Okay so when I first heard of Bonds of Brass I was immediately hooked. It sounded exactly like the kind of sci-fi novel that I needed after the disappointment that was the final Star Wars movie (no FinnPoe content really irked me). I was so excited when I got approved for the e-ARC, so a big thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read this early.

This is the gay sci-fi novel I needed. There are SO MANY of my favorite tropes in this book: bffs-to-lovers, secret heirs, forbidden romance, fake dating, angst, ahhhh! I loved all of it.

The story itself was wonderfully written and the characters were just wonderful to read about. This really did fill my FinnPoe needing heart. The action was well-written, the pacing was on point, the stakes were high and kept the story moving, and I just loved it.

I can’t wait to have a physical copy in my hands and I also can’t wait for the sequel!

A blogger that I follow on Goodreads said this book was great and I have to agree. I normally hate science fiction/dystopian novels, but I couldn't get enough of this one. If anything, it was more than a little cliched. A Star Wars-type world that unapologetically used every trope in the book would be a good way to describe this. However, there's a reason why all of these tropes are so popular and I have to say that I loved the execution. This book is definitely one of my favorite science fiction novels now. I loved the character development with the incomplete backstories that helped make the cliffhanger even more interesting and in general I love how the plot developed.
I would mainly recommend this book to people who enjoy sci-fi, but also anybody who likes Star Wars, friends-to-lovers romances, and more. This book could really please a lot of people and I commend Emily Skrutskie on a job well done.

I was anticipating this book even though its the first I've read by this author, and it turned out to be everything I was hoping and more.

First, I will never *ever* get tired of "band of misfits in space with a healthy disregard for the rules - but make it gay." Second, this ticks a whole lot of my favorite tropes boxes. Friends-to-lovers (to enemies), forbidden relationship, scrappy chaos girl, oops there's only one bed, secret identities, one disaster after another, lies and betrayals and reversals of fortune... The list goes on.

The writing was tight and well-crafted with our characters falling from one disaster to another and secrets revealed slowly through the story. I sorta guessed one of the big ones early on, but that did nothing to lessen my enjoyment of watching it play out. First-person present *really* works here, lending everything that extra edge of frantic immediacy.

I read this book over the course of about 24 hours completely without meaning to, because it sucked me in with action from the first pages and never let me go and now I cannot wait for the next installment of this trilogy and will be snapping it up at the first opportunity.

reviewed on goodreads and my blog
will review on amazon and b&n on release date

Bonds of Brass was a rollercoaster of twists and turns that really held my attention all the way through. The characters were great, well-written and engaging, and the storyline really drew me in. That ending left me desperate for more, I cannot wait.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by NetGalley*

DNF

I DNFed very early on because the writing style and I did not gel. I'm sure the book is terrific (as evidenced by the glowing reviews, so don't let this dissuade you. YMMV and you should try an excerpt to see if the voice appeals.

I really liked the first 40-50% of this book but after that point I got kind of bored and confused with the story. I didn't like the pacing. There was too much action and not enough character interactions. And I don't think it had enough of Ettian's thoughts and feelings to really understand his motivations.(though I do think that that was intentional)

The relationship between Ettian and Gal seemed a little too rushed and I didn't understand why they wanted to be together. There wasn't enough of their friendship to understand why they even liked each other or how it got from that point to being in love.

Overall, I was just really disappointed and I wish I didn't go into it with such high expectations and I don't think I'll read the rest of the series.

For the disappointed Finnpoe fans out there, this book is for you. Ettian and Gal are pilots in training who have been roommates for years. When Gal is outed as the heir of their ruling empire, Ettian has to give up everything to help his friend from being used as a political pawn. Their adventures lead them to distant worlds and a rebel faction that would kill Gal easily, given the chance. But Ettian is harboring secrets of his own that threaten their growing relationship, and Ettian has to choose between his birthright and the man he loves.

This is a fun action packed book, and I would recommend it for fans of Star Wars, Illuminae, and Star Trek. Some of the character development and Ettian’s reason for obsessing over Gal weren’t developed enough, and I had a hard time believing some of the characters’ motivations. The twist at the end was good, if predictable, but I think it’ll make book two very interesting.

Man. This book. Get ready for a bit of a squee here, because this book was just phenomenal.

This is the story of Ettian and Gal. They are pilots cadets in an Umber Empire academy located in former Archon Empire territory. They are best friends, roommates, and… in Ettian’s mind, perhaps something more than that. Ettian pulled himself out of the ashes of his homeland when the Umber Empire invaded it and took everything from him. Gal, despite being born and raised in the Umber interior, has always made Ettian feel just like another normal cadet.

When a group of students suddenly tries to assassinate Gal out of nowhere, his secret gets out. He’s not Gal Veres. He’s Gal emp-Umber, the heir to the Umber Empire. With Ettian’s help, Gal flees into a neutral territory where they find a base full of Archon rebels who are gearing up to attempt to take back their land. Ettian is shocked to find people still willing to fight for an empire that Umber so thoroughly conquered. He’s rightfully finding it rather hard to reconcile his feelings for Gal as well. So, does he side with Gal and help him get home, or does he side with the rebellion, and help take back his own home?

I started this book late one night, which was really my mistake because I didn’t get much sleep that night. It’s really quite riveting right from the start. Ettian is such a well written character, and I found him rather easy to cheer for. He’s got a brutal past that he doesn’t like to go in to (this is told in first person from his POV), but those events still shape him and the decisions he makes. It gives him a huge dose of angst, but not annoyingly so, in my opinion. Gal is another character that it’s hard not to cheer for, since he is so charismatic (when he wants to be). He has depth as well, which you see as events happen throughout the story. Their relationship has many ups and downs, as information comes to light, or events take place, but it’s also thrown a bit with the inclusion of a third character, a street urchin named Wen (who carries a rainbow umbrella as her primary weapon), who Ettian takes under his wing, more or less.

The relationship between Ettian and Gal was really well put together (and often adorable). It had a fair deal of the ‘will they or won’t they’ in it, while actually making me both want them to and want them not to (which is super uncommon for me, who typically thinks all characters with even a little bit of chemistry should definitely mush bits of each other together a bunch ^_^). It is one of those romances in which these two really, really don’t communicate as well as they should though. I found this frustrating, but in a… compelling way? It made me want to read more, to see when and how they resolve their problems. I can see this being a sticking point for some people though.

The prose was fantastic, and the world that was built was a very realistic-feeling one, with a great attention to little details. The entire book is quite compelling and fast-paced, but man, the last quarter of this book was an actual emotional thrillride. I highlighted so many quotes that I’m a little surprised that there are still un-highlighted bits of this book left. This is definitely a book that I will want to read again. And again…. and again.

Thanks to the author, as well as Del Rey via NetGalley for the review copy.

Empress of a Thousand Skies meets Starflight meets Light Years.
I am always here for more 'spacey' Scifi. What drew me into the premise of Bonds of Brass as well was the promise of some of my favorite relationship tropes and of course boarding school. All my favorite pieces are there, they just never really connected for me.
The story was fairly fast-paced and the characters were mostly likable so maybe it's a me not you situation. Though, the entire page in the first chapter talking about teeth almost made me dnf right then. (personal thing) 😬 And since I'm a mood reader and there are so many other amazing reviews for Bonds of Brass, if you enjoy Scifi then I definitely still recommend checking it out. I will try to pick it up again at a later date.

Thank you to Random House for the opportunity to review Bonds of Brass.

This book was simply awesome.

LGBTQ+ romance, sci-fi, lots of twists and surprises. I feel in love with the main characters, Ettian, Gal, and Wen.

The best thing about Emily Skrutskie's Bonds of Brass? There is a sequel!!

4.5 Stars- Minimal Spoilers
I received an E-book Arc of this book from Net Galley.
Wow Just Wow! This book was so incredible. Bonds of brass is about two teens/ best friends Ettian and Gal that are attending a Military academy. While they are their the secret comes out that Gal is the Umber-The current empire that took over and destroyed the previous Archon empire and Ettian's life- Heir. The two escape and Ettian has to decided whether on not to help his best friend or turn away. There are so many things I enjoyed about this book:
-The action: This novel was so action packed and thrilling. The middle of the book is kinda slow but every other part is action packed.
- I loved how the book almost jumped straight into the action and wasted no time getting straight to the point.
-WEN. I loved the character Wen, she brought so much to this book. She gave us humor and basically half of the plot.
There is one thing that I wished I saw more of which is Romance. I really wish there was more romance between Ettian and Gal. I understand why there wasn't a lot but is still wish there was more.
This was the first book I read from Emily and I really enjoyed it. I loved her writing, it really made the book so real.I will definitely check out the res of her books.
I can not wait for the rest of the series because damn that ending tho!!

This review was also posted to Goodreads.

What I Liked:
- If you like best friends to lovers then this book is definitely for you. It felt so nice going into this established friendship and seeing from the start that Gal and Ettian both definitely like each other. The flirting, mutual pining, and gazing into each other’s eyes!? It all combined into this perfect “we want to, but we shouldn’t” slow burn that was absolute torture and I loved every second of it.
- This book is pretty action-packed too. Gal and Ettian are constantly getting thrown into crazy situations that they have to fight their way out of. And those situations become even crazier once they befriend Wen, a street urchin/con artist with a thirst for revenge who also has a rainbow umbrella that doubles as a knife!
- Gal, Ettian and Wen are the perfect trio, because they have a balance with their different yet similar personalities. (For example: Wen- Let’s blow it up. Gal- Let’s not blow it up, yet. Ettian- Let’s try not to blow it up at all.) The author tweeted that they’re like Tulio, Miguel and Chel from The Road to El Dorado and I have to agree, honestly.
- The representation in this book was great. Gal and Ettian’s feelings for each other set this story up as a m/m romance, but there were also a lot of LGBT+ side characters mentioned. The only label specific label I’ve seen was bisexual (and that was on the author’s twitter not in the book itself), but I’m excited about the possibilities for this series. It feels like this is going to be a very non-heteronormative world. I’m hoping that as the adventures continue, even more characters with different queer identities are introduced.
- Another piece of representation that I appreciated was for mental health. Gal clearly struggles with anxiety. He is constantly afraid of being captured and killed, but he is also scared of not living up to the expectations of his parents and his empire. Ettian also lives with the guilt he has over what he did to survive when the Umber Empire invaded his home, and what it means now to be loyal to that empire’s heir. I felt like it was well done how each boy turned in on himself in moments of doubt and stress, and how they had to learn to confide their fears in each other.

What I Disliked:
- Basically there was only one thing that I disliked: it does get a little slow around two thirds of the way in. The only conflict that’s really driving the story forward at this point is Gal and Ettian being stubborn and not communicating with each other enough. After all the craziness they were thrown into in the beginning, their fears and questioning each other’s trust was understandable (and appreciated, see my earlier point about enjoying their mental health rep)… But it got to a point where they were being really dramatic and all I wanted was for them to just talk to each other about their feelings! So is this very minor complaint just me being an impatient ungrateful reader who just wanted the characters to kiss already!? Yeah, maybe a little.

Final Thoughts:
This was a fantastic book about the bonds of love and friendship, and what we will do for each other when tested. It was full of tropes, and action. I always kind of had a guess about what would happen in the end, but these ridiculously dramatic characters kept throwing me for a loop. Gal and Ettian were the best part of this book. I loved them and their Super Extra™ plotting and pining. I couldn’t put this book down and now I don’t know how I’m going to wait for the next one. Bonds of Brass is out in a month and I highly recommend you pick it up so we can scream about it together.

My Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5)

I Would Recommend This Book To:
- Readers looking for a space opera style sci-fi that sweeps across worlds and empires.
- Reader who want to see some sarcastic, dramatic, flirtatious characters fall into some of our favorite tropes. (there was onLY ONE BED!?!?)
- And literally anyone else, I’m going to rec this to everyone.

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

- Review posted: 3/7/20
- Posted on: emhoardsbooks.wordpress.com & @emhoardsbooks on Goodreads
- Links available to both in the links section

From the outset, the world of BONDS OF BRASS is absolutely fascinating: from the naming system to the mechanics of every ship flown, Skrutskie has clearly put a lot of time and effort into the creation of the world Ettian and Gal inhabit, and that work has paid off. I particularly appreciated learning why Rana was conquered by the Umber Empire, as I have often been disappointed in books' explanations for war and conquest. The characters, too, were an absolute delight to read about, from Wen to Esperza, and the romance between Ettian and Gal was the perfect inclusion to balance out the heaviness of the war-making. The reveal of Ettian's true past and name wasn't that much of a surprise, as I began to suspect why he was withholding so much information of his past from not only the reader but Gal, his best friend, but I appreciated how it came out and look forward to seeing how Gal balances his love of Ettian with Ettian's true identity going forward. The sheer amount of diversity was such a breath of fresh air, as I myself am a queer woman: From the casualness and acceptance of Gal and Ettian's relationship to Sims' two mothers, this was a future of a world that gives me hope.

This book was a RIDE from start to finish and I couldn't be happier with it. Great characters and fascinating worldbuilding, the humor comes through in the narrative and dialogue. The plot hits all its beats and sticks the landing with an incredible reveal that will gratify close readers and genre fans. I'll be recommending this book all over the place and buying a copy for myself.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and in exchange for my honest review of the book.

I have been craving another fun space opera and Skrutskie did not disappoint with the first installation in her Bloodright Trilogy. From the beginning, I was completely hooked and on the edge of my seat. Ettian has been through so much trauma in such a short period of time. He lost everything he ever knew when the Archon Empire was overthrown and he’s since had to adapt and make a new way for himself under Umber rule. He is not only a fighter but more importantly a survivor. This is why it’s so impressive that he maintains his loyalty to Gal even when it is not a smart or easy choice. Somehow, he manages the courage to stand up to his own Archon-born peers in order to protect and defend his friend, someone born of the rival empire that took everything from him.

I loved how some of my favorite tropes were included and executed in this book. Beginning with teens on a military training base it has those boarding school vibes, the friends to “something more” trope, and of course the whole star-crossed element with the main characters literally being from opposing worlds. The way that Skrutskie built the world and imbued her characters with such heart and charisma was wonderful. I love the quirks of the characters Ettian and Gal encounter along the way on their adventure. Wen really stole my heart with her scrappy tenacity and rainbow umbrella. I truly enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the sequels because I need to know what happens next. I am eagerly awaiting the book’s release so that I can recommend it to my library patrons.

I haven't stopped screaming about this book since I finished it. Am I still screaming? Wait a second - let me check. Hmm - yep. Definitely still screaming.

What do you get when you blend together Star Wars, The IMPERIAL RADCH series, Brandon Sanderson's SKYWARD, Victoria Lee's FEVERWAKE series, and, strangely enough, THE FOLK OF THE AIR trilogy? This amazing book. The tropes alone are worth it: unrequited love, forbidden love, ROYAL love, there's only one bed, and oh my god - they were <i>roommates</i>.

First, there's the characters. Ettian is a spunky, resourceful orphan of war that suffered through the invasion and conquering of his home, and faced with no other options, joined his conqueror's military academy. He acts like a teenager. He has teenaged ambitions - fly fast, live life, make something of himself from what little remains. He has complicated feelings for his bunkmate, Gal. He hurts, and has conflicting opinions, and suffers from keeping too much bottled away from the rest of the world, and honestly, could you blame him? Ettian is as real as it gets when it comes to main characters. I <i>ached</i> for him for most of this book, for the way he keeps himself at arm's length from Gal, for the way he struggles with his identity, for the way he tries his absolute best to find compromise in a situation that has none. Gal, for all his credit, is equally incredible. He twists and turns, ebbs and flows, between facets of his own character - sometimes he's cute and bubbly and young, but then other times he'll flash a side of himself that's downright terrifying, and sometimes both happen within the span of a single sentence. And I still love him.

I could not get enough of these two. They're both terribly flawed characters doing their best. Being dropped into the middle of their will-they-won't-they budding relationship was <i>perfect</i>. Having their romance as a backdrop for the plot, as a motivator behind the way each character acts within the <i>scope</i> of the plot, made everything feel that much more real. Both Ettian and Gal hand out selfishness and selflessness in equal measure, because they're both so young, and so <i>confused</i>, and I want to read a million words of these two fumbling over and around and between each other.

And then the PLOT!!! Holy <i>crap</i>, this plot. Space politics is and always will be my jam, so this book did a perfect job of scratching that itch for me. The grey morality of both empires - Ettian's former and Gal's current - makes it SO hard to pick a side, which you'll struggle to do alongside Ettian as you each progress through the story. There's betrayal and intrigue and surprises and <spoiler>one massive, MASSIVE reveal at the end that blew me away. Absolutely destroyed me. I feel like I need to reread the book again so I can revel in how well that plot twist was kept just underneath the surface, because I'm almost angry at how well it was executed.</spoiler>

I loved this. Absolutely loved it. This is the kind of fantastic escapism I needed this weekend, and I desperately - DESPERATELY - hope this means that there's a revival for YA Sci-Fi on the horizon.

-

(Special thanks to the lovely folks over at Del Rey and Random House for the NetGalley ARC!!)

Bonds of Brass

Bonds of Brass was immediately interesting. I love stories that take place in schools, which this was essentially a school in space. There were many things I love about this book, the characters, the world building, the secrets, the romance. I loved it all.
We follow Ettain as his whole world changes. He’s found out that his roommate, best friend, and crush is actually the heir to literally everything. A secret that’s been kept for years. He figures out that things aren’t going how their supposed to and rescues him. I loved and laughed during these pages. The pair manage to escape and find themselves on a planet outside of the empire that Gal is intended to inherit. Things were a little slow at times when they were on this other world. But they make friends with a local and she becomes a part of their little run away crew. All of them are pilots, some more trained than others.
As I mentioned, there were lots of secrets. One in particular toward the end that I legitimately said “no fucking way” out loud and my husband definitely gave me the side eye. I think the suspense and drama leading up to this secret was so well done.
Overall, I loved this. I loved all the piloting, all the antics and banter. I love the different parts of the worlds, the action and drama. But that ending, was a killer. We’re left with a cliffhanger that may or may not have actually torn out a piece of my heart. A definite must read for science fiction lovers. Also, a side note. I’ve read this is Star Wars related, but I’m not a big part of that fandom so I don’t know much about those connections, but not knowing didn’t make me enjoy this any less.

I had so much fun reading this. There were so many aspects to this that were excellent and I gotta just systematically break it down.

Political commentary: There’s a lot in here about dismantling violent monarchic regimes, anti-imperialism, classism, and more. But none of the messaging ever gets in the way of the plot, which, apart from a slightly-slower part about a third into the book, surges forward like the ships the characters fly.

Plot: There were so many excellent choices made! The boys have an already-established deep friendship, so there was no insta-love to content with my brain about. The action starts literal pages in and doesn’t cease much, so my ADHD brain was comfortably along for the ride. The star wars parallels are visible and fun, but there are some excellent differences in characters and main storyline. There’s a plot twist at about ninety percent in that I was absolutely living for – never saw it coming and it was very satisfying in context.

Realism: So many plot aspects were down-to-earth, forgive the pun, as this book is REALLY SPACE-Y. One character has acne, everyone sweats through their clothes the whole book, and at one point they have to find a corner store to brush their teeth after sleeping on the streets. I mightily appreciated this attention to detail, because so often in epic tales, people are just glamorous and clean 24/7 and it bothers me sooo much. The queer relationships are the absolute opposite of token or shoehorned in, there are throwaway lines about queer couples, and the boys’ progression towards a romantic relationship felt absolutely organic, AND it felt accepted in the world/society of the book. What we like to see!

The writing: Honestly, I highlighted a good forty percent of this book on my kindle. It’s excellent and quotable and there are just so many fantastic epic lines, swoonworthy lines, and cute moments. I cannot quote as this is an unedited ARC, but… I doubt much will be changed that could alter the pure joy that was reading this book. A solid five-star recommendation from me if you love space adventures, diverse characters, and queer adorableness.

Bonds of Brass is nonstop action featuring a rebel uprising and a gay love story in spaaaace! Very much my cup of tea and now that I’ve read this first book, I am already clamoring for the next!

Ettian Nassun and Gal Veres are roommates at an elite Umber military academy and have (not so) secret crushes on each other. Cue the friends to lovers plot! Much to my delight, the author wastes no time at all and we immediately get a secret plot and an assassination attempt in the first two chapters. And just who is worth assassinating? Gal Veres turns out to be a) an alias and b) actually the heir to the cruel Umber empire that has a habit of conquering other systems and grinding out resistance under their mighty heel. This makes things a teensy bit awkward as Ettian is of Archon descent and his people were murdered as Gal’s family annihilated the Archon empire.

Ettian and Gal have to go on the run, and in the process they meet up with a wild girl who wields a rainbow umbrella like a samurai sword and a base of Archon rebels that will test Ettian’s loyalty to its very limits. Will he remain faithful to his love or to the memory of his heritage?

Apparently this is listed as an adult book, but it read as very YA to me - maybe because the main characters are 17 years old? At any rate, adults and teens will like it, and I would recommend Bonds of Brass for fans of Claudia Gray’s Constellation series as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC to review.

Simply put, Bonds of Brass is the wildly fun, Star Wars-inspired space opera that we’ve all been waiting for. The story follows Ettian, whose loyalties lay divided between the Archon Empire who raised him and the Umber Empire who colonized his home and presented him with Gal, the boy he loves. Between Ettian’s difficult decisions and his growing feelings for Gal, the Umber Empire’s inheritor, Bonds of Brass has its fair share of angst and war, but the story is continuously uplifted by Ettian and Gal’s blossoming romance and all the entertaining trope-filled situations that they get thrown into. With Skrutskie’s excellent writing, a complex and lovable cast of characters, high-stakes situations, and an LGBT romance to root for, Bonds of Brass is a sure-fire recommendation for fans of fun, diverse stories and for those of us who wanted Poe and Finn’s story to end differently.