Empress Of A Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza
Look at this cover! It's absolutely stunning. The colors, the moon, the FACE in the moon, and the epic sounding title. Not going to lie, I initially picked this book up simply for appearances (I know, I know! Don't judge a book by its cover) The description didn't really seem like my usual reading material but, I still figured I'd give it a go. So here's my review.
The Plot:
I hate to say it but, it took me quite a while to really get into this book. Once I did however, it was amazing. The first hundred pages or so seemed to drag and I wish that this part had been used to better explain certain aspects of the story, like cubes how all the different people came to be, and even just what some things were.
Cubes are creepy as shit. I don't know how the technology of them was created or developed but, I can't see any sane person, much less a whole galaxy, ever agreeing to have anything implanted in them like that. I get it, this is set in the future with advanced technology and what not but, I just wish that this part of the story had been explained a little more thoroughly. I guess I just don't completely understand what purpose they serve.
The use of certain made up words that were obviously curse words was over the top and rather annoying. I understand this book is geared towards a younger audience but, I'd rather just read normal curse words. There's nothing wrong with a little cursing, but this was just overdone and seemed to just be a lame attempt to make the story "edgier".
The fact that this book wasn't afraid to bring up issues of racism and prejudice really made it stand out. It showed that people are so quick to judge someone who is different because of what they've been told be others. Whenever anyone referred to Wreatans and "dusties" or treated them and others (Marked ones, Fontisians, etc.) like dirt, it irritated me because it's just so wrong to treat someone so poorly just because they are different than you. However, I applaud Rhoda Belleza for putting this in her book because it is a very prevalent issue in the real world.
I loved that this book didn't revolve around romance! Don't get me wrong, my favorite thing in existence is a good love story but, for once it was nice to read a book that wasn't 85% about the romantic relationships of the characters and only 15% about the actual plot. There was the perfect amount and it was done really well.
The Characters:
Rhee was an alright character. I by no means hated her but, I also didn't LOVE her. She was a typical naive fifteen year old. Except she's a princess. I thought it was really cool that she had two different colored eyes. I know that she is one of the main characters and they're supposed to be adored but, there were definitely parts where she just fell a little flat for me. And come on, the girl got kidnapped or taken hostage like four different times throughout the book. Not her fault, I know. She did go through a lot of good character development throughout the story and I did like her a little better at the end especially, when she realized that even though she didn't want to be Empress, she needed to step up at the leader of her people until they can find Joss.
I liked Aly a lot. It was nice to have a point of view from a guy who wasn't the most popular person in the world and was for the most part a normal guy. I thought that he handled stressful situations better than most characters would have and I loved his interactions with Pavel. Where Rhee fell short, Aly made up for it. I feel like we got way more inside his head and saw more of what he was feeling. I couldn't help cheering for him when he finally got his broadcast out. P.S. Aly and Kara/Joss are adorable.
As soon as Kara was introduced, I loved her. I liked her more than Rhee and had my suspicions from the beginning that she could possibly be Joss. Slowly over time, more and more things added to my suspicions and at the end we find out *gasps* SHE'S JOSSELYN THE LOST PRINCESS! But seriously, as predictable as this was, I loved where it is potentially leading the story. I really can't wait to see more of her in the next book and to see her reunion with Rhee.
Dahlen was a pretty interesting character to me but, I wish we had gotten more time with him. I feel like he could be a very dynamic character in this story and would love to know more about his background. I was also getting vibes that he was developing feelings for Rhee but, that could be the hopeless romantic in me. I really want to learn more about Fontisians and I got really excited when it said they had pointed ears because it made me think of elves and how cool would space elves be? That space ship was also pretty awesome.
I thought it was so great that there were so many different races and species throughout the galaxy. Getting to visit all the different planets, moons, and asteroids was really cool and I only wish that both of these aspects had been explained more and delved into deeper but, there's a second book coming so I'll reserve judgement.
The Verdict:
Overall, I really liked this book. It wasn't my typical genre but, once I got into it, I truly enjoyed it. At the beginning of the story there were a lot of things that were unexplained and I felt as though there should have been a book before this one that explained some background information and set the story up a little better. However, despite some minor plot holes and missing background information, the story captured my interest and was a nice change up. I have so many questions bouncing around now! What happened to Nero? When will the sisters reunite and how will it go? Will Joss regain her memories? I totally didn't see the Julian is Lancer storyline coming and I'm very curious to see where the story will go next. The possibilities are endless. The ending was very cliff hanger-y and this was a great set up for the next installment. I'm really looking forward to the sequel and hope that it is as captivating as Empress Of A Thousand Skies was.
