Starred review from July 19, 2021
Skrutskie’s sweeping second Bloodright Trilogy space opera (following Bonds of Brass) blows away the expectations set in the first act and promises an epic finale to the trilogy to come. Almost-18-year-old Gal emp-Umber has been groomed to rule the brutal Umber empire his entire life. Now Umber has all but defeated the hated Archon empire, leaving only small pockets of rebellion. That is, until Ettian—Gal’s classmate, friend, and love—reveals himself as the long-lost Archon heir, uniting the cause behind himself as emperor. As Ettian’s prisoner, Gal’s kept in a gilded cage, surrounded by people who want him dead by virtue of his name—and others who want him alive for the same reason. Fueled by anger over Ettian’s betrayal, he’s desperately scheming to bring down the Archon rebellion and return to his rightful place, but the question becomes whether he’s ruthless enough to ruin the man he still loves—and their fierce friend Wen—to do so. The easy-flowing narrative expertly immerses readers in Gal’s inner conflict as he strategizes his way out of one precarious situation after another. Along the way, Skrutskie’s breathless, brilliantly written action sequences and tear-jerking quieter moments will keep readers enthralled. This is a knockout. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary.
September 1, 2021
In this sequel to Bonds of Brass (2020), Gal wrestles with his love for Ettian, the boy who took on an empire to save him, and his new role as Ettian's prisoner. Narrated by Gal from his gilded cage on Archon's capital planet, and then from inside Archon's dreadnought flagship in the middle of a war with his mother's empire, the Umber bloodright heir has no idea how to feel about anything. He blames his former roommate and lover for his imprisonment. Then again, Ettian saved his life by taking his throne. But Ettian lied! But so did Gal....All Gal really knows is he's currently Ettian's human shield and the best hope the young emperor has of staying alive once Gal's mother brings the full fury of the Umber fleet down on Ettian's newly crowned head. Meanwhile, Gal's schemes to regain freedom and his own crown dig him deeper into danger when Ettian takes his advice and goes to the front, dragging Gal and their friend Wen--who is known as Archon's new Flame Knight--with him. Gal soon realizes that if he wants to keep his and Wen's heads away from Archon general Iral's ax, Ettian needs to remain in power. And Gal, with all his training and knowledge of true empire, is Ettian's best chance. With so many outcomes leading to death for one or all of them, Gal walks a fine line threaded with panic, post-traumatic stress, and lessons in controlling what you can instead of obsessing over what you can't. Skrutskie strives for a fresh look at the lover-to-hater-and-back-again trope, taking quite a few unexpected detours among her diverse and sprawling worlds. This installment maintains quite a slow burn between all the recaps of the first volume and the necessarily slow machinations of a war in space fought with mileslong ships, but the last third of the book does return to the fast-paced, intimate action many readers came to love in Bonds of Brass. Above all, it's a character study of Gal, whose struggle with panic attacks and PTSD are very real and well done, though he's often hard to like when he's being a selfish, obtuse know-it-all. Readers of the Bloodright Trilogy will enjoy this second installment, despite its leisurely pace, and they'll be left eager for Book 3.
COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
September 1, 2021
Skrutskie's follow-up to Bonds of Brass (2020) continues the story of two young men whose developing romance is complicated by vast galactic conflict. Gal, the heir presumptive to the ruthless Umber Empire, is now in a gilded cage maintained by his former classmate and crush Ettian, the restored leader of a resurgent Archon Empire. This volume in the trilogy follows Gal as his lingering affection for Ettian and their mutual friend Wen wrestles with his years of Umber upbringing demanding he resist and sabotage their nascent resistance movement at every turn. Skrutskie sets her characters' competing political and personal motivations against stellar battle scenes featuring mammoth Umber dreadnoughts and the distinctly Gundam-esque powersuited and ""vibrosword""-wielding Knights of Archon. While new readers will want to start with the first volume in the trilogy, Skrutskie ably avoids common middle-volume pitfalls and creates an engaging narrative that should satisfy existing fans and new readers alike. Recommended for fans of anime-inspired space opera and readers looking for queer relationships in their sf sagas.
COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.