Dreadnought (Nemesis, #1)
by April Daniels
I started this while I was still slogging through [b:Vengeance Road|23719270|Vengeance Road (Vengeance Road, #1)|Erin Bowman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422925649l/23719270.SX50.jpg|41187933] and they're really a study in contrasts. Dreadnought has more shoehorned explanation, but it's also considerably more compelling and very hard to put down. (I was late to work this morning!)
Dreadnought is wish fulfillment in many ways, but also thoughtful about the wishes that are being fulfilled. Even when the writing is awkward or the drama gets a bit too thick, it's fascinating. The worldbuilding is wonderful, though the infodumps could have been better incorporated into the story.
The biggest difference to Vengeance Road is the characters. Everyone has such clear, strong motivations (except maybe Danielle's parents, but it's fair that a story told from Danielle's perspective is too close to the situation to get a good view of what they're like as people). I love all of Danielle's mistakes and missteps. I love Calamity, and I really want to meet the rest of her family. I kind of adore Doc?? She reminds me of the middle aged queer mentors I've had.
tl;dr: Imperfect but passionate. If the premise sounds even a little interesting to you, I strongly recommend it.