I had such high hopes for this, but something in the writing didn't work for me. The world building was very unclear from the start, and I wanted to give it a fair chance and waited for things to become clearer, but while I waited, it became harder and harder to follow along with the sequence of events. I think because the world building was so unclear, it became really hard to keep track of what was happening. Because of this, I decided to DNF.

I want to preface this review by saying that I am a hard sci-fi girlie. I grew up reading Herbert and Bradbury so when I say I love world building -- I LOVE world building.

Unfortunately, as exciting as the premise at the core of this world sounded, something just felt ineffably *off* for me.

I also had a hard time connecting with the protagonist. I accept responsibility for this point however, as though they are written well, I struggle to bridge the gap between a deliberately unlikeable narrator and myself.

I did not finish this book, it just didn't hit right for me, personally.

Lord of the Empty Isles is a story mired in revenge. It's about wanting so badly to curse our enemy, to get this sense of revenge, and to let that fuel us. Like most revenge stories, it asks us whether the price of revenge is worth it. Whether that all consuming quest is enough when we think we've succeeded, or whether it has the power to get us what we want. With the magic of severing tethers and feelings, Lord of the Empty Isles has a distinct speculative fiction feel. While this was a bit confusing at times, the characters were the star of the show.

Fast paced and entertaining romantasy. I appreciated the balance of the two genre and the world building
Due to health issues cannot write a proper review now, a proper review will follow
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I loved this book!! The plot was fantastic, and the writing was incredible. Definitely an author I’ll be reading more from.

I really enjoyed this fun and engaging read. Filled with found family, friendships, trust, betrayal, heartache and healing, it's also an adventurous sci-fi that's easy to get into but hard to put down. The world is interesting and unusual, and at times pretty bleak, but also full of hope and wonder, and the sense of connection that grows between the main characters is really powerful. For fans of Becky Chambers, Grace Curtis and Foz Meadows.

I've really enjoyed this book. First of all, it has an amazing representation in terms of gender nonconformity and being aro/ace. Because of that, it's full of platonic relations, and that actually felt really refreshing! I sometimes like romance in my books, but I feel like it often falls flat, so it's really nice to see a different story.

Also, the book has an amazing portrayal of coping with grief, there were a few really strong lines about that.

The magic system is very interesting and has soul threads that link people that share strong relations. It was pretty original, though could have been a bit more fleshed out, as it was a bit confusing in the beginning.

The characters were pretty fun, I've liked them all, although either I'm getting old or they sometimes behaved more YA than I expected.

Overall, it has some flaws, but I'll keep my eyes on this author's next releases, as it was a pretty fast paced, sometimes funny and sometimes very touching story.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for granting me access to an arc.

Lord of the Empty Isles hit the ground running, and kept going. It was fast-paced and fun and I really enjoyed reading it.

There was excellent character development and I fell more and more in love with them on every page. It was easy to follow along with, and I think would be a great book for those wanting to try sci-fi but feeling a bit overhwlmed by chunky book and long series.
I wish there had been a bit more romance, as this was implied in the blurb but not really present in the book. And I did feel that some elements were a little predictable.

Overall, a fun read, and a great sci-fi read for anyone wishing to dip their toe in.

DNF at 26%. I really wanted to like this one, from the blurb, cover, and comp titles, but I really struggled to click with the writing. I felt like I was somehow being held back from connecting to the characters or the worldbuilding, even though there was a lot of information about both being constantly thrust into the plot. It’s probably an “it’s not you, it’s me”.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Hodder & Stoughton for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: grief, child death, injury, death, violence, imprisonment, starvation, abuse

In a universe where people’s relationships are tied together through invisible tethers, Remy Canta has had to endure the worst thing that can happen. A death curse, known as a withering, was cast on his beloved brother, Cameron, which led to his agonising, drawn-out end five years ago. Remy has always wanted revenge against the person who did it to him, even if the man responsible was his childhood hero, Idrian Delaciel. Now he finally has the materials to cast the same curse on Cameron’s killer but it rapidly goes wrong. Instead of causing Idrian to suffer like Cameron, it rebounds onto Remy, joining the two men together through fate and inevitable death. However, the only way to slow the speed of the curse is to join up with Idrian and his crew of criminal rebels from the Empty Isles, a series of moons where anyone judged as a criminal is abandoned. Remy soon learns that Idrian isn’t a criminal, he’s trying to save thousands of innocent lives no matter the damage to his own life- if Idrian dies, so does the Empty Isles. As they venture through space, heists and conspiracies tying back to Cameron, Remy finds himself living for the first time in years- even as the countdown works against them all. Unfortunately, the only way for Idrian- and the Empty Isles to be saved- is for Remy himself to die.

“Lord of the Empty Isles” is ultimately a book about the terrible experience of loving someone and losing them but also how to find a new way to live afterwards. Remy is such a powerful and relatable lead character, he’s so angry at the entire world for the loss of Cameron and his decision to try and kill Idrian isn’t made likely. However, once he joins up with Idrian and the other rebels, Remy begins to realise that the life he’s always believed to be true is a lie. I found Idrian and his crew to be really enjoyable and especially significant for how they try to rescue their people. Idrian likewise has little care for his own life but by the end things really do seem brighter. Some scenes in this book were truly devastating- particularly ones set in the prison space stations- while others are lovely and humorous (I especially liked the running joke of Idrian’s bed being stolen). I raced through this book in a few days, drawn in by the fast pace and the characters but also by the incredible vulnerability in the writing. This is a gorgeous debut, I’ll definitely read more from this author in the future and I hope to see these characters again.

Lord of the Empty Isles is a highly emotional science fantasy novel written by Jules Arbeux, and published by Hodderscape. An excellent debut which shines especially in how touches difficult themes such as dealing with grief and the control of narratives by the power, while throwing a delicious amount of space pirates, banter and criminal found family.

Five years ago, Remy's brother died as a result of a withering (a death curse) cast due to an order from interstellar fugitive Idrian Delacial; from that moment, Remy has been grieving and thinking about vengeance. Now, he has the materials for paying back to Idrian; however, the withering goes wrong, bounding his fate to Idrian's. He will have to join forces with the assassin of his brother if he wants to find a cure; when he gets there, Remy finds that many more lives are at stake, as the Idrian's crew is also fatebound to him, and is responsible for providing life-saving supplies to thousand of lives in the empty isles.
After force of circumstance makes Remy a part of Idrian's crew, he finally finds a life that helps him to alleviate his grief; but time is against him, and the only apparent solution is ending his life before the curse ends with all his new mates.

With this premise, Arbeux has woven a novel that works in two senses: a more intimate one, that explores how Remy almost destroys himself as a consequence of grief, while taking more people on his demise; and a bigger one, about how the empty isles are being oppressed by the main planet, and how Idrian is fighting against that narrative that is asphyxiating them, not only giving them supplies, but also directly confronting the power.
The relationship that gets established between Remy and Idrian is quite an excellent example; both are similar in some aspects, but they are enemies due to circumstances. However, the more time they spend, Remy finally manages to overcome that animosity caused by grief, and starts to understand the reason behind Idrian's actions. They pass from enemies to platonic lovers; an almost poetic ending.
The rest of the crew has some peculiarities, but they are almost the family Remy was missing; some rough moments happen, but all are working for a common goal.

The world-building is quite interesting, painting a portrait of a main planet that oppresses those empty isles, a strong political power that keeps them under the threat of not getting enough resources (effectively killing them); in those circumstances, we can understand the apparition of Idrian's crew. Interestingly, Arbeux manages to point how important is controlling the narrative, and how the powerful use the mass media to create enemies to blame, even if those are the same experiencing the consequences of that genocide.

Honestly, Jules Arbeux has proven herself as a talented written with this kind of powerful debut; it's not only touching on an emotional level, but also invites you to think about many topics that are quite accurate nowadays. SFF fans, you need to read Lord of the Empty Isles, and prepare to get emotionally destroyed.

Thanks to Hodderscape and Netgalley for the ARC.

4.5/5

Here's your fair warning.....this story will hit you in the feels multiple times. It's a science fantasy story that focuses on the characters as they fight an uncaring government that has left them to barely survive on several small moons. In addition to the dystopian elements, there are bonds of different kinds that connect people in different ways and certain people have the ability to either see and interpret the bonds or the ability to sever the bonds. Remy is a witherer, he has the ability to sever bonds between people and he has been set on finding his brother's killer and putting a curse on his bonds to kill him in revenge. Idrian and his friends are doing everything they can to help these people by smuggling in supplies. Remy's actions put him and Idrian on a collison course which could have deadly consequences for many people.
I found the system of the different types of bonds that connect people really well done and when you add finding your unexpected family to the mix, the story really hits on all cylinders. The circumstances the people sent to the moons find themselves in is so compelling and it is heartbreaking what they have to go through. The different characters working through the difficult events of their pasts and finding forgiveness not only for others, but for themselves and working through grief is a central part of the story and it is so well written that it will bring you to tears. There are twists and surprises along the way that make this so hard to put down. It hits on so many visceral levels that I think will appeal to both fans of science fiction and fantasy. Cannot wait to read more from Jules in the future, definitely a writer to keep an eye on in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
4 stars book from me. Loved the plot and the stories in this book. Loved every single second reading it.

Gah! This book! This book had everything I love most! Found family! Queer characters! Misunderstood Robin Hood-ing! I read this book in one sitting and then immediately ordered a copy for my personal collection.It broke my heart over and over again, but in the end left me filled with hope. A stunning debut!

Five years ago, Remy's brother was murdered. Remy had watched him die under a withering, unable to do anything about it, and has carried that bitterness with him ever since. Now, finally, he's in a place to take his revenge and cast his own withering. But when he does so he, he discovers something horrifying - he is fatebound to his brother's killer.

The only way to slow down the curse is to get close to the man he's spent the last five years hating. But all is not as it seems, and Remy finds himself doubting everything he's held onto so tightly for so long. But the only way he knows of to stop a withering, is to kill the witherer...

I love an interesting, unusual, and well thought out magic system, and Lord of the Empty Isles most definitely has that. The idea of being bound by an invisible line to the people in your life, one that can only be seen by a weaver, and can only be manipulated by a witherer, is fascinating and unique.

I also found the plot and world building compelling. Remy's journeys across the various planets were fascinating, and we learned more about the world he lived in as he did. The pace was excellent, and I was really drawn in to the story.

My main criticism is the characters. I can't fully put my finger on why, but they all felt a bit too similar. I think that while their differences were told, it didn't feel like they were shown. The character voices all felt a bit samey. However, the book was still overall very enjoyable.

Thank you for providing me with a copy of lord of the empty isles. I really liked the concept of this book and how it is developed throughout. The world building at the start of the book really drew me in and there were a lot of twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting. I did feel that the middle section of the book was a bit slow compared to the start and end so I did have to power through a little through the middle. However I do think it was worth it overall as I was drawn back in to the ending of the book. I liked the use of chosen family and the themes of forgiveness but also grief that ran throughout and I enjoyed the dynamics between different characters.

"'I know it doesn’t matter,' Remy says, 'but I'm sorry.'
'For what?'
Remy slants a glance at Idrian, unimpressed. He must be being purposefully clueless.
'Killing us both, I guess?'
'Eh. Someone had to succeed eventually. Might as well be you.'"
**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book**
This is, by far, one of the best books I discovered though NetGalley. I must say that I was first taken by the beautiful cover, then by the summary and finally by the writing. What I thought would be a classic “enemies to lovers” moment turned out to be so much more impactful than I could have ever imagined. Idrian, Remy and the entire crew mean so much to me now, and reading this book made me feel like I was on this journey together with them, along for the ride before then slowly but surely getting closer to every one of them until I was in way too deep. This is a novel about grief, loss and overcoming adversity through the bonds that link every single one of us to each other, whether we like it or not.

Jules Arbeaux's Lord of the Empty Isles is a gripping queer sci-fi fantasy novel that dives deep into themes of grief, power, and unexpected alliances. The story follows interstellar fugitive Idrian Delaciel and Remy Canta, who is hell-bent on avenging his brother's death by casting a withering—a deadly curse—on Idrian. The twist? The curse backfires, binding Remy to his enemy in a race against time to find a cure.

Arbeaux excels at depicting the raw and poignant grief that drives Remy's actions, while also introducing an intriguing magic system that adds depth to the narrative. Although the characters occasionally come across as immature for their ages, this flaw does not overshadow the story's strengths. The novel’s exploration of a queerplatonic hate-to-love relationship is refreshing and offers a nuanced take on platonic bonds, a rarity in the genre.

Comparisons to Winter's Orbit and The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet are apt, as Lord of the Empty Isles delivers a similarly engaging blend of personal stakes and larger-than-life adventures. Overall, it's a compelling read that both challenges and delights, making it a standout in contemporary queer speculative fiction.

Despite putting this book down for a few days, I actually really enjoyed this! The world building was really interesting and I loved the ideas of the threads and bonds that tie people together. This also had really good found / chosen family vibes (which is one of my favourite tropes) and I loved the focus on platonic and familial relationships in this.

My only critique of this is that it took me a bit of time to get invested in the story, but that's probably more to do with me than the actual book itself.

This is a book that’s got many layers to it.

Firstly is the fact that these characters are not likeable in any way. This is a book where almost every decision taken is the trolley problem looked at from different angles. The two main characters both do many questionable things and honestly I didn’t ever warm to them. I do think that’s part of why I struggled to get into it. The other reason being that I just didn’t get on with the writing style.

As I read on though, I really got into the shades of grey that were being depicted in the book. All these characters were trying to survive (aside from Remy at the start who was letting his grief speak through him) and help the people on the prison planets survive. It was really interesting to read.

I also loved the platonic nature of the relationships in this book. It’s so rare to see platonic relationships be so emphasised in a book. In this culture of shipping and heavy romance, it was really refreshing to see a book where these relationships were so prominent.

This is definitely a read for anyone who likes reading about grey morality and dislikeable characters. I just wish I could have gotten into it more.