Heavenbreaker

Heavenbreaker, Book 1

By: Sara Wolf

Narrated by: Ashley Bryce

Bravery isn't what you do. It's what you endure.

The duke of the powerful House Hauteclare is the first to die. With my dagger in his back.

He didn't see it coming. Didn't anticipate the bastard daughter who was supposed to die with her mother—on his order. He should have left us with the rest of the Station's starving, commoner rubbish.

Now there's nothing left. Just icy-white rage and a need to make House Hauteclare pay. Every damn one of them. Even if it means riding Heavenbreaker—one of the few enormous machines left over from the War—and jousting against the fiercest nobles in the system.

Each win means another one of my enemies dies. And here, in the cold terror of space, the machine and I move as one, intent on destroying each adversary—even if it's someone I care about. Even if it's someone I'm falling for.

Only I'm not alone. Not anymore. Because there's something in the machine with me. Something horrifying. Something...more. And it won't be stopped.

Contains mature themes.

©2024 Sara Wolf (P)2024 Tantor

Best book I've read this year

I absolutely loved this book! It was such a ride seeing how everything was playing out with different pov's and learning the truth about the steeds, and so much more. I can't wait for the next book.

Fresh and exciting

A unique story with interesting characters and a surprising plot. This is modern sci-fi at its best.

Other reviews are too harsh

Man I thought I was in a for a train wreck based on the audible reviews of this book. I'm glad I started the book despite the harsher reviews. The narrator was good although she did mispronounce some words there was nothing so jarring that I couldn't keep listening. Her characterizations and voice were great otherwise. Was the story good? Yeah! The exposition was kind of a slog (and is the main reason I bumped to 4 stars) but ultimately it made for a solid world-building foundation as the book continued. Did this story break the mold? Not really, but it's still perfectly enjoyable. I think the sequel will be what really determines how I feel about the series overall. I'd say if you enjoy Iron Widow or complex revenge plots this would be a good fit for you.

i didn’t understand the book!

The book had great potential and a great idea! I just didn’t understand the book. I loved the main character! The fight scenes were very drawn out.

very Cerebral

great story and idea. it was slow moving at first, but picked up about half way.

Finally something different

It starts with a bang and ends with a twist. A long the way you will laugh. You will cry. You will be knowing at the bit as I am for the next book!!

Story Ruined by Multiple Mispronunciations

The narrator mispronounced and misread words throughout the audiobook. I also have the Kindle version of the book, so it was easy to see the difference between the text and what was read aloud. The worst & most common was the word “sigil,” which the narrator pronounced with a hard g instead of correctly, with a soft g (saying sih-gul instead of sih-jul). Given that all the noble houses in the story are identified by their sigils the constant mispronunciation was jarring and took me out of the story every single time. “Sigil” isn’t an uncommon word in sci-fi and fantasy-based fiction—why hire a narrator who doesn’t know the genre well enough to pronounce basic words? Other errors (for example, saying “ineligible” when the text says “illegible”) changed the meaning of sentences, sometimes enough that they didn’t make sense. The production needed much better quality control.

Overall 3/5

Very predictable, didn’t get good till about 2/3rd through the book. Then to be left on a cliff hanger

Great characters, good fights, strong desires by the characters and good mystery. bad cliffhanger and needs more world building

The author should've just made the book bigger instead of leaving us with a cliffhanger. I would possibly look forward to the next book if it were out but it might be a while. This book did so well to throw in darker themes and have unique chapters but to end it with more to be desired as such in the first book of what I thought was going to be a good series is unfortunate. it has potential as a series sure but don't cheapen the first book because of that

A gripping scifi mystery

So I loved this book. it was literally as if someone took all of my favorite genres and mixed them together with a compelling story. If you like fantasy, giant robots, and space, you will love this book too! The ending has one heck of a cliffhanger and I am sad I have to wait for book 2 to learn what happens next.