I liked this story... up to a point. If you are interested in mechs, mech battles and upgrades, this is a story you'll definitely like. This story painted the lifestyle so well it almost made me go out and purchase the latest Mechwarrior game out on Steam! The world background makes sense, the character backgrounds are interesting and a bit mysterious, and their progression makes sense and is consistent. The only thing that was off for me was their emotional states. Most of the time, the emotional reactions of the characters are within human norms and are believable. Kids get frustrated with their parents, or are wary about their teachers, or have a love of mechs because they are "cool". It's later on in the story that I have some issues. When a big loss hits our main character, he doesn't seem sad per se. He just stays around to do what he can then moves on to complete his task. There is little to no reflection of him mourning that loss or that loss affecting him emotionally or inhibiting him. Later, he finds what he has lost but there is no sense of real relief from him. It's just another day, it seems, and life goes on. The same thing happens to the other characters around him. They encounter losses but don't really feel the loss. It's almost like they are brainwashed or on drugs. Or it is just a tragic story that happened on the news. It doesn't affect how they live their lives (even though it happened to them or people they knew). So while overall I'd rate the story as a 4, I am dropping reading this story because of the lack of emotional development of the characters. If you don't really care about that sort of thing and love mech stories, it's worth a read.
Aoki_Aku
Liked by 13 people
LIKEYes, but very minor though and not all lovey-dovey more like matter of fact with little build-up, as the author doesn't give much thought or word count to the characters talking romantically about their feelings. You just get little sentences or hints here of there about the characters feelings for each other and then some chapters later boom they just started getting it on and then transition to the morning after. Feels like the way a more serious and mature novel's approach to romance would be without making it too emotional or sexual.
aKiraInc:Any romance in the novel?