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Machinations

(Machinations #1)

Hayley Stone (Goodreads Author)

3.78 · Rating details · 258 ratings · 93 reviews

Perfect for fans of Robopocalypse, this action-packed science-fiction debut introduces a chilling future and an unforgettable heroine with a powerful role to play in the battle for humanity’s survival.

The machines have risen, but not out of malice. They were simply following a command: to stop the endless wars that have plagued the world throughout history. Their solutio ...more

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ebook, 343 pages

Published July 26th 2016 by Hydra

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· 258 ratings · 93 reviews

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May 21, 2016 Heather Truett rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, scifi-fantasy, pw-2014, review, kindle

I have a love for post-apoc/dystopian literature. I don't read it nearly as often as I used to, because I got a little burned out on it. When my Facebook feed regularly reminds me of my current position in what amounts to a dystopian society, I find myself looking for something different in my books. But I always come back to the topic.

Always.

It was Fahrenheit 451 that started me down this path, and I think Bradbury would enjoy reading Machinations by Hayley Stone. It's got that same mix of a ch ...more

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Jan 04, 2016 Jasper rated it it was amazing

I read an early draft of the book and absolutely loved it! The characters are all very interesting and I found myself becoming attached to each of their unique personalities (which could be a mistake in a post-apocalyptic setting). The harsh reality of the near extermination of human-kind is balanced by the refreshing optimism of the resistance, who crack equal parts jokes and robot skulls. It was truly a joy to read and I can't wait for the sequel!

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Jun 16, 2016 Taylor rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Reviewed at my blog: Babbling Books

“Stupid technology. Never working when you want it to. Always trying to kill you when you don’t.”

I probably have highlighted over 20 quotes from this book. It was very hard to choose what I wanted to put in this review as so many of them were good. I know I can get very quote happy sometimes, but this book was so wonderfully snappy with the dialogue and language I just couldn’t stop myself from highlighting all over the place!

No, but in all honestly, what Haley Stone has written here is quite the little gem of a book. When I requested it from NetGalley I honestly didn’t really know what I was getting. I was interested mostly in the science fiction elements of the story (which I got plenty of, thankfully) but it turned out to be a very emotionally driven book as well.

The main character, Rhona, is so wonderfully characterized that it was very easy for me to sink into her headspace for the duration of the book. She’s witty, engaging and a wholly likable character without being too much of the typical “this girl can accomplish anything” sort of annoyance that can crop up with a heroine in an apocalyptic/sci-fi book. She has realistic limits, along with the other characters, who actually do get hurt during the course of the book, something I generally appreciate from authors. Bruises and bumps do happen people.

The many pop culture references could’ve easily gotten out-of-hand but I thoroughly enjoyed them. It’s nice when you get a reprieve from all the doom and gloom and just get to laugh with the characters for a minute, plus it fit in well with Rhona’s sarcastic personality and made me like her character even more. Of course, it also had me rooting for Samuel to be her love interest, and in the preserving of few spoilers I won’t elaborate too much further but he is just the most adorable and sweetest character I have read in awhile.

Camus, on the other hand, was a little much for me at times. I warmed up to him nearer the end of the book, but as a love interest goes he was a little pensive and too broody for my taste, especially when you’ve got cuddly Samuel around. Can you tell which Team I’m on?? Anywho… The relationship dynamics didn’t play out like a triangle AT ALL so don’t worry about that, it was one of the more realistic relationship portrayals I have seen in a YA book of this kind, and I wasn’t cringing during any of the moments. Actually most of them either had me in fits of girlish giggles or silent “awws”.

The science fiction element was masterfully crafted in this book as well and you can tell that Stone has a passion for writing her Sci-Fi. I loved that everything was so detailed so I didn’t feel left out with any of the elements during the book and the pacing felt perfect for every moment. The world and ideas were so simple and yet interwoven so wonderfully that I relished in getting to know more about the systems and ways this new world was existing.

Overall a fantastic read and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one, Hayley if you read this, send me a copy of the second book, I’m dying to know what happens! And thanks for creating such a wonderful first installment. As for you readers out there, go to a store, pick this up online, however you like, but just make sure you add this to your shelf, it’s definitely worth the read!!

*I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley from Random House Publishing Group-Hydra in exchange for an honest review* ...more

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Jul 23, 2016 Dianne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 1-in-series, netgalley, arc-read, dark-fiction, gritty, own, sci-fi

Their directive: Stop the wars that have plagued the world since time began. It seems like an eventuality more than science fiction. Humans want it all, they want to control everything, but what happens when the machines they create take their directive to a logical conclusion on their own? To end wars, eliminate the cause, the human race…and the war begins in all of its brutal ugliness.

Rhona Long became the symbol to rally behind, the voice heard around the world. Not one to shy away from dange ...more

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May 24, 2016 Yodamom rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc, netgalley, pathetic-charactrs, recycled-storyline, witches, science-fiction, wish-i-never-read, drama-rama

At 9% I was excited by the action
At 19% I was bored with the characters and felt no connection
At 39% The characters cemented their place into the cookie cutter hall of fame
At 83% I was looking forward to the ending, I just wanted to be done with it.
At 100% I knew I had just read The Terminator meets The Mockingjay.

I really have nothing good to say about it. Okay the first 10% had me intrigued. Rhonda was a poorly written character, unbelievable, a cliche'. The story was unoriginal, with ridicul ...more

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May 16, 2016 The Captain rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here are me honest musings . . .

So killer machines and a human clone. That’s what got my attention. I generally find books about what happens when a person is cloned to be interesting. In this particular story, the woman who is cloned (Rhona) has two special circumstances: 1) her memory load was interrupted so she only has part of her first life and 2) who and what she was in that first life.

I Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here are me honest musings . . .

So killer machines and a human clone. That’s what got my attention. I generally find books about what happens when a person is cloned to be interesting. In this particular story, the woman who is cloned (Rhona) has two special circumstances: 1) her memory load was interrupted so she only has part of her first life and 2) who and what she was in that first life.

I really enjoyed a lot of the challenges that those two facts caused her to face. Sometimes memories are triggered when she sees someone and sometimes they are not. This juxtaposition of remembering fondness for someone while not remembering why she is fond of them is wonderful. I like that the character is struggling to deal with the partial memories and also changing in this newest incarnation of herself due to the circumstances she now finds herself in. It’s the whole nature v. nurture thing to some extent.

The questions of self that Rhona faced were my favorite part of the story for me. I was not as crazy about some of the plot points:

1. Of course Rhona and her old love have to learn how to deal with the new circumstances of her coming back from the dead. This was fun in lots of ways. What wasn’t fun was the inclusion of a love triangle in terms of how Rhona deals with her best friend Samuel. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the character of Samuel. The writing on the wall about who Rhona chooses just seemed to be obvious from the beginning and so the tension around Samuel just seemed unnecessary.

2. The world building was a little off to me in terms of the machinations of the machines themselves. For example why didn’t any of the enemy machines fly? Why didn’t they just create millions of them and overwhelm the humans when they did know where they were? I just wish I had a better understanding of why the machines made some of the choices they did. The machine stuff almost seemed like afterthoughts to the central plot i.e. Rhona being a clone.

3. While the plot against the machines was not what I was focused on, there were parts about it that irked me. Like old technology working “magically” when a character needed it. Think of how the U.S.S. Missouri museum worked in the movie Battleship with the help of veteran tour guides to save the world.

These quibbles aside, I really did have a fun time reading this one. And its e-book price of $2.99 is cheap enough that ye may want to give it a shot too.

Side note: I didn’t even know that Hydra is “Random House’s digital-only imprint focused on science fiction, fantasy, and horror titles.” Cool.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Hydra!

If you liked this review see me others at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp... ...more

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May 24, 2016 Angela marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: to-review-unpublished, kindle, to-review-to-read, net-galley, sci-fi

So, I got an email pitching this as "Perfect for fans of Red Rising" - which piqued my interest. But then I read the blurb:

Perfect for fans of Robopocalypse, this action-packed science-fiction debut introduces a chilling future and an unforgettable heroine with a powerful role to play in the battle for humanity’s survival.

The machines have risen, but not out of malice. They were simply following a command: to stop the endless wars that have plagued the world throughout history. Their solution

...more

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Feb 02, 2016 Rhett Bruno rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I'm a sucker for science fiction, but usually not near future post-apoc. This really sucked me in though. Obviously all of the correlations to Terminator are here as all the reviews below me indicate, but I think Machinations really brought the human element.

The action was great, the story taut, but what really drew me in were the characters. This idea of Rhona "reanimating" herself to continue the fight fascinated me. It's a long-time ques ...more

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Jun 07, 2016 OutlawPoet rated it really liked it

Clone Girl Kicks Butt

Machinations was another one of those reads that I just tore through at breakneck speed.

When the singularity comes and the machines rise up against the human world, humanity simply isn’t ready. It’s a bloodbath. Rhona Long is deep in the fight against the machines – and fails. She’s brought back as a clone and needs to continue the fight for humanity among former friends who no longer believe she’s fully human.

The book is full of violent battles, awesomely scary mechanical f ...more

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Jul 14, 2016 Jay Williams rated it it was amazing

Although the book is set in the future during a take over by intelligent machines, the themes of love, loyalty and heroism are always appropriate. The kicker in this story is the reanimation of a fallen leader in the form of a clone. While the clone is effective as a replacement for the inspirational leader, the problem comes in the reinstatement of personal relationships. Elements of politics, betrayal and strategies of war are on display as the remains of the human race rises against the intel ...more

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Jan 12, 2016 Michael Mammay rated it it was amazing

Hayley Stone’s MACHINATIONS goes beyond the world building to do what a lot of great science fiction does: explore the question of what it means to be a human.

The machinations refer to the overthrow of the human governments of the world by robots, which is like 98.3% likely to happen for real, so you could look at this as kind of a road-map to the future. The other 1.7% is zombie apocalypse. But that’s not really our point here today. As the book opens, the machinations have already happened, an Hayley Stone’s MACHINATIONS goes beyond the world building to do what a lot of great science fiction does: explore the question of what it means to be a human.

The machinations refer to the overthrow of the human governments of the world by robots, which is like 98.3% likely to happen for real, so you could look at this as kind of a road-map to the future. The other 1.7% is zombie apocalypse. But that’s not really our point here today. As the book opens, the machinations have already happened, and the society that’s left is living in the aftermath, fighting to survive.Machinations

The main characer, Rhona, dies. You’d think that a review wouldn’t lead with a spoiler like that. And you’d be right. She dies at the very start of the book, and it triggers the story. Rhona is a leader of the resistance, and to protect her they’ve created a clone. An exact replica of her, that’s triggered to life upon her death, so that she can carry on the fight.

Except it doesn’t work quite right. Rhona comes back, but she’s not all herself. There are holes in her memories. And that’s where the real story starts.

MACHINATIONS explores what happens when a person looks like herself in almost every way, but there are pieces missing. Whether she’s really her, and what it means to be ‘herself’ at all. It also tackles how losing her affects the people she loves, and how they react when she comes back different. Imagine that for months you thought your lover was dead, only to find out she wasn’t. You’ve grieved, you’ve moved on, you’ve got a war to fight. Now she’s back, at least in body.

It’s a great situation, and the book doesn’t take any short cuts on the answers. There’s no simple solution. It’s complicated and messy and up and down, just like you’d expect it to be in real life. Stone does an excellent job conveying the psychological effects of war, the pressures of leadership, of love lost, and relationships where the two involved feel differently about each other.

Through it all there’s the war with the machines. Stone’s crisp, first-person present tense prose is a good fit for the story. If you’re looking for a terminator style book, full of action and massive battle scenes, this probably isn’t for you. While there’s definitely some of that, and plenty of action, MACHINATIONS is much more about the human dynamics. With that said, the strong writing and the pace of the story make this a fun, quick read.

If I had to put a rating on this book it would probably fall somewhere between PG and PG-13. I’ll give it the 13 rating due to mature themes, but it’s safe for folks who like a pretty clean read. ...more

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Sep 16, 2016 Faye, la Patata rated it it was ok

Oh, hey, look. I finally finished a book. AFTER SO GODDAMN LONG.

Someone cheer for me, please. I need it.

Not sure what to feel about this one. It had a lot of ups and downs. A lot more downs. STAY TUNED FOR MY COME BACK REVIEW OMG

DID U GUYS MISS ME BTW

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Jul 27, 2016 Yzabel Ginsberg rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: annoying-characters, war, science-fiction, post-apocalyptic, arc-netgalley, computers-technology, romance, good-ideas-but

[I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

1.5 stars. Not quite an OK story for me. There were several deal-breakers here, including the "bland" narrator, the romance part, and the 1st person POV present tense narration, not to mention the science & technology parts that weren't detailed enough.

First, present tense: I find it very difficult to make this type of narrative voice work, and often it just doesn't at all. I can't exactly pinpoint how exactly, [I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

1.5 stars. Not quite an OK story for me. There were several deal-breakers here, including the "bland" narrator, the romance part, and the 1st person POV present tense narration, not to mention the science & technology parts that weren't detailed enough.

First, present tense: I find it very difficult to make this type of narrative voice work, and often it just doesn't at all. I can't exactly pinpoint how exactly, but I know it made me cringe often enough that I stopped counting. It doesn't bother me so much in short stories, although I suspect that's because they're short and I don't have to trudge through that tense for a whole novel.

Second, Rhona herself. I couldn't bring myself to care. Sure, we have that first chapter scene, and it seems intense, and... that's all? After that, she wakes up as the "new" Rhona, yet it's difficult to compare her to the one she has supposedly replaced. Perhaps because the novel doesn't show us enough of the "original Rhona". Perhaps because the new one is too self-centered and not active enough to stand by herself, watching from the sidelines half the time. Of course there wouldn't be any point if she immediately found herself again, was the exact same person. I just wish she had been more than a woman who mostly behaved like a somewhat shy teenager—and this brings me to...

...The romance: too much of it, and, as in too many novels, the only real form of validation. The whole quest-for-humanity part, Rhona having to find out whether she IS Rhona or merely a carbon-copy without humanity nor soul, is definitely an interesting theme... but why do such things -always- have to be presented in the light of romance? As if only True Love (whatever that means) could validate one's existence. Who cares that Sam, her best friend, is with her all story long and doesn't give a fig about whether she's Rhona or not (for him, she's his friend, period)? The really important part is to find out when The One True Love finally acknowledges her. And I feel all these stories completely miss the point: that there is so much more to a person than their so-called significant other, that they're the sum of so many more factors than just that one restrictive form of love. Meanwhile...

... the machines, the science, the technology: too few and too little of those, considering the blurb that made me request the book at first. This story would've benefitted from more explanations when it came to the cloning part, considering how it permeated the whole narrative. Rhona is a physical clone, but her memories (or part of them) were also transplanted. How? A chip to map neural pathways and transfer data is briefly mentioned, yet much more was needed here to satisfy the vague scientist in me (I don't think I'm asking for too much here). As for the machines, they weren't present enough in order for the human survivors to be truly pitched against them, as well as for Rhona to be fully confronted to her new "nature" that, in a way, made her a biological machine. They felt more like the threat in the background, over-simplified, although they could've been made more "alive" (no pun intended here: I really think there was potential here for a chiasmus between human-Rhona-turned-thing and things/machines-turned-sentient).

This novel should've grabbed my interest, for sure, but it turned out it wasn't for me. Alas. ...more

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Nov 23, 2015 Brian rated it it was amazing

MACHINATIONS is what every TERMINATOR sequel after T2 should have been.

In her riveting debut, Hayley Stone deftly weaves the story of a woman whose life was literally taken from her, only to be reborn as a clone of herself. Not only is she the hero who must lead the ramshackle remains humanity against their artificial oppressors, Rhona Long also has to reassemble the pieces of her own shattered self and reclaim a life that’s not actually hers. Rhona is a truly badass, but flawed female hero in t ...more

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Jan 12, 2016 Kate Studer rated it it was amazing

This book is exactly what my summer had been missing. It'd been a while since I read a strong female-led sci-fi and Machinations delivered across the boards. I was never really a big terminator fan, but this book takes those themes and runs with them in some really intriguing--and thrilling--directions. An incredibly solid debut; I can't wait to see what else Hayley has in store.

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Jul 06, 2016 Mandy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-read-in-2016, netgalley

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book! Part Hunger Games, part classic "the machines have taken over", and just a dash of human cloning. Can't wait for the sequel(s)!!

Click here for full review. ...more

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Jun 16, 2016 Clare O'Beara rated it really liked it

Shelves: dystopian, sf, america-fiction

I have already read the second book in the series so I can tell you that the war we see waged by machine intelligence against people is ongoing and gets more violent. This book starts off that way but we quickly see Rhona Long, in Alaska, getting neutralised by robots. Then another version of Rhona has to be woken, told she is a clone, and instructed to continue the fight.

This tale is set in Alaska where a band of survivors hide out and rearm. As it's not too long after the war began we get tol ...more

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Jul 30, 2016 Rosalyn Eves rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of apocalyptic sci-fi--sometimes they hit too close to home! But MACHINATIONS by Hayley Stone was fantastic. I was sucked in by the emotional heft of the first chapter, and the book swept on, fast-paced and full of heart. Rhona Long is a terrific heroine--not flawless, but strong and hard-working and trying hard to make a world for the people she cares about in the wake of a terrifying robot apocalypse. (Really, the story was more frightening for both ...more

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May 25, 2016 Karen’s Library rated it it was ok

Shelves: sci-fi, netgalley, did-not-finish, arc, post-apocalyptic, apocalyptic

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book to me in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately I had to DNF this at approximately 50%.

I received an email touting "perfect for fans of Red Rising" or something similar that really peaked my interest. Red Rising is a huge favorite of mine, so of course I needed to see what this one was about. And then the synopsis mentioned Robopocalypse and clones. Interesting combination and one that I thought would be interesting.

So far what I've ...more

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May 25, 2016 Marjolein rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, science-fiction, read-in-english

3.5 Stars

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

Machinations follows Rhonda, recently returned from the dead (she's a clone of her previous self) because her job, as a hallmark of the rebellion against the machines isn't over.

In this robot-apocalypse, where the bots have decided to fight 'the war to end all wars' by exterminating people, what drew me most was the struggles Rhonda had with coming to terms with one) dying and second) coming back.

It made a nice and interesti ...more

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Jul 09, 2016 Sarena Ulibarri rated it really liked it

The Matrix meets Mockingjay, with a few hints of Aeon Flux—at least around the clone theme. The action was great, but the high points for me were the character interactions that touch on what it means to be a clone, or a human, in a world where machines have decided we can't make our own choices. Definitely a worthwhile read for science fiction fans. I already pre-ordered the sequel.

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Jun 24, 2016 Abner rated it it was amazing

Big imaginations and thoughts that made me do this magnificent book

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Oct 03, 2016 Rosalyn Eves rated it it was amazing

Engaging, thrilling look at a post-modern world overrun by robots determined to save the world from humanity. Fast-paced, well-wrought relationships.

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Aug 02, 2016 Hannah rated it really liked it

ARC REVIEW

"By the time Skynet became self-aware it had spread into millions of computer servers across the planet. Ordinary computers in office buildings, dorm rooms, everywhere. It was software in cyberspace. There was no system core. It could not be shut down. The attack began at 6:18 p.m., just as he said it would. Judgment Day. The day the human race was nearly destroyed by weapons they'd built to protect themselves. I should have realized our destiny was never to stop Judgment Day. It was ARC REVIEW

"By the time Skynet became self-aware it had spread into millions of computer servers across the planet. Ordinary computers in office buildings, dorm rooms, everywhere. It was software in cyberspace. There was no system core. It could not be shut down. The attack began at 6:18 p.m., just as he said it would. Judgment Day. The day the human race was nearly destroyed by weapons they'd built to protect themselves. I should have realized our destiny was never to stop Judgment Day. It was merely to survive it together. The Terminator knew. He tried to tell us but I didn't want to hear it. Maybe the future has been written. I don't know. All I know is what the Terminator taught me: Never stop fighting. And I never will. The battle has just begun."

Okay, That's from Terminator, but this book is very similar. It's kind of like Salvation where it takes place all in the future. The AI's have become self aware and in that they have decided that mankind is the enemy. It started off with the self flying planes crashing and killing everyone on board, self driving cars, and public transit doing the same. The machines were attacking and whatever happened you never wanted to be taken alive. In some parts it reminded me of The Matrix Revolutions in the day to day life underground. And in both cases of Terminator and Matrix there is a single person everyone looks to for salvation and hope. I found this book to be very entertaining. Hayley Stone is a wonderful storyteller, I got lost in this futuristic world. It was a little slow at parts but the action more than made up for that.

Rhona Long wanted to be an actress what she got was the leader of the rebel force fighting against the machines. To bad she dies at the beginning of the book, smart of her to realize this was a probability and worked with her best friend a scientific genius to create her own clone. Rhona was the face of the rebels and she knew if she died they just might lose hope. She only told two other people what she was doing, not even her boyfriend/second-in-command Camus. It's been six months since her death, Camus and the others in charge decided not to tell anybody of her death only that she was MIA not wanting them to lose faith in their mission. Rhona and Samuel make it back to base barely and now Camus is having a hard time adjusting to the clone Rhona. That breaks Rhona's heart because as far as she knows she still loves him. Anyways, They continue to fight, there are attempts on Rhona's life and one of the other underground bases are attacked. They know it's a trap but they can't leave any fellow humans behind so sending out an SOS to everyone left they charge in to save the day.

I love how this book's timeline is spread out as much as it is, it's more believable than if everything happened all at once. Overall, "There is a storm on the horizon. A time of hardship and pain. This battle has been won, but the war against the machines rages on. Skynet's global network remains strong, but we will not quit, until all of it is destroyed. This is John Connor. There is no fate but what we make." Yes yes yes that's from Terminator also but it fits, the second book, Counterpart, is due out in October. I really did enjoy this one even if it reminded me of Terminator Fan Fiction. ...more

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Jun 02, 2016 Jessica rated it it was ok

Shelves: net-galley, ebook, adult-fiction, arc, science-fiction

*I received an electronic ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I just wanted more out of this book. More about the machines - who/what is this higher echelon? How did Rhona's memories of death get transferred if her body was never recovered? Just, eh.

I was extremely upset as it was marketed to me as "for fans of Red Rising " This is not like Red Rising at all!!

UPDATE: Just saw there is a sequel, Counterpart, I will not be reading it. ...more

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Dec 26, 2016 Mary Ann Marlowe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Machinations is a fast-paced post-apocalyptic sci-fi based in our world in some not-to-distant future where the machines have turned on us. I saw this book compared to the Matrix meets The Hunger Games and as I got further along, I could totally see where that comp came from. Rhona is a Mockingjay type figure in a world that desperately needs heroes. She's a snarky wise-ass much of the time, but she's also caring and extremely likable. She's also a clone of herself which is was a totally new pre ...more

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Oct 01, 2016 John rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Man vs. machine

Captivating characters. Ingenious plot. Gripping action. Very timely with all the current work on AI.
Read this on your vacation so that you don't have to put it down.
Where can I find the sequel?

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Jan 21, 2016 Kristen Burns rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed, review-copy, androids-cyborgs, science-fiction, adorable-friendship, post-apocalyptic, thought-provoking, read-2016-books

3.5 Stars

Full Review:
*I received a free ecopy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I went into this book expecting it to be all action and robots but was pleasantly surprised to find it was actually all emotion and people. Yes, there was some action and robots, but that really wasn’t the focus.

I was also pleasantly surprised at the way the author didn’t gloss over the clone thing. Because of that, this book ended up being a really thought-provoking look at the emotional a ...more

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Aug 19, 2016 Margaret Fisk rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Rise of the machines is a popular premise that is easy to do badly, in my opinion, too often influenced by the Terminator movies. Machinations does have one thing in common with those movies in that much of the book occurs at a dead run. However, just when I thought it would stay that way, the book segues into a multilayered people story that asks questions of personhood and personality as well as looking at what it takes to step forward and become a he Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Rise of the machines is a popular premise that is easy to do badly, in my opinion, too often influenced by the Terminator movies. Machinations does have one thing in common with those movies in that much of the book occurs at a dead run. However, just when I thought it would stay that way, the book segues into a multilayered people story that asks questions of personhood and personality as well as looking at what it takes to step forward and become a hero despite the risks. Not only that, but the explanation behind the machine uprising is one of the rare premises in this trend that make sense.

The story centers on a great war against the results of human lack of foresight. The enemies (machines built to end human war) are alien and unknowable, except when they are not because of observation or knowledge of their original code. These are not humanoid robots who act like people but rather thinking machines adapted and designed with one task in mind. It’s how they have interpreted the task of ending war that brings us to a place where humanity clings to a few safe havens, and even there, they know the safety is half-illusion.

The book starts in the middle of a life and death struggle, one that “our heroes” are losing badly. Still, even in the beginning, it took me from observing complete strangers to making a connection with two of the main characters, Rhona and Camus. It also sets up the rest of the story in the best way.

Yes, the book most definitely has nail-biting moments with striving for something bigger, and heroic efforts in the face of overwhelming odds. These are well written, inspiring, and stressful in the right ways.

However, what made this into a book where I searched for another moment to read is the people and their interactions. This is no simple story with one-dimensional characters. Even secondary characters have motivations and flaws.

There is politics, leadership, belief in one’s own purpose, and the strength in quiet moments. There’s desperation, loss, and out-of-the-box thinking that balances high risks against the greater good. I enjoyed the rousing speeches, but the characters’ analysis of motivation and goals among the different bases was excellent. Heck, there’s even a love triangle to shake things up.

There were one, maybe two, small continuity issues that bugged me about the world building. Ultimately, the story carried me along well enough that I let them go, preferring to focus on a complex human drama presented in such a way as to ask the big questions and make me care about the answers.

I connected with the characters, was put in positions where I had to ask myself what I would have done, and worried about the characters who got themselves in dangerous situations. There are funny moments and sweet ones, as well. Just enough to think humanity could still recover if they win rather than be so destroyed by the war they are no longer human. Well worth the read.

P.S. I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. ...more

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May 10, 2016 Meigan rated it liked it

Shelves: kissing-books, dystopian-or-utopian, netgalley, sci-fi, sci-fi-with-romance

In this first installment of the Machinations series, author Hayley Stone gives readers an interesting and mechanical twist on her version of the apocalypse.

In this new and altered world, machines are now the enemy. Once a manmade creation that was supposed to benefit humans, the machines have staged a coup and have essentially turned against their creators. The machines want the humans destroyed; the surviving humans have no other alternative than to hide deep underground and find a way to sto In this first installment of the Machinations series, author Hayley Stone gives readers an interesting and mechanical twist on her version of the apocalypse.

In this new and altered world, machines are now the enemy. Once a manmade creation that was supposed to benefit humans, the machines have staged a coup and have essentially turned against their creators. The machines want the humans destroyed; the surviving humans have no other alternative than to hide deep underground and find a way to stop the machines from taking over the world. Add in a bit of human cloning, and Stone really created a multi-dimensional and layered story.

While I really enjoyed this first installment, there were several things I took issue with, the first being time jumps. Personally, "weeks have passed" is one of my pet peeves, being that not only is the reader not privy to much that happened in that span of time, but the author plays a bit of "fill in the blanks", and really gives a whole lot of tell, don't show. There were several important things that happened during these time jumps, but the most important to me was the mending of Camus' and Rhona's relationship. Much happened behind the scenes, taking away most of the believability and the actual relationship development. There were also several pivotal action sequences that fell into these time jumps, and I was left longing to actually witness how a few of the central characters wound up beaten and bloodied. Had these events been shown and not told, this would have been a solid 4. Unfortunately, having important events glossed over and receiving a token mention was the deciding factor for not only my overall enjoyment, but also my rating.

Bottom line - Stone can tell a good story, and I'm hoping that the things that bothered me in this first installment aren't present in subsequent books in this series, which I ultimately plan to read. I'm also hoping that Stone dives a little deeper into this new world, because while she did provide the basics of the hows and whys, I didn't fully grasp it all. Same with the relationships between characters, and I have hope that most of that will be explored further along in the series. There's a lot of uniqueness and a boatload of creativity involved in this version of the apocalypse, and I recommend Machinations based on that alone.

*eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. ...more

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About Hayley Stone

Hayley Stone

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Hayley Stone is the author of the weird western, MAKE ME NO GRAVE, a current nominee for the Laramie Book Awards, and the sci-fi novel, MACHINATIONS, an Amazon Best Sci-fi & Fantasy Book of the Year for 2016.

She has lived her entire life in sunny California, where the weather is usually perfect and nothing as exciting as a robot apocalypse ever happens. When not reading or writing, she freelances ...more