There were some interesting ideas here, but I could never get traction with this.

When chapters alternate between characters, the viewpoint needs to be clear. The two main characters were training partners, so they were doing the same things. I routinely got them confused. But they were from different social classes, so they should have had different voices, even different slang. One missed opportunity was a very late revelation that the first division families almost always had only one child, while the lower class families had more. That was wasted. Reveal that earlier and the non-understanding of family can be a clear distinction. Throw in some slang, call the first division people "firsters". Have the lower class people be fussy about saying "hatch" instead of "door" because they maintain that stuff.

The plot was dominated by surprises, which means the characters and the reader are not a part of figuring things out. We just sit and watch. Yes, part of the setup is that the Scela lose their agency, but they can think and work to find out. And we don't have clues about what they are finding out. The author can help. When a mission is redirected, have someone try to tell them but miss the shuttle launch. Then we know something is up but the main characters don't. See Hitchcock on suspense versus surprise.

And I don't buy someone blurting that they are aroace in a book that has zero romance. And the only sex is a second hand report. Hey, nice shoutout, but these are emotion-suppressed cyborgs. Use that in a book where it matters.

I'm being tough, but I wanted this book to have better editing and workshopping. I want this author to get better because I want to read more from her. Bonus star for hope. ( )

Skrutskie, Emily. Hullmetal Girls. Delacorte, 2018.
Hullmetal Girls is not just a generation starship story. It describes a fleet of generation ships looking for someplace to migrate humanity, or what is left of it. The fleet is run by a junta called the General Body presided over by a chancellor and protected by a marshal, who has at her disposal large squads of mind-connected and mind-controlled cyborgs. Our protagonists are the members of one of these teams of cyborg warriors. The novel is character-driven—delving into the deprivations that lead members of the team to have their bodies weaponized and their minds turned over to a supervised artificial intelligence. The trouble is that the fleet idea itself doesn’t make much sense. A culture that has the resources to build a fleet of ships but does not have the technology to identify and scout a likely destination does not pass the plausibility test, especially when we are told that the ships do have faster-than-light capability they don’t always use. ( )

4.5 stars

This took me a good hundred pages to warm up to (keep in mind this book is not that long - only 320 or so pages), but OH MY FREAKING GOD I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.

RTC. ( )

Literary merit: good
Characterization: good
Age appropriateness: teens

According to Wikipedia, a space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, melodramatic adventure, interplanetary battles, chivalric romance, and risk-taking. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it usually involves conflict between opponents possessing advanced abilities, futuristic weapons, and other sophisticated technology. The term has no relation to music, but is instead a play on the terms "soap opera."
This is a space opera, for sure.
The characters have all opted to “take the metal” and transition from human to Scela. Think Wolverine mixed with a G.I. Joe. The enhancements are woven through your body, becoming part of your biology. Few survive the surgery in the first place.
Though the start is a little slow (because…world-building), this has all the elements of a space opera, and would appeal to any fans of the genre.

Recommended? Optional purchase. ( )

Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Very Good
Recommended: Recommended for genre fans
Level: High School

In the far future, the fleet carrying all that is left of humanity depends on cyborgs to protect itself from internal threats. To support the cyborg implants, each human host is given an AI computer, implanted directly into their brains, which actively communicates with the human host while also controlling it. Each human host has a slightly different relationship with their AI implant. The concept is fascinating, and with a diverse and interesting cast and an interesting villain and premise (though if you've watched WALL-E you'll likely guess what's going on), this book is definitely entertaining and engaging for fans of the sci-fi genre. I only wish that Skrutskie had pushed her interesting sci-fi elements that much further, and been a bit bolder in exploring her more troubling concepts. In such a complex world, the ending felt a little too neat and unsatisfying. ( )