Title: Empress of a Thousand Skies (#1)
Author: Rhoda Belleza
Published by: Razorbill
Released: February 2017
Source: Library
Synopsis: Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta'an wants vengeance.
The only surviving heir to an ancient Kalusian dynasty, Rheehas spent her life training to destroy the people who killed her family. Now, on the eve of her coronation, the time has finally come for Rhee to claim her throne - and her revenge.
Alyosha is a Wraetan who has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. Despite his popularity, Aly struggles with anti-Wraetan prejudices and the pressure of being perfect in the public eye.
Their paths collide with one brutal act of violence: Rhee is attacked, barely escaping with her life. Aly is blamed for her presumed murder.
The princess and her accused killer are forced to go into hiding - even as a war between planets is waged in Rhee's name. But soon, Rhee and Aly discover that the assassination attempt is just one part of a sinister plot. Bound together by an evil that only they can stop, the two fugitives must join forces to save the galaxy. (Synopsis from Goodreads)
My Thoughts: I really, really liked this! It was a fun space romp and I'm here for it. I've become a really big fan of space books, space shows, and other science fiction goodness, and Empress of a Thousand Skies offered me just the space book I was hoping for. I just had a lot of fun reading it, and that is all that really matters when it comes to books that I enjoy and recommend.
There are two character perspectives we go between in this story, Alyosha and Rhiannon. Rhee is the last in the line of the Royal family of Ta'an. The rest of her family was lost in a spaceship explosion. She's just about to turn 16 and go through the coronation to become Empress, and then somebody tries to kill her. Rhee could be a little rash, she didn't always think things through, but she was all right.
My favorite of the two characters was probably Alysoha. He's a Wraetan refugee who became a reality star on Drone Vision with his crewmate Vin. They are soldiers in the army, patrolling the galaxy, and then everything goes to crap. Aly's story was the one I enjoyed reading the most. I liked him.
One thing that I really enjoyed about this set-up was that these two characters never really, truly meet. I thought that was kind of clever, because whenever you read a book with a guy and girl perspective, you just assume that they will meet and fall in love, but that didn't happen with Empress of a Thousand Skies, and it was refreshing.
This book had a lot of action. It was really fun. There were some parts that really made me sad, others made me glad, and some shocks too. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. Sure, there were some predictable twists and non-surprising surprises, but I enjoyed every bit of it. I really liked some of the secondary characters. Vin and Aly had this friendship that I really loved. The robot Pavel was the best! Dahlen is a very interesting character too and I can't wait to see more from him.
While reading this, I got a little bit of a vibe of Firefly. I don't use that lightly because I love Firefly, and I wouldn't put that out there if I didn't really feel it. The plot isn't anything like Firefly, but while I was reading some scenes, I just got that Firefly vibe. The sass, the sarcasm, the camaraderie, that's what reminded me of Firefly, and it just made reading this book that much more enjoyable. It also reminded me a little bit of the Universe of Star Wars because of all the different planets and alien species.
I thought Empress of a Thousand Skies was great! That pretty cover didn't lie to me, it contained a great story. I can't wait to see what happens and where it goes next. I'd definitely recommend it.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4.2/5
SPACE!! I Love It!
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