Title: Mother of Machines: Carbon Sunset
Author: Tishaun Dawson
Genre: Sci-fi
Year Published: November 7, 2021

Date Started: December 21, 2021
Date finished: December 23, 2021

I’ve been wanting to read a sci-fi story with a female lead and this one came through. I didn’t read the first book, but based on some of the reviews it wasn’t necessary because it backtracked. I was still able to get the full story without reading it. The story is about Sanaa, a mechanic in the military. She learned about a government secret that she needed to tell the public. It was important that the people on earth knew the truth, so she did what she had to do and revealed this secret. The military wasn’t happy about it, so they tried to take her down. Being the one who controlled the machines, Sanaa had an advantage, but the military just wasn’t going to quietly go away. They were going to do whatever it took to get rid of her.

I enjoyed this story. The premise around robots and “aliens” was fascinating and gave it its own unique twist. The world building and character development may have needed a little bit more work on. I wanted to know more about Sanaa and why she made the choices she did. Her husband was on the quiet side, so it was also hard to figure out why she was with him and what his purpose was. At times, I felt like I had to fill in those pieces with my own experiences. I also found the idea behind the single person hero and a military that isn’t very intelligent a bit unrealistic. Thus, I gave this story a 4-star. Don’t get me wrong. This didn’t take away from the story. This was well written with a truly unique premise. I liked the main character and the fact that she was married and cared about the people. Overall, it’s definitely worth a read, especially if you’re a sci-fi fan.

Who should read this book: If you’re into sci-fi with a female lead or if you’ve never read a sci-fi with a female lead, you’ll enjoy this one.