BioShifter: Volume 2 [January 18, 2025]

[Yanique, Thread Master]

This is a Buddy Read for Bioshifter: Volume 2 by Natalie Maher starting on January 18, 2025.


Happy Reading!

[Nirkatze]

Series schedule:

Series:
1. Bioshifter: Volume 1 (Oct 18) [link]
2. Bioshifter: Volume 2 (Jan 18)
3. Bioshifter: Volume 3 (Feb 18) [link]

Audio: Audible Only
Eye: Not on KU (but $5 on Kindle), Hoopla, or Open Library

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Ready for more 4D Hyper Spider shenanigans...

Hopefully you guys enjoy it as much as I do... I feel like I was the most hyped about book 1...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

STARTED...

Chapter 1: Bird Mode: super relatable opening :D

[Virginie]

Ooooh, I didn't realize there was a BR for this. I finished Volume 1 a few hours ago and LOVED it.
Wait, that means comments to read on the vol 1 threads... :D

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Virginie wrote: "Ooooh, I didn't realize there was a BR for this. I finished Volume 1 a few hours ago and LOVED it.
Wait, that means comments to read on the vol 1 threads... :D"

Did you read it on my recommendation, other Thundamoo recommendations, or just coincidentally?

I found/started with Vigor Mortis 2 years ago... then we read Hive Minds Give Good Hugs, and the finale to Vigor Mortis when it released a long time after the Writers' Strike / Screen Actor's Guild Strike delays... the we decided to start seeding these in a shared slot with Ravensdagger cozy LitRPGs...

We read #1 back in October for Spooktober, and I failed to get the original schedule changed to continue sooner...

I seemed to love it the most of everyone... Nirkatze & Emily enjoyed, and Ann-Marie DNF'd...

I immediately latched onto the 4D Hyper Spider concept...

Maybe I'm weird, tho... because I've been loving book 2, as well, and half the things I love about it are disturbing, lol... if looked at objectively from an outsider perspective...

I'm in chapter 5, so far, so about 24hrs have passed in the story so far... 1 cycle in each world and 2nd cycle on Earth...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Therapy: (view spoiler)[that therapy session was great... I hope the therapist can handle the reveal, when it inevitably happens, because she'll probably be super helpful, if she can... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Chapter 9: 2 full cycles: (view spoiler)[the mugger returns, and things progress in surprising ways...

It definitely feels like everything's gonna hit the fan sooner than later... it's kinda like being Patient Zero to an epidemic... the more people gain magic, the more potential for magic/souls to spread uncontrollably... (hide spoiler)]

[Virginie]

I read Hive Minds Give Good Hugs a few days ago, then immediately dove into Bioshifter vol1. It was on my TBR on your recommendation (I think, I don't see how it would have ended up on my TBR otherwise).
Yeah, I love weird stuff and this fits the bill. I love vol1 for the disturbing things as well.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I'll laugh at something and then think "should I really be laughing at this?"...

Alot of what's happening is messed up, but the MC is just reacting on instinct in crazy situations, and trying to understand herself... and not be a monster...

And she wonders why people think she has autism, just because she does all the autism things :D

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

This/these books are so bonkers, and I feel like I need to comment immediately, or I forget what I wanted to say, other than just gushing about loving everything...

(view spoiler)[the moral dilemma of these murderous characters is just what sells it all to me... the MC constantly has to kill people, but not killing people would kinda be worse (altho, then the trauma of returning to Earth after leads to some close calls, because of the OTHER trauma in her childhood/family life)...

I also just love the random terminator that's been added to the story... reminds me of Arrival (hide spoiler)]

I listened to other stuff at work today, and am back to this at home now...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Holy. Shit.

The fact that I can say that about THIS book, is impressive...

But, man oh man... Chapter 22: Breaking Point...

This chapter has been so painful to read...

(view spoiler)[days upon days of torture in Tree-World, and then the Breaking Point turns out to be on Earth-World, after accidentally / purposefully pulling Ulna into Tree-World, planning a worldhopping rescue operation, and shit hitting the fan with Hannah's family/church/mugger's mom all at the same time...

Honestly, this was a long time coming, but I didn't see it coming all at once, honestly... at least she upped her therapy to twice a week :D (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I dunno if it's healthy, but I definitely prefer the story when things are going decently well for the MCs... or on an upward trend after the bad times... like now, midway through chapter 23:

(view spoiler)[Scylla/5314 is reminding me of the Cyberman head Matt Smith's Doctor carried around in his final episode, at the moment :D (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I've been comparing the characters/relationships of this series to Vigor Mortis alot, especially here in book 2...

I'm seriously questioning how everything can be resolved in book 3, but I could say the same thing about Vigor Mortis 4... so I'm sure Thundamoo will pull it off, even if she/they have to zoom out and cover larger timescales...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Final chapters have been full of great/natural/unexpected developments... (view spoiler)[Hannah finally talked with her brother a bit... confronted mom/parents... things progressed a bit with 5134, real heart to heart... breaking up with Autumn/Ulna (such a toxic relationship, apparently, as details were revealed)...

Now, how is Hannah gonna thwart the Goddess' apocalypse goals (because she's bored?)...

And that ignores everything that happened with Helen... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Late Chapter 27: (view spoiler)[this feels like it's about to be the weirdest high school montage movie ever, lol (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

End of Chapter 27: (view spoiler)[Hannah couldn't even make it through one class, before going Full Hannah, lol... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Final chapter and I'm giggling like a fool... (view spoiler)[the reactions at work are priceless... especially as Hannah is embracing her quirks, and just calling coworkers by number, LOL, since she never learned their names... she's totally getting the assistant manager job at some point... (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Woo lots of spoilers to look forward to! I started today but i havent got much reading done lately because of other time commitments...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I was really into it...

[Tonari no Emily]

Through Chapter 6.. I think I'm more interested in the "real" world side of things than the World Tree stuff right now.. The last book I think my interest shifted based on what's going on but one thing (view spoiler)[ that's been fun/funny is the new robot and its announcement of diplomacy infractions xD. Reminds me of Service Model which is just the last robot heavy book I read...

Accidentally giving Autumn a tail with a mouth is rather horrifying lol
But I think that's the scene on the cover of the book... I really hope the tail isn't THAT big, because holy shit xD

Also Ida getting booped by the goddess was interesting.. I'm still trying to figure out how magic works... I think it depends on the type of magic, different rules for different types, etc. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Tonari no Emily wrote: "Through Chapter 6....."

I think I was the same way, for the most part... the magic system is explained some more, later, but (view spoiler)[I think it's fair to say it's a soft magic system... that's the kind where the rules are fluid right, and basically anything is possible?... that's what I mean, anyway... The Goddess can do whatever she wants, but in general people get magic types that fit their personality/desires... Ida is a narcissistic mage, Autumn/Ulna/Jet is Dissociative Identity Mage... Ulna gets magic that lets her hide, Jet gets magic that make her stronger/more badass... that tail is more of a hybrid that lets her personalities leak over...

And these magic types can be stretched by anything you can reasonably make fit with some imagination... and your magic types also provide resistances to same/opposite effects...

That robot is literally a Terminator/Murderbot... but it definitely has funny quirks, too... (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Tonari no Emily wrote: "Through Chapter 6....."

I think I was the same way, for the most part... the magic system is explained some more, later, but I think it's fair to say it's a soft magic syst..."
Through Chapter 18 and definitely got more magic system tidbits! (view spoiler)[ I would agree its a soft system. I generally define those as no hard and fast rules. But I think soft-hard is a spectrum rather than a binary. This is somewhat in between because it does have some definitions. Like the different types of magics, Numa, Order, etc...
And learning more about the Goddess... Man that's kinda fucked up. But maybe that's just Hannah's perspective? She's described as a bored kid playing with ants though... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Agree on the spectrum... and I'm fine with the spectrum... I have varying levels of problems with No System... AKA, the author can just do whatever they want and invent new magic systems at the drop of a hat... that happens like 5 times in the Cycle of Galand series...

The early series had the banned magic system and the allowed magic system... then the MCs went to a secluded island and learned another magic system... then to another connected world and learned another... then to the other side of the original continent and learned another... and I probably forgot one or 2, since it's been awhile... the author basically creates unsolvable problems and solves them with mystic magical systems hidden away...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Tonari no Emily wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Tonari no Emily wrote: "Through Chapter 6....." ..."

(view spoiler)[I don't think The Goddess has done anything to convince me the perspective is wrong... she seems to relish Hannah's interpretation... (hide spoiler)]

You're getting close to chapter 22...

[Tonari no Emily]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Agree on the spectrum... and I'm fine with the spectrum... I have varying levels of problems with No System... AKA, the author can just do whatever they want and invent new magic systems at the dro..."

Ugh, yeah that's just "this works because plot points", which is just not good writing lol

[Tonari no Emily]

Yeah went and binged the rest.. (view spoiler)[You're right about 22 when basically everything hit the fan! I was waiting for a "fuck it" moment that she would reveal stuff..
For me, the truest horror of her situation is never having a break! As soon as she goes to sleep she wakes up in her other body. I could not deal with that!
Wow the Autumn situation was super toxic! I'm wondering if we'll get a bit more of her past in the next one, and who else she ended up obsessed with... i also much prefer Jet over Ulna...
Ida is great. She's honestly a really good friend to Hannah in her own fucked up way lol. But she encouraged her to see that her mom, while not outright abusing her, was still centering herself and not her daughter in the relationship...
The therapist is the best!
Valerie coming out was super cute, and she's a great friend as well.. I bet they end up together by the end (if things don't turn out fantastically bad for everyone involved lol)
The boss being basically cool with everything as long as Hannah does her job well was hilarious lol

(hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Tonari no Emily wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Agree on the spectrum... and I'm fine with the spectrum... I have varying levels of problems with No System... AKA, the author can just do whatever they want and invent new ma..."

The Free Bastards came close to triggering that in me... introduced alot of character that were like plague carriers... living embodiments of plagues that didn't die, and could just walk around infecting people... that's what I remember anyway, it's been awhile...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Tonari no Emily wrote: "Yeah went and binged the rest..."

Yea... chapter 23-28 were pretty awesome in general, and I agree with everything you said about Ida/Jet/etc...

[Tonari no Emily]

The next one is the last right?

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Yea... then we've read everything available as an audiobook...

Are You Even Human: Volume 1 released on Amazon last summer, so I have hopes that it'll start getting turned into audiobooks later this year... and hopefully a Volume 2 is forthcoming... that's the current Patreon series that's been going awhile... not sure how far it is through the story, but it's the one I've mentioned a few times that's basically superheroes vs Eldritch Monsters from other dimensions... and the MC is a shapeshifter that accidentally got stuck in the body of her like high school bully/nemesis as her default form when she's not in combat forms...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Looked more into AYEHv1, and the ebook has 27 chapters... Royal Road is up to chapter 32... Patreon is up to chapter 42...

So if V1 releases on audio we're a ways away from v2/v3 coming out (at this point, I kinda just assume most Thundamoo stories are gonna be 3-4 volumes max, unless something changes... they're much better at writing contained stories vs going on forever, it seems... and have tons of ideas they want to explore in various ways...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I don't know much/anything about Magical Girl Mechanical Heart, other than what I can guess from having read Vigor Mortis, Hive Minds Give Good Hugs, BioShifter, and the AYEH blurb :D

All I know for sure is that it has 29 chapters

EDIT: Found the answer on Tumblr:

horatiovonbecker asked:

I don't know whether Magical Girl Mechanical Heart is in fact Feminine Teenage Superhero Gets Enslaved As Assassin Sexbot, but that's kinda the impression I've gotten? Was that the intended vibe?

thundamoo answered:

Magical Girl Mechanical Heart is a story about an otherwise fairly normal but very depressed girl getting kidnapped by magical girl villains and turned into a combat robot slave. I would describe her as not a superhero, assassin, or sexbot, though there is certainly a bit of sexual tension between her and various members of the villain group, including an adorable otter girl mechanic and of course the big bad bitch on the front cover that the main character is compelled to obey.

The story also occasionally follows the perspective of one of the magical girls as she struggles with plurality and having been a child soldier since she was eight and not having any coping mechanisms for that.

I would say that if you are interested in the story premise of "Feminine Teenage Superhero Gets Enslaved As Assassin Sexbot," you'd probably like Magical Girl Mechanical Heart, but that's more of how I market the story than how the story actually is. It's more of a mix of action, intrigue, and a specific variety of psychological horror that many people on this website just so happen to find extremely sexy. If that's you, great! If it's not, enjoy the psychological horror! I'm pretty flexible like that.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Thundamoo is definitely one of the authors I need to find more content similar to... I think most suggestions online link to other Royal Road authors...

[Nirkatze]

Started this, and through Chapter 4--I think I'm a bit opposite of Emily at this point, I'm feeling more comfortable with the World Tree parts than the Our World parts--(view spoiler)[Hannah's continuing transformations make my stomach turn over, though I do like the friend relationships and seeing them all troubleshoot. I also liked the opening, with the annoying person at her work, and having to navigate a potential promotion she doesn't feel comfortable with. Like Iain, I found that super relatable.

But it's easier to swallow Hannah's transformations from cute spider blob to more human on the World Tree side, and I like the more fantasy world there too--and meeting 53114. I was thinking of Nurse Ratched in In the Lives of Puppets and her constant off-color jokes. I really want to read Service Model. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

It's interesting how differently everyone's interaction with this book/series has been... Me, Virginie, Emily, Nirkatze... and Ann-Marie's double DNF...

[Nirkatze]

In Chapter 7 and am loving the Therapist session. (view spoiler)[I'm yelling YES TELL HER at the book right now.

The author must've either have experience with therapists or have gotten writing advice, because that session was really good. And the nightmare of her previous therapist... damn. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I'm sure the author has had therapy...

[Tonari no Emily]

Oop, didnt realize Iain replied a few days ago. Thanks for the deep dive into Thundamoos work. Ive really enjoyed all their writing so far, it all has similar themes and its just so delightfully weird!

[Nirkatze]

It seems like they learned a lot from their sessions... Like how to ask questions in the right way...

Through Chapter 17 and another great therapy session--(view spoiler)[Hah! She's out of the closet to her therapist! And she just takes five minutes and then goes on professionally. Good therapist.

Hannah helping that robber--and she still doesn't think of herself as a good person. Really needs that therapist. Though I can see that coming around to bite her later... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Chapter 22-23 was a great OMG moment. (view spoiler)[Hannah did indeed shoot herself in the foot with the mugger and his mom... maybe if things weren't so chaotic she'd have found time to actually work with them? They've been given one set of guidelines--don't EVER speak spells out loud--but otherwise just cut loose to deal with the changes in their lives with no anchor. Hannah can't really blame them for resorting to what they do know--church/religion--to make sense of things when she never took the time to actually explain.

But then, they did just rather fuck over her life. You'd think people would have more sense than to go around proclaiming miracles without talking to the person they're blaming for it first. But then, they probably don't read a lot of fantasy books and aren't familiar with how that can mess things up. Going to be interesting now the cat's out of the bag. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Chapter 27 (view spoiler)[Love seeing Hannah finally have it out with her mom. Their relationship reminds me a lot of mine with my mom... only thankfully not quite so toxic or quite so controlling--but just as absolutely certain that she is always right. It makes me feel as bad for the mom for being unable to bend--she needs a therapist too, or she'll lose the family she loves but can't understand. The dad is a bit of a disappointment--but I'm glad Hannah's getting a bit of a good interaction with her brother. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Finished! I enjoyed this more than the first one--in part I think because the focus was more on magic and the world changes, and the characters mental well-beings and less on the insanity that was the physical changes--though that was still part of it. (view spoiler)[The physical changes also calmed down--Hannah seems to have mostly finished sloughing off bits of skin by about 1/3 of the way through the book. It's also easier to stomach now that she's completely out and not hiding herself anymore. Her going to school was a fun sequence right at the end--that Gym teacher is in for a surprise. The chemistry teacher really missed out on a great opportunity. But I can also empathize with a teacher being too overwhelmed with general teaching stuff to properly react to something as left field as Hannah--and if it's not disrupting the class, don't mess with it. (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Nirkatze wrote: "Chapter 22-23 was a great OMG moment. ?..."

Heh, just wanted to point out your word choice of (view spoiler)[ "blaming" Hannah for the miracle. Made me chuckle. (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Nirkatze wrote: "Finished! I enjoyed this more than the first one--in part I think because the focus was more on magic and the world changes, and the characters mental well-beings and less on the insanity that was ..."

For sure, a lot less body horror! And more dealing with implications of what (view spoiler)[ bringing magic to the world means... Also thought it was really cool she could bring people with her to the other world. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Yea, that was a game changer... book 3 should be interesting...

[Nirkatze]

Glad I got a chuckle out of you Emily!

I am *really* hoping that (view spoiler)[Hannah's physical changes have stabilized for the third book... at least in "our" world. (hide spoiler)]