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steph_aubin's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-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
3.25
ahobbitsreadinglist's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
3.0
lunaballz's review against another edition
5.0
This is absolutely one of my favorite books that falls under "disaster gays in space".
Plot: it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. With every step forward the characters took they also took one step back and it as fantastic watching them try to figure out their next move. Their plans were very clever too, and not the easy way out you would think. Also, that plot twist had me SCREAMING. Despite all the foreshadowing, I didn't see it coming at all.
Characters:
- Most of the POV is Ettian. It's a lot of fun seeing him struggle between his loyalty to Gal and his loyalty to his people. He has SO MUCH anxiety, it's very relatable.
- Gal: I wish there was more from his POV. He struggles with A LOT in this book and I wish we could see more of what he was thinking.
Both characters are non-white, but the closest thing to a description is Ettian saying the brass paint on Gal's face barely shows but is very obvious on Ettian. Judging by the cover, it's probably safe to say Ettian is black, but Gal I'm not really sure.
Conclusion: you want disaster gays in space with mutual pining, sharing a bed, and a secret prince?? Yeah you do, go get this book
Plot: it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. With every step forward the characters took they also took one step back and it as fantastic watching them try to figure out their next move. Their plans were very clever too, and not the easy way out you would think. Also, that plot twist had me SCREAMING. Despite all the foreshadowing, I didn't see it coming at all.
Characters:
- Most of the POV is Ettian. It's a lot of fun seeing him struggle between his loyalty to Gal and his loyalty to his people. He has SO MUCH anxiety, it's very relatable.
- Gal: I wish there was more from his POV. He struggles with A LOT in this book and I wish we could see more of what he was thinking.
Both characters are non-white, but the closest thing to a description is Ettian saying the brass paint on Gal's face barely shows but is very obvious on Ettian. Judging by the cover, it's probably safe to say Ettian is black, but Gal I'm not really sure.
Conclusion: you want disaster gays in space with mutual pining, sharing a bed, and a secret prince?? Yeah you do, go get this book
meemzter's review against another edition
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. 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.
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.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
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
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Death of parent
lillanaa's review against another edition
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
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
Pros:
- James Fouhey is the narrator and he’s great at his job
Cons:
- At 72% there had been very little (almost none) character growth.
- 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
- 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???? - 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
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.