The Cyborg Tinkerer

The Curious Case of the Cyborg Circus, Book 1

By: Meg LaTorre

Narrated by: Kylie Stewart

In a deadly circus competition, even hearts are on the line.

Gwendolyn Grimm intended to seduce men and women across the galaxy while working as a ship tinkerer on the finest vessels in the Crescent Star System. Alas, terminal illness is a buzzkill. When a life-saving opportunity struts into her life dressed in a pinstripe suit, she is made an offer she can’t refuse: become a cyborg and work as a tinkerer for Cirque du Borge, the once-renowned cyborg circus.

The problem is, a new law has banned the creation of new cyborgs, and becoming one means execution if caught. Thus, no one cares to see the wonders of man and machine anymore.

Ticket sales continue to fall as the circus announces a competition to determine which acts will perform for the emperor on his home planet - an opportunity with the potential to save the circus from bankruptcy. But the competition has deadly consequences. Losing acts have their cyborg implants forcibly removed, and those who survive the extraction are banished from the circus.

As the tinkerer, Gwendolyn is forced to perform the revolting task of removing the cyborg implants from the losing performers. When she falls for both the man running the competition and a woman competing in it, she must decide who to protect. But can she risk having to harvest the people she loves the most?

Fans of Sarah J. Maas will enjoy this LGBTQ+ steampunk romance set in a deadly Treasure Planet-esque galaxy.

Trigger warnings: This novel contains graphic violence, sexual content, profanity, and references to eating disorders. Listener discretion is advised.

©2020 iWriterly LLC (P)2020 iWriterly LLC

great story!

I was very nervous about reading this book because I typically hate love triangles. However I am a fan of meg Latorre's YouTube videos with iwriterly and wanted to check out her book. the romances felt a pretty rushed, but honestly that is my only complaint. the story and setting were fantastic! I can't wait to see what comes next!

Thrilling Story with Relatable Characters

As a debut novel, Meg Latorre held no punches. I found myself eager to get back to the book every time I had to pause it. Although the main characters did feel that they should have been aged down or place in a YA storyline.
The narrator was lovely, but I did have to listen at X1.25 speed. The different voices she used made it very easy to know that the POV was changing.
The story pacing does whip you around a bit. Some actions the main character decides take are frustrating, especially when it comes to romance. This does leave room for growth for Gwen in future books, if you can get through her character flaws in this one.
The characters are refreshingly diverse in race, sexual orientation, and gender preferences. This book has many twists! This was a 3 star read and I will be getting the next book in the series when it comes out.

Great potential, just didn't do it for me.

I enjoyed the story but the narrator just....I don't know I didn't dislike her but also didn't really like her. It just wasn't it for me. It felt rushed and forced. I feel like this author has great potential and this story line may get better with each book, but I hope for a different narrator 😬

Everything I wanted from a Steampunk Romance

The story was edgy and everything I wanted from a steampunk romance. If you are looking for a sci-fi romance to listen to, this is it! The narrator’s voice captured the mood of this book perfectly, and I was on the edge of my seat with every listen! I hope to see more from this talented author! Overall, an amazing listen!

Twists

I absolutely love this book. It kept me listening and trying to figure out what all is going to happen next. It is a great read and worthy of any collection.

A fresh story like no other

If you like fantasy, fairy tales, steam punk, adventure, romance, and perhaps some smut, this is the book for you. The only thing missing is time travel, but this only book one, so who knows what Meg has in store for us down the road. I was tense during battles, blushed a little during romance scenes, and giggled with the witty play on names. This author is going places, and we're here for it.

Good Listen

After a certain number of stories you start to see patterns and sometimes (mentally) jump to the end. I didn't do that with this one, the characters continued to develop throughout and kept me following along fo each of the unfolding situations. I hope to hear a sequel.

A great story!

I really loved this story. I got the audiobook and the kindle and read along with it. Very different characters all with very different motivations and relationships with each other, which I love. It's about the characters, and all the sci-fi, fantasy and steampunk just make it better. I am giving 4 instead of 5 stars because of a couple moments I had a problem with that I don't want to spoil for those reading, along with how the audiobook and text sometimes differed slightly in words for some reason, but mainly because the narrator of the audiobook mispronounced some words, one of the names, and didn't have the best British accent. She still did a good job overall, making very different voices for each character. I ended up liking the story so much, I bought a copy for a friend for Christmas. I love that it includes healthy polyamory, subverting the love triangle trope.

Phenomenal book

This book grabbed me pretty quickly. I follow Meg’s YouTube and subscribed as soon as I heard polyamorous representation. It was really dope to see the characters develop in their own way and see what could have easily been a trope subverted so wonderfully. The narration made everything from the relationships to the action all the better and I truly enjoyed this book from the first moment. 10/10