Hullmetal Girls

In a unit of new recruits vying for top placement in the Scela army, mechanically enhanced soldiers vowed to protect and serve the governing body of the fleet. Aisha Un-Haad, a janitor from the end of the Fleet, volunteers for the Scela army. If she can survive the modifications of becoming Scela and earn a place in the elite ranks, she could have a better shot at paying for a treatment for her sick brother. Key Tanaka awakens in a Scela body, with only hazy memories of her life before, a life of luxury that she can’t remember wanting to give up. With violence on the horizon and secrets coming to surface, Aisha and Key must give up their differences if they want to keep humanity from tearing itself apart.

Personally, I really enjoyed reading Hullmetal Girls. All the main characters in the book grew throughout the story and managed to become stronger versions of themselves at the end. One of the biggest developments of the characters, in my opinion, was how they were all open (in one sense or another) about gender and sexuality, with the main characters (not just the two main characters that the reader follows throughout the story) all being members of the LGBTQ+ community. Even though sexuality and gender aren’t really touched upon outside of that scene, I personally enjoyed seeing the scene, as it made the characters more relatable (especially for readers who may be struggling with the topics of gender and sexuality).