much as that can be a thing), a group that is fighting for the liberation of humans, bots and animals. Evil people, sheeesh. The thing is, her character is a lot more boring and flat if she goes down the liberal route, and a lot more complex if not. (and this also comes connected with this thing that Hollywood movies do, where they create these villains you empathize with, because they have very leftist values and then they have them 'go too far', and it's a trope I actually hate)

The weird thing is that a lot of the ethical explorations of this book is done very well. One of the characters says at some point: I keep wondering what it feels like to die. What it must feel like to kill someone. Murder is practically an anachronism, but what about indirect actions that lead to someone else’s death? But most of the murders that happen are actually big pharma people who have indirectly caused a lot more death and suffering in the long run - like IRL (come on, we all watched The Fall of the House of Usher and enjoyed it. Would anyone cry for the Sacklers?!). It's so weird that by the end the book has lost track of that and said murders are invoked over and over as moral arguments.

Anyway, by taking the 'reform' / capitalist realist / liberal approach, the resolution to all of the conflict feels utterly unbelievable politically and the last 10% of this book was just painful for me to read, after I had been enjoying it so much.

It's actually difficult for me to enjoy the things that I enjoyed for 90% of the book, thinking of how it panned out, but I'll try. I really liked the part of the plot that dealt with Nithya, Welga's sister-in-law, and her pregnancy and wanting an abortion and the both scifi & religious obstacles she had to deal with. I really liked the world, it felt like confident worldbuilding and especially the gig economy parts, AI & human competition on the market, labor rights, corporations managing to escape any regulation, felt like a thing we are moving toward, sadly.

The fact that people have to take pills - flow (basically some form of speed / amphetamines) - to be doubly productive and be able to make a measly living from microwork gigs, felt authentic. The fact that every adult has a tip jar and is constantly watched was a funny touch, especially in moments like when Welga and her partner got generous tips for their hot sex, because this isn't a world where privacy is a thing anymore, and I liked how that played with the idea of sex work being just another way to do little gigs in the world.

And there was also some little commentary on marriage that I appreciated. Like how Welga doesn't want to marry her partner, Connor, or have children (and their relationship is very stable and supportive and ten-years running). And her brother, Luis is all like: “Don’t advise me about marriage, Welga. You wouldn’t understand.” Because that's what married people do sometimes, urgh.

So yeah, mixed bag, sad that this book felt like a solid 4-star for 90% and it could have gone even higher as rating if it had stuck the landing, but one ending would have completely enhanced it and given it more depth and the other one (that happened) really ruined a lot of the book's previous work on character, themes and my emotional involvement.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

S. B. Divya https://sbdivya.com is the author of four novels. Machinehood was published in 2021. It is the 40th book I completed reading in 2023.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, mature situations, and mature language, I categorize this novel as R. Welga Ramirez is 35 years old and is an executive bodyguard. Before joining the private sector, she received extensive training and experience in a government special forces unit. Her job abruptly comes to an end when her client, a drug designer, is killed in front of her. The terrorist group Machinehood takes credit for the killing.

The 2095 society in which Ramirez lives has become a struggle for humans to keep up with the robots and automation. Drugs give the mental and physical bump to keep up with the machines. Other drugs protect against disease and boost the healing process. There are pills for everything. Some humans go as far as to augment their bodies with machines.

The death of her client is only one of the attacks against those behind the pills. World production slows, and with it comes diminished capabilities by the dependent humans. Protestors call for machines to have the same protection and rights as humans. Many fear their robots and automation and choose to deactivate them.

In light of this threat, the government recruits Ramirez to help find and neutralize the Machinehood. While she does not want to return to government service, she knows she must. Her history with those behind the Machinehood gives her insight that may give her an edge to stop the threat.

I enjoyed the 11.5+ hours I spent reading this 415-page science fiction novel. The author created a very different world to set the story in. It also teases the reader with the ethical challenge ahead of how intelligent machines need to be dealt with. The cover art is plain, but it is also eye-catching. I give this novel a rating of 4.4 (rounded to 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Unique story with an interesting take on AI. The book had me thinking the entire way way through. Thank you to the publishers for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set about 70 years in the future, in the year 2095. There are robots & android that have taken over a majority of the work force. In order to compete for the rest of the jobs available people have to take certain pills to enhance their abilities. Our two main characters: Welga & Nithya, are sisters in law & we follow them as they have a huge part to play in the war against artificial intelligence. I always forget how much I enjoy sci-fi until I read something like this that hooks me the first page and makes me think. I loved S.B Divyas writing. It was not only easy to read, but easy to understand all the “science-y” terms that I sometimes find difficult to grasp in other novels. One aspect of this novel I found fascinating but also terrifying was how the humans would stream themselves doing their jobs or even mundane tasks for hundreds of people to watch and to tip. This is how a lot of people in this novel make extra money on the side and how all of that has to come to a halt due to the machinehood. Seeing how our real world is looking eerily similar to this aspect is concerning and what makes sci-fi such an interesting genre. this was everything I enjoyed in a sci-fi and i’m looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!

The premise of this novel had me excited but the execution left me wanting more. The world building was interesting but the summary misrepresented the premise through how much AI would be featured in the novel. The perspective shifts were also difficult to track. Not bad, but not what I was expecting.

Futuristic, Sci-fi based book that takes place in the future where artificial intelligence and human s are merged. Good story, fast paced mostly .

This is a good book although it did take me a while to complete it. I would recommend getting a hardback or paperback copy so you can savor it over time. So, in this future, humans have mostly made friends with computers. Various people have modules in their bodies. People use chemicals with nanotechnology of some type to help improve their job performance. But then one day, a new player decides that the human- machine bond needs to change.

'Machinehood' by S.B. Divya is a novel about the future full of labor rights, gig economy, and technology.

Weiga Ramirez is ex-military and works gigs as a Shield or bodyguard. Technology means she can broadcast her exploits and earn tips from viewers. When a movement called the Machinehood shows up and threatens life as she knows it, she is called back to a military that betrayed her to fight something she doesn't understand.

I liked the near future world and the people struggling to make a living. I liked the technology also, but the book dragged a bit for me and had sections that felt a bit too preachy.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Gallery Books and NetGalley. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

The concept of this book is pretty heavy. And I would say it requires some sort of preparation before sitting down. This isn't a book to be entertained by, you will have to sit here and digest the futuristic politics that goes on. I see this book more as a warning for all countries and the future of our people. But I love it. We need more of this.

Man, this was a fun read. Like a typical thriller but with a really prescient sci-fi setting. It was a quick read and until the last act I couldn't put it down. I wanted the ending to be different, and at one point Welga's actions really turned me off her, but it was still solidly enjoyable and low-key thought-provoking. In a way I wish it had been LESS of a Clancy/Grisham/Patterson/etc. thriller and more of a deeper dive on the ethics and philosophy around an increasingly gig-based economy, the "human" rights of AIs, and the extent to which humans should turn to drugs/technology to modify their bodies. At times the inner conflicts of the characters felt really rushed like "oh, I must think about this actually really important philosophical/ethical choice for one paragraph okay that's long enough time to IMMEDIATELY MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PLOT POINT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE."

Machinehood is an exciting book that is part futuristic thriller and part sociological prediction. In a world in which memory and reflexes can be enhanced and AIs can be used to do human tasks, a social movement to give rights to machines and for humans to stop taking bodying mind-enhancing drugs, begins killing high profile leaders and businesspeople. The heroine of the novel, Welga Ramirez, whose own health is in jeopardy because of her reaction to mind-enhancing drugs finds that the enemy is part human, part machine, a new kind of being. But behind this is another human enemy she has fought in the past.

This is a fast-moving novel, with tons of action, and it makes you think. For those who like action-packed scifi as well as those interested in the possibilities of AI/human melding, this book is an exciting find and a pleasure to read.

Clever & ambitious, tackling a number of current anxieties. SB Divya is one to watch in a growing group of writers of Indian SFF.

Will be reading this for the Sactown Sci-Fi virtual book club for Sacramento Public Library in 2022. Really looking forward to discussing this with the group.

An interesting exploration of the differences and similarities of humans and intelligent machines. The characters were likable, real and relatable. I enjoyed the writing style and the plot even though it was a bit too scientific for me.

[2.5 Stars]

-- Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review --

I'm going to be frank, I didn't care about this book much. The plot was weirdly paced and lacked tension, the characters were not my favorite (except Nithya, I loved her), and there was an odd mix of info-dumping alongside poorly explained plot points. I felt Welga's actions were always unpredictable in a bad way, and the ending was far too rushed.
However, I absolutely loved the philosophical conversations around machines, personhood, bodily autonomy, inherent rights, and much much more. Those concepts are immensely intriguing and I solely kept reading to keep hearing more about them.
If you're interested in any of those previously mentioned topics then I'd recommend this book for you. Just don't expect much in terms of plot or character development.

This has a very good premise and ideas but the narrative style wasn't unfortunately for me.
I would recommend this to people who like science fiction technological thrillers and are OK with a narrative in Michael Crichton's style.

An enjoyable read but I had higher hopes. I started and stopped the book a couple times. I've read a few books that I definitely felt "now is not the right time for this" and put it off and come back to it when I am in a different mindset/mood and find that I enjoyed it more. It's kinda like when you are in the mood Thai food but they are closed so you get pizza instead. You don't enjoy it as much because you were in the mood for Thai food. But on a different day, a pizza and an ice cold drink will hit all the right spots. This wasn't completely like this. I still enjoyed the read but I think it came down to me just not fully connecting with the characters on some level. I really enjoyed the beginning, which grabbed my attention and felt quirky in the best way. But over time, the feeling just started going a little flat.

One of the things I did love about this book is the diversity. This is something that I would like to see more in this genre so kudos to S.B. Divya for bringing diversity in the world she built. Maybe this is why I got high hopes and wanted to like this book more than I did. I think this story is compelling but at times felt a little over complicated for no reason. It has a lot going on and maybe simplifying it a bit would make it a bit stronger. Maybe this just wasn't for me. Even though I finally felt like pizza, I got the wrong toppings. I did enjoy this author's writing style and I look forward to future books. This is a solid debut and I think her next books may be more refined.

I want to thank S.B. Divya, Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.