I thoroughly enjoyed this. This author has a real gift for writing action sequences, and there are plenty of those in this book, with a bit more room to breathe than their first trilogy offered. I'll be interested to read the next one.

I enjoyed my time with this book immensely. I would give it 3.75 stars. the story was interesting and it was just a really fun time. I would recommend picking this up.

Get ready for an epic queer Space Opera that's out of this world! The author's knack for painting vivid scenes will transport you to incredible realms, while the characters will quickly become your new favorites. This book is a breath of fresh air if you're a mecha enthusiast. It's kind of like Pacific Rim, and it belongs on your TBR pile. Get ready to buckle up for an exhilarating adventure that will leave you craving more. Trust me; you don't want to miss this fantastic read!

I wish I had liked this book more. It was certainly a unique premise, and had a fun and light tone that isn’t normally seen in a sci-fi novel about the end of the world. It just didn’t work for me personally; I found the main character unlikeable, even though he was meant to be the sweet “Everyman” stuck in the middle of things. I was not convinced by the central romance at all. I appreciated the nonbinary representation in the love interest, but to me they had no chemistry at all… and they said “I love you” after knowing each other two weeks. I know it’s the end of the world, but still…

I’ve also figured out that sci-fi mixed with music as a plot point just doesn’t work for me. Nothing against it, it’s just not my thing.

This book just never quite got off the ground. Both main characters were a little dull. The action was not terribly exciting and took too long to arrive and the intervals between action pieces were too long. The narration was well done but there just wasn't enough to work with.

4.0 out of 5 stars
Space Opera with Plenty of Style
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2022
I listened to the audio book of this title.
Early on, I was reminded of Catherynne Valente’s romp SPACE OPERA, although this book deals with larger themes. The pacing is brisk and the writing flows nicely. This is a stylish and smoothly constructed story that I really enjoyed listening to.
The choice of a female narrator confused me at first, as the title character is male. The reason was soon revealed - the story alternates POV. The narrator did a great job dealing with the need to voice a wide variety of characters, including a killer robot or two.

(Posted on Amazon)

This was such a fun book.
Giant alien mecha - Gundam anyone? I read that the author took inspiration from Evangelion and Vision of Escaflowne both of which reminded me of my childhood love for mecha.
At the end of the world party where humanity awaits death, humans see two Vanguards fighting each other instead of at Earth. This has never happened before! Thus starts the space opera. This is a sci-fi with a difference centered around musician main characters. Told from two POVs Gus and Ardent (Gus's rock star love interest), Gus' bonds with a traitor Vanguard and becomes a conduit for the human knowledge the Vanguard retains. We find out that the robots are extracting human knowledge from our brains and leave the bodies to die. There is a group of rebel/traitor Vanguards who want to protect the humans.
Gus becomes a reluctant and Unexpected hero. There are unexpected allies with other rebel vanguards and their conduits, an epic space battle, and lots of music, oh and LGBTQ+ romance. There is a bit of a cliffhanger right at the last pages and I cant wait to pick up the next one when it comes out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio / Orbit for an early audiobook for review - it was amazingly narrated.

I received an advance audio copy of August Kitko and the Mechas from Space from Netgalley so I could share my review with you!

I can never resist a solid “Gays in Space” novel, which was what initially drew me into August Kitko and the Mechas from Space. I loved the integration of music into the fabric of this story, especially in the parts involving the Vanguards’ musical communication. I think this book would make a great tv series adaptation (preferably animated), as the writing felt very cinematic! I’m not sure if there will be another book in The Starmetal Symphony series, but I would definitely grab a copy of the next book if there is one!

The narration for this book was easy to listen to, and made the story really fly by! I enjoyed the way Hayden Bishop’s voice brought life into both the high-stakes battle scenes and the more calm story moments alike.

My Recommendation-
If you like futuristic stories with epic robot battles, you need to grab a copy of August Kitko and the Mechas from Space! I would especially recommend this book to fans of Pacific Rim, Light from Uncommon Stars, or The Murderbot Diaries.

This was a wonderful and really fun read!
I want to read more SciFi in the future so when I saw this one on @bookwnoname 's feed I was intrigued.

And I really liked it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is about Humanities last stand against almost unbeatable giant Robots from Space and what happens when some of them suddenly change sides. The, for the lack of a better word, 'magic system' is based on music and all of the pilots of the Mechas turn out to be musicians. I thought that was a really nice change of pace from the normally very militarised way these books go.

Our two main characters (and main couple) are of course August Kitko, a Jazz musician and the Rockstar Ardent Violet (who is definitely my favourite character, they were amazing). The relationship between the two manages to be authentic and romantic while also dealing with all the stress put upon them really well.

The narration was also pretty good. There are a few german lines in there that weren't perfect but at least you can tell the narrator tried their best to pronounce them correctly. I appreciate it.

The book lost me a little during the fight scenes but that wasn't too bad.

I'm definitely looking forward to part two!!

August Kitko and the Mechas from Space is available now in print and as an audiobook.

A great pseudo-Apocolypse space opera. Filled with wit and quips, great Mecha fights, and descriptions, and great characters to root for. The worldbuilding and sci-fi elements are wonderfully imaginative (especially for the Mecha sub-genre). An overall fun time with action-packed fights and explosive chemistry in the cast.

I love Alex White, and I'm so excited to read the rest of this series. Also ready to buy a physical copy so I can re read through. This was so much fun to listen to, though!

I don’t have any complaints about the book! I enjoyed it. However, the audiobook sound quality was a little off. I’m not sure if it’s because of the Netgalley player or the actual audio recording, but turning up the speed on the audio made the voice noticeably robotic. That has never happened to me with an audiobook before.

Book Review: August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White
4 Stars

I was provided an e-ARC on Netgalley by Orbit in return for an honest review.

Recommend if you like: Gundam or basically all mechas, good LGBTQIA+ representation or a sci-fi romance blend
Not recommended if you dislike: Love on first sight, soft Sci-Fi or apocalyptic settings

August Kitko is a brilliant jazz pianist, but he has two problems; the new love of his life Ardent Violet isn't talking to him and giant robots are about to destroy the world. Using his music he communicates with these robots and reconnects Ardent. This starts a wild ride through the universe, filled with Mecha, Music and a bid to rescue the remaining human race.

This blend of music and mechanics is an amazing concept, masterfully used by Alex White to make humans and machines interact on a common ground. The Mechas gave me very nostalgic flashbacks to the Gundam Wing series I used to watch as child. Also the fight scenes are *chef's kiss* good. I really felt like I was there during an amazingly written space battle between the giant Mecha's. It was all very cinematic.

Kitko himself is what you would expect a brilliant but awkward musician, this works especially well because his lover is the extravagant Ardent. They complement each other extremely well. I also love the way Ardent is represented as gender neutral, by the author. From his descriptions they sound like the most unique person you will ever meet.

My biggest annoyance in the book is the love at first sight romance aspect. The book takes place in about 2 months, but within seconds the main characters cannot live without each other. Although if you love this trope and the star-crossed lovers trope, this book is certainly for you!

All in all I'm really curious too read the second book, which is coming out in 2023 already! I would also like to thank the publisher and author for making me able to review this!

I haven’t had this much fun reading a book in a hot second. I was initially a little confused, but intrigued enough to keep going, and then around the 40% mark, I looked up and was like wait I think I love this? And then around 60% I was all in, had to finish to find out what happened. I mean the concept alone is dazzling — giant mechas are sent from space (they don’t like being called robots thank you very much) to destroy humanity. But a couple of them turn good and use music to identify conduits to help them fight back. It’s loud and cool and funny, and I really really had such a great time with it — I can’t WAIT for the next book to come out! This one comes out tomorrow — you simply must pick up a copy.

I had no idea what to expect from this book and I am so so glad that I asked for an ARC on the literal whim of liking the cover and wanting to know what the heck it was about! August is so sweet and deserves all the best things. Ardent is a ray of sunshine and they know it! Dahlia best be living her best life!! I am so excited that there is going to be a series because I instantly reread (re-listened) after finishing the first time. I love how the author literally made a queer space opera … with actual music as the focus???? Genius. So fun to have the main characters be musicians instead of scientists or pilots or whatever. I love love love the way thy Gus and Ardent worked on their relationship and comforted each other after such difficult experiences. Consent was a major theme in this, as well as mental health. Very heavy themes but handled with great care for the characters and us as readers. The audiobook was amazing and really brought the story to life. I am definitely going to read the other works by the author and anxiously await any following books in the series!!

This is a fun, queer space opera with plenty of adventure and mecha action. Despite the book starting at the end of the world, this novel has a rather light tone. I wouldn't necessarily call this funny, but it certainly had a glitzy entertaining quality.

I enjoyed the Mechas elements in this book, but I wish they had been treated in a more serious manner. I have a personal preference for darker narratives so this glamorous story was simply not to my tastes. I wanted more substance and dire consequences but it quickly became clear that this story was not that.

I would recommend this new sci fi series to readers who enjoy lighter hearted stories, even if they don't normally read science fiction.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for the complementary audiobook and physical ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

August Kitko and the Mechas from Space, was an absolutely amazing ride! A perfect symphony of fun, plot, action, romance, AI Mechs (don't call them robots), loveable characters, great character development, music, and even a little spice. This books has it all! I absolutely devoured this book and was left wanting MORE!!! Now THIS is what I call a true space opera.

I loved the entire cast (Gus the most), as well as the masterfully written queer/gay/non-binary representation. And that ending??? What a way to leave the reader wanting more. Standing ovation! I need the second book immediately!

And the Audiobook was great, and I loved the narrator!

Earth's last chance to defeat the Vanguards has already failed, and all musicians August Kitko and Ardent Violet can do is wait for the end of the world at what was supposed to be a victory party in Monaco. When two Vanguards arrive and begin fighting each other instead of destroying Earth immediately, August decides to play an accompaniment on the piano to the strange musical noise they emit. His music calls to one of the Vanguards, August learns there is more to the Vanguards than anyone realized, and humanity might still have a fighting chance.

This is exactly the kind of sci-fi I love: mechs, mystery, and music in this very literal space opera. I cannot wait for the sequel to learn what happens next.

This intrigued me. It was a little tricky to listen to as I was busy and I have been spending more time with physical and ebooks.

My first space opera ~ didn't know it was a thing.

It was witty, fun, and what a ride.

I've never thought to myself, 'Wow, I wish this were a military sci-fi novel' before, but reading August Kitko has checked that box. Seriously, the premise for it is so good. Giant enemy mechas have slowly been whittling away at humanity's various space colonies, keeping each isolated from the others, with humanity on its last legs. Miraculously, one mecha and one human bond and must work with humanity's remaining forces to turn the tide. There's so much potential there! Tragically, this all gets ruined by one manic pixie dream enby named Ardent Violet, who spends more time narcissitically worrying their clothes aren't colorful enough or that they haven't kissed August recently than the fact that humanity is fucking dying?? Even the underdeveloped military leaders were more interesting. (Granted, I never like the 'omg sparkly I'm so random' characters so I have some bias). I've never devoted so much energy praying for a character to die, even if said character is a POV character. If you want a story about music-powered giant mecha battles and fighting intergalactic threats, save your time and go watch Macross Frontier instead. Overall, I rate this book a 1.5/5.