Reviews

Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie

meemzter's review against another edition

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5.0

lmao ok cool cool cool cool everything is fine here!

they make books like this? there exist books like this in the world?

I think it's time that I admit that I am not at all as sophisticated as I like to pretend and that I am HERE for some YA and I am also HERE for some trope-y, fanfic style romance.

And most importantly: I am here for stories about adventures in space

Bonds of Brass is the story of two best friends who set off on a wild, intergalactic adventure after it is revealed that one of them is secretly the prince of the empire! Chaos, thrills, and LOVE ensue as our heroes stumble their way through nefarious plots, refugee-led rebellions, and terribly difficult decisions.

This is a pretty straight-forward vision of space empire: Skrutskie isn't trying to reinvent the wheel, but her universe is interesting and well-rendered. Unlike some science fiction, the universe isn't necessarily the point of this novel, nor even an integral component of the plot (this story could easily be transported to any other setting) but obviously i'm a big believer in the truism that having a story in space always makes it better

tbh most of the characters outside the main 2 (3?) in this book are less than fully developed, but if you're living for the romance between the two protagonists, it's kind of hard to care. Because homies, let me tell you, if you thrive on a good trope-filled super intense "we shouldn't but we really want to" romance, this shit is poppin.

The plot was fast-paced and um... at least for my dumb ass... pretty unpredictable.
Spoiler will I ever stop reeling from that twist at the end? no.
This was the kind of book I stayed up until 3 am for. The kind of book I neglected responsibilities for.

I need the next book in my hands like. tomorrow. Bonds of Brass left me devastated. it left me delighted. it left me mostly just so glad that I bought this book.

buriedinsatin's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

kell_xavi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark

2.0

The first half was exciting and politically intriguing, the second half was full of absurd coincidence and moral flip-flopping with little critical nuance, which resolved into a book I didn’t want or enjoy. 

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lillanaa's review against another edition

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5.0

I was not expecting to love this as much as I did, but this hit so many of the right notes for me. I've been looking for a good science fiction novel recently, a lot of what I've been picking up is fantasy or contemporary, but this smacked a craving I didn't realise I had. Yeah, it's a little tropey, and the characters aren't the most fleshed out, but it's weirdly fun, and Wen might be one of my favourites ever now. It smacks just enough of the fanfic tropes and kept me wanting more, and I'm absolutely going to be grabbing the sequel the second I can because this is one I can't wait for more of.

srredd5's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

suzreadsalot's review

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Pros:
  1.  James Fouhey is the narrator and he’s great at his job

Cons:
  1.  At 72% there had been very little (almost none) character growth. 
  2. 99.9% sure I know the big secret (and have know for half the book) I’ll be checking spoiler reviews and reporting back. Update: I was right
  3. Maybe a spoiler? So…
    they show up to a resistance base and are basically immediately trusted??? The general just gives them information about their plans as a show of good will???? Make it make sense????
  4. I’m hoping the author had authenticity or sensitivity readers but the MC (who is POC) fighting for the empress who killed his people plot line felt poorly done IMO
If you like that plot line idea I highly recommend The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

fee_jay's review against another edition

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2.0

Nice writing, good characters but it inhabited a bit too much of an uncanny valley between fanfic and original for me to get fully immersed. Skimmed the last third.

vernelle's review against another edition

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3.0

2.5

mary_soon_lee's review against another edition

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5.0

This is the opening book in the Bloodright Trilogy. I can't be objective about it. While I might grudgingly concede that it isn't Shakespeare, I wasn't looking for Shakespeare. I wanted a frothy cocktail with whipped cream and a little brightly-colored parasol. And "Bonds of Brass" delivered, complete with a maraschino cherry at the end.

For those wanting more specificity: this is galactic science fiction about two young cadets, Ettian and Gal, best friends at the Imperial Academy. Very quickly the plot barrels into full gear. Treachery, space battles, the legacy of war, conflicted pasts, and present yearning kept me racing from page to page. On occasion, I slowed down enough to admire how skilfully the author ensnared me, but most of the time I was swept along in the tide and the yearning.

I loved both Ettian and Gal. The story is narrated (perfectly!) by Ettian. It's improbable, but delighted me. My delight centered on the characters, Ettian and Gal foremost, but also the maverick wild force of Wen, introduced a third of the way through the book.

Four and a half out of five fluffy rainbow stars.

P.S. My thanks to Grace at TBR (Tailored Book Recommendations) for suggesting this book to me.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).

polkadotgirl's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5/5 stars:

I'm-- Speechless. Dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. Bewitched. Amazed.

I fell in love with the characters in this story in under a second and with good reason. They're so compelling and lovable and lovely, and I want to protect them from the world so badly. They feel so real and complex, which gives the story the perfect boost, because ever single thing that happens to them during their adventures and travels makes you want to read more and more and more until they finally get the happy ending they deserve.

There is one "major plot-twist" in this story that, while I saw coming from basically the very beginning of the book, makes me so so excited for what is to come in future books. It makes things much more complicated in the best of ways because it amps the angst levels from a hundred to a thousand. I love to see it!

Don't get me started on the romance aspect of the book because I could vomit my heart right here. It's so so good. It's got a little bit of everything that you could possibly want in a romance: fluff, angst, pining, friends to lovers vibes,
Spoiler friends to lovers to enemies!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!
.

I can't wait for book two of this trilogy. MY GOD I AM SO EXCITED.