Bonds of Brass: The Bloodright Trilogy, Book 1

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 568 ratings

Price: 15.75

Last update: 07-29-2024


Top reviews from the United States

Callum
5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read Sci-Fi
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2020
Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie is equal parts fun, classic sci-fi adventure and queer yearning/romance. It’s great to be able to say that this novel pulls off both aspects equally well and is a great first book in a new trilogy that I’m so excited to see continue.

Ettian is a 17 year old war orphan, now a student of the Umbre empire that destroyed his home world. He has buried his past and risen to the top of his classes. Even better, he’s in love with his roommate, Gal. Unfortunately, Gal is also the secret heir to the entire Umber empire and will one day rule everything that ruined Ettian’s life. So when an uprising begins that threatens Gal’s life, Ettian is forced to protect him and they go on the run together, trying to stay ahead of their enemies and find a way back home.

The story starts out in a semi-common setting, with the protagonist in a school ready to become a big shot within the ranks of the empire’s military. But the turn it takes once Ettian and Gal have fled the academy took the whole story in a different direction than what I expected, and I was so grateful for that. I really dug the sci-fi worldbuilding in this one: I’m not big on hard science fiction – I don’t like feeling like I need some college science classes to really understand what’s going on – so I really appreciated that this was more Star Wars sci-fi than something like Hamilton or Banks.

The friendship/romance building between Ettian and Gal is so well written and so real, it didn’t feel like a second of it was unnecessary drama or in the novel for padding. And that goes for everything in this novel – I don’t think there’s a single page or word wasted through the whole thing; everything that is happening is either serving the plot or character development. And the ending… that ending. Obviously I can’t say anything about it for spoilery reasons but, honestly, gun to my head I don’t think I’d have ever guessed where the story went. It was a really great ending to a solid book and that is the key thing that will have me impatiently waiting the next book.

Ettian is a really good protagonist. He is loyal, smart, and quick to help his friends. Gal is handsome and kind… but also not that great a person. I didn’t love him. To be clear, the writing of him is well done, my problems with him are just his actual character. I kinda wanted Ettian to be with someone better, someone who I felt liked him as much as he liked Gal. But, alas, the heart wants what the heart wants, I guess.

The other main character is Wen – a super likable, funny, manic, wild daughter of a street gang boss. Her arc and the potential for her character going forwards is definitely going to be a highlight of this series. Seeing where she ends up from when we first meet her is already satisfying by the end of Bonds of Brass – seeing where she’s at by the end of this trilogy will hopefully be even better.

I’m not a big fan of romance in books. Not because I don’t like romance, I actually think having it done well gives so much extra to a book, but I so often find the writing of romantic characters forced or created for the drama. In Bonds of Brass, the best way I can say this is that it just feels right. I really, really enjoyed that aspect of the book and that is such an endorsement coming from me.

Seriously, people, don’t sleep on this book – it’s one that I think will just get more and more popular as word spreads of how damn good it is.
shx
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, but not intense
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2020
Vacillating between 3 and 4 stars for this one—I give books 4 stars when they surprise me, which this technically did, but unfortunately the twist I didn't see coming was a lot less twisty than the one I spent a good third of the book anticipating, and even after finishing it I'm somewhat disappointed. This book could have been deliciously dark, full of backstabbing and betrayal, and I think it was trying to be, but it never ultimately more than gestured in that direction. In reality, it was just nice. Consistently fun, exciting in places, well written, but just nice. I was hoping for more.
Sarah L. Lefkowitz
5.0 out of 5 stars Stop Everything and Read this Book!
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2020
I have been so bad at writing reviews this year. Partly because when I have free time I want to spend it reading and partly because sitting down to write reviews just takes a little more energy and time than I've wanted to extend. However, this book demands I review it! I was completely blown away by this story! I finished this a few days ago now and my brain is still mush trying to talk about it. I just want to gush about so much.

I'll break it down as best I can so let's start with characters. There are three main characters though the third probably doesn't come into play until the first quarter or so of the book has passed. Our first main character and narrator throughout this wild adventure is Ettian Nassun. Ettian's world imploded seven years ago when the Umber Empire invaded the Archon Empire and made him a war orphan. He's spent the last two years on his home planet training at an Umber military academy and trying to leave his past in the past. When his best friend and roommate, Gal, is revealed to be the heir to the empire that caused all of Ettian's suffering he still does everything he can to protect him. I loved Ettian so much! I loved his constant struggle between his loyalty to Gal, the boy he loves and his old loyalty to the empire he grew up in. Gal was such an interesting character for me. We see early on at the academy Gal has always been a pacifist. When his parentage is revealed it's clear he has a much different plan for the empire than his mother, the empress. This pacifism is what makes it so easy for someone with Ettian's background to follow Gal. He believes in the future Gal is intent on creating. Without going too far into spoiler territory I did love some peeks we got into Gal's true character. Though he may have different ideas from his ruthless parents, growing up knowing you're the heir to a massive empire does create some character flaws. I loved seeing Gal's perfect veneer crack occasionally. Also the straight up dramatic mutual pining between Gal and Ettian had me screaming and on the edge of my seat throughout this book. Finally we meet Wen Iffan, an orphan living in the Corinthian Empire. The daughter of a a crime boss Wen has spent her childhood surviving on the streets and forced to work for those that killed her mother and took over her criminal empire. She's run into a bit of trouble when she meets up with Ettian and Gal. I loved her snark and quick mind. Whenever she was on the page it was clear that something exciting was going to happen. I also loved the bond that quickly grew between Wen and Ettian because of their shared experiences. This character bit is already too long but the side characters are just as fantastic.

The world building in this book was epic. There are three empires, Umber, Archon, and Corinth. Umber and Archon seemed fairly similar. Both ruled by a dynasty of Emperors and Empress'. Corinth however is ruled by an Emprex that is elected instead of ruling through a bloodright. There was this little detail I loved that each empire had a specific metal and gemstone that represented it. It's little things like that that really helped flesh out the world and make it easier for me to fall into.

I am completely in love with this book and have no idea how to wait for the sequel beyond the obvious of keep rereading Bonds of Brass until there's new content. Some of my main highlights from Emily Skruskie's impressive trope graphic include: forbidden romance, there's only one bed, mutual pining, fake dating, weaponized umbrellas, and the best non-human character imaginable--the minivan of starships. Seriously stop reading this review and go pick up a copy of this book, you won't regret it.

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