Received this copy last year and somehow my review never posted. I loved this book and so did my kids when I brought it in for them. Fun, fast-paced, action packed, and great plot twist. Highly highly recommend, I’m going to be doing a reread this year before the sequel comes out.

Great start to the series. It was action packed and characters I actually enjoyed. The only issue I thought was some pacing issues. The beginning was slow to me and I didn’t really get into it until close to the second half of the book.

If you’re a fan of action, political intrigue, high stakes, space battles, and romance, then you’ll like this book. Gal and Ettian have a great dynamic that will appeal to most YA readers. If you liked Defy the Stars, I think you’ll love this.

This was a wild ride, fast paced and full of action, but sometimes the action became a little too much for me. And my guide through it all, Ettian, left me feeling dazed and confused more than once. It took several chapters before I believed his relationship with Gal, and his feelings toward other characters like Wen flipped and flopped several times in only a few pages. I finally felt connected to the book in the second half and changed my mind about not reading the sequel. The last several pages are just too crazy, and there’s a twist you probably won’t see coming.

Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for providing a copy.

this was a great start to a series, the characters were great and I really enjoyed reading this. i look forward to more in the series.

I was given a copy of this book for review.

 Very enjoyable and fast-paced Sci-Fi . Much action and so well written, I finished this book in just a day. Really a must-read if you enjoy sci-fi.

DNF @ 64%

The writing itself is fine in this, Emily Skrutskie is clearly a talented writer. I just have concerns about pretty much this entire book. I actually won this copy in a giveaway, not through requests, but am reviewing on Netgalley as that was how the copy was sent to me. 

Initially I was worried to start with, as the book is written from the perspective of a gay/bisexual Black man with a gay/bisexual Latinx love interest, but written by a white woman. I was worried about how well the POV would be portrayed, and unfortunately in my opinion I was proved correct. From here on out, there be spoilers. Be warned.

So our main character Ettian was born and raised on Rana. The Umber empire colonised Rana and built a military academy on the planet in the rubble of the destroyed world that they /invaded and colonised/ seven years ago. Ettian watched the public execution of the leaders of his planet and lived in the rubble of his destroyed city for five years, then spent two years at the military academy before the story started. I have no issues with any of this, and if the story that followed was Ettian fighting off the Umber empire with the Rana rebels, it would have been a fun space romp. But it wasn't. Instead, Ettian finds out that his best friend of two years is the heir to the Umber empire and proceeds to turn against the Rana rebels and do everything he can to help Gal get on the throne. He says this is because Gal will be a better leader than his parents, because Gal is such a nice guy. I couldn't show you ONE scene where Gal is a nice guy. Ettian turns him down and he keeps telling everyone he's Ettian's boyfriend anyway, he wants to destroy the rebels even though he apparently doesn't agree with war, and in a spectacular moment of assholery he sends a girl back to the planet where an abuser put a bounty on her head - literally sentencing her to death without a qualm. He's NOT a nice guy. 

The point where I noped the fuck out of this book was when Ettian literally thought about the fact that he could have escaped as a refugee and joined the rebellion and, in his own words, not been worn down by Umber propaganda, but decides that he wouldn't choose that because he wouldn't have met Gal. Not for nothing, but 'I wuv him' isn't a good enough reason to excuse and enable genocide. I haven't read the last forty percent of the book, but I have talked to someone who did who explained it to me, so I admit that this is secondhand information but apparently he continues to go against the rebellion until outside forces make his plan fail, and THEN he decides to join them. So he's fine with the genocide of his people up until that point. 

Ettian just lacks ALL character agency, and every time he makes a choice it's the worst possible one? I love characters that are awful, I love bad characters doing bad things, but the constant implication that Ettian is right to protect Gal no matter what is so irritating. Their relationship is pre-established before the book starts, so we just get told that they're friends - we don't learn to care about them - and I just think they lack all personality. I don't think a white woman should ever have been writing this book, and I think that white POV is shining through in this gross as hell coloniser-oppressed romance story. This book was marketed with so much fluffy language and cheerful ao3 tags that I was expecting something fun and fluffy and all about the space battles. I wasn't expecting a book that half-assedly criticises genocide while acting like the power of love can fix the murder of Ettian's people (and if I've been informed right, of his FAMILY).

This was such an amazing book! The yearning and romance between our main characters was so good!!! But the political problems within the plot and all the action really just tie everything together so well! There's just so many little details that just absolutely kick you once you reach the end, which I loved. The amount of unexpected plot twists really keep you glued to this story.

I like Stars Wars and was a little excited to read this book especially as it is Finn Poe. The one thing that annoys me is that this book is not ownvoices is by a white lady instead of either a Black or a Latinx author who should have been telling this story instead. 

I appreciated that we got a FinnPoe story and I loved the best friends to lovers especially there is a one bed trope in it. 

The characters were interesting, and I felt like they were developed enough. While I can not comment on the rep specifically even though I am queer, but I think books like these are best deserved to go to margainizled authors instead by a white author.

There’s a serious description of Skrutskie’s (Hullmetal Girls) new series starter, but I was pulled in by Skrutskie’s tongue in cheek hooks: “Galactic-level bisexual disasters” with “weaponized rainbow umbrellas,” “one hell of a pilot,” a “secret prince,” “sick stunts,” and “big space battles.” The book holds onto every one of those promises, and with hefty doses of romantic tension battling for prominence with a complex political plot. Ettian is determined to save the life of his best friend, romantic interest, and roommate, Gal, even when he finds out that Gal is actually the heir to the Empire that conquered Ettian’s own people.

Now, seeing a rebellion of his own countrymen on the one side and Gal on the other, Ettian has to figure out a way to make sure Gal makes it home—even if that means sacrificing everything he used to believe in. It also has that promised weaponized rainbow umbrella, used deftly by Wen, a half-burned street girl willing to take on an entire organized crime ring with her own know-how who steals every scene she’s in. Skrutskie at once managed to produce a light-hearted and fun space opera that still digs into the depths of what it means to belong, and who deserves loyalty: the land you’re born to, or the conquerors you’ve chosen in order to rise from the ashes. She never gives any easy answers, and that’s part of what makes this book so darn good—and has me eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Ok wow. I loved this book so much. Get this one on your radar, folks. We have a best friends - but also enemies - romance. A lot of secrets and a lot of huge consequences for keeping them - and revealing them. We have space battles and deception and an amazing girl with a rainbow umbrella. The ending had me screaming!! WHAT. WAS. THAT. I was fascinated by the decisions that these characters made for each other. The lengths that Ettian and Gal went for the other, the secrets that played into their decisions and the huge empire making, world breaking consequence of their actions. I have no idea how they will deal with the fallout. But I am now desperate for more of this tale!! Sequel, here I come!

Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Ahhhhhhhh High

I was in love with this book for the first third, & then Wen showed up, & I really hated her, I guess, because I got to about the 50% mark while reading in lines at Disneyland & then wouldn’t pick up the book for over 6 months (even though it was for review!).  Add in Gal & Ettian being stupid about each other throughout the middle (& I think that if they had burned with unconditional trust the whole time, it would’ve made the end more dramatic), & I just couldn’t make myself read further.  It seemed to me like there was a much smarter solution to the boys’ problem than the route they took (& solution to the series seems clear too).  I thought the climax was setting us up for book 2 to go in a different direction than the last couple chapters set up. Although I didn’t mind Ettian’s secret, I felt the big neon sign that he had one was annoying & made what it was too obvious for me. I like guessing twists based on clues, not the character telling me there is one.  

Sadly it was so long between when I read the first half & the second half, I can’t really tell you about all the things I loved in the first third or the things that lost me going into my midway block, but I know that I was really into every moment (the stakes were great, the relationship was engrossing, the action was easy to read) before Wen showed up, sigh. For that I have a solid 3 stars & a completely worthless review (sorry).

Bonds of Brass is my return from a 6-month reading hiatus and it did not disappoint. Deep character work meets significant worldbuilding to reveal a plot that never tires. It’s one of the few space operas that never faltered as I was reading it. The pieces fit well together and the reveals were epic, leaving me gushing about the plot to anyone who would listen. 

Spoilers below…

Writing Lessons Learned

-It’s possible to introduce a key character later in a novel, especially if it’s part of a book series. The introduction of Wen as a leading character gave the protagonist a renewed outlook on his life, creating an ally and another source of conflict. Without her addition, the plot may have stagnated, and the conflicts may have seemed repetitive.

-There’s a subtle art to inserting major reveals in a plot and it takes a deep knowledge of your world and your characters to pull them off. It’s clear Skrutskie knows everything about her characters – what makes them tick, why they do what they do, and how their past defines their present. Knowing these things makes for a well-integrated secret reveal that can cause a gasp from the reader.

-A bildungsroman doesn’t have to meander in soul-searching and gradual growth. The ascent from youth to adulthood can happen with the snap of a finger and it may take the reader a bit to understand that transition. One moment, Ettian is a fun-loving recruit at a flight school, drinking with his friends and enjoying his life. The next, he’s on the run, making life-altering decisions and throwing himself into a lion’s den of power struggles and empire-spanning conflicts. 

-Finally, Bonds of Brass was a great lesson for me in the art of writing a solid fight scene. Between the air battles and the hand-to-hand combat, there are many great examples of how to create tension alongside realistic descriptions that don’t overdo each individual punch or shot.

Plot Structure Analysis
This is the element that drives me to obsess over space opera as a sub-genre. There is never a dull moment – every page is filled with nail-biting action, betrayals and surprise reveals, eventually leading to an epic conclusion. Skrutskie does a masterful job of managing the many conflict points along the way to an epic climax with very little falling action. This approach leaves the reader in a constant state of excitement and builds momentum for the second book in the series.

There are a number of key elements and storylines that mesh well to make Bonds of Brass a fully-realized story:
-A massive reveal at the beginning of the book that paints most of the following conflicts, adding tension and a secret that both characters can bond over.
-A simmering love story that draws you into the personal lives of the protagonist and his potential beau, leaving you deeply invested in his personal life.
-The introduction of a third character who seems random but eventually becomes a turning point as the protagonist comes to terms with his life goals.
-The underlying history of the recent war and its implications on the past, present, and future of the protagonist.
-An overall path from the innocence of adolescence to the tough decision making of adulthood.

Bonds of Brass finds a way to mesh all of these storylines together to create an interwoven narrative that engages from start to finish. It’s equal parts space opera, military science fiction, action adventure, and love story. These subgenres work well together and it’s impressive to see them combined into one tale.

Character Analysis
As the protagonist, Ettian is a complex character, balancing a somewhat mysterious and torturous past with the newfound acceptance of friends, classmates, and his love interest, Gal. Skrutskie makes the reader feel like they already know him from the start, but continuously ups the ante by revealing additional details along the way that refine our perceptions of him. We see a battle of internal conflicts in everything he does, from his support of Gal to his wavering reluctance to take part in a revolution that supports a dead empire he feels betrayed him. I had no trouble connecting deeply with him and was excited to discover more with each passing chapter. Needless to say, the final reveal blows everything you thought you knew about Ettian out of the water. This creates an exciting exercise for the reader in reevaluating the many pieces to form a new, more complex puzzle.

Gal plays the love interest and secret heir to the empire that destroyed Ettian’s past. He’s an interesting character who hasn’t faced Ettian’s hardships. The gulf between their experiences is ever present throughout the conflicts, showing Gal to be a privileged young man, confident in himself and his future. He has little hesitation about his love for Ettian, which adds an interesting element to the love story. As the story progresses, we start to see hints of Gal’s terrifying family and the possibility for a dark side that could overtake the sweetness and playfulness he exhibits early on. This intensifies as the novel progresses and creates a potentially dreadful chasm as the book’s final events are brought to light.

Finally, we get Wen, an unexpected addition to the narrative who explodes on the scene in all of her glory. She’s hilarious and well-written, giving us a humor aspect alongside the tragedies of lost family and a life living under an oppressive gang leader. Her addition to the story is essential to Ettian’s growth as a character. She reminds him of where he came from and thus softens the glow around his perception of current events. Without her, we wouldn’t have the conflict in the final half of the book and it would be significantly less exciting. Personally, she was my favorite character and I look forward to getting to know her better in future books.

Despite its blatant roots in fan fiction, it finds its own footing with a unique setting, interesting plot, and constant action. Should be popular with teens.

Totally for the fans of Star Wars, particularly Finn and Poe. It’s full of relentless action packed moments, twists and turns that kept me on my toes every minute, but there is also a beautiful angsty love story and I loved the combination of it all. Highly recommend for anyone who loves their sci-fi with a good dose of love.

Action packed yet also tender in ways I didn’t expect! Highly recommend for Star Wars fans, but also has the YA military camaraderie of Joanna Hathaway’s Dark of the West. So good. Definitely an author I will be tracking going forward!

Pilot Ettian risks his life to save that of his best friend, and crush, Gal Veres.  But with Gal being the heir of the cruel Umber empire, and Ettian doing his best to protect Gal while keeping his secret, will this ultimately drive them apart?

What an amazing YA science fiction masterpiece!  I am blown away!  Typically, I do not read a ton of this genre.  However, I won this particular novel as a giveaway on Instagram, and it gave me a great excuse to travel up into the stars.  It’s been awhile for me.  

And, I am so glad I did!  This was like reading the most amazing YA version of Star Wars!  I loved every moment I got to spend with Ettian and Gal (up in space, on the “Ruttin’ Hell”, and off).

However, I absolutely fell in love with Wen.  She’s wild and carefree and yet, cunning, crafty, handy, street smart, and a skillful fighter.  And how could you not love those skills with her rainbow colored umbrella?!  She’s such an amazing, strong female character!   

The sacrifices that Ettian makes, time and time again, are profound.  He learns, right off the bat, that he and Gal are sworn enemies and the entire resistance is after him.  Ettian decides his loyalties are to get Gal safely home. He doesn't judge Gal for his bloodline.   He is wary of it but doesn't judge it.  And I adore him for that.   He truly loves Gal.  But you can tell that Gal loves Ettian, too.  And yet they do not act on their love.  They are too busy trying to avoid getting killed or discovered.  It’s heartbreaking but so admirable!  

I had so many emotions reading this story.  I went from elated to nervous to frightened to really saddened and ultimately crushed (my heart).  But overall, I am thrilled because I loved this book!  And, I cannot wait for the second one because I am not ready to leave the adventures on Archon and I want to know what happens next.  

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantyne for the Advanced Reader’s Copy.

First of all the ending killed me. I was dead. I could not handle it? To be clear it was a GREAT ending and I desperately need the next book, but oh my god. 

My Star Wars fan friends have described this as essentially FinnPoe fanfic in long form, and man, I think I need to read some FinnPoe fanfic if this is what that has to offer. There was so much pining! So much angst! 

The plot was also good, but frankly I spent the whole time being distracted by how much I loved all three of the main characters. They’re so precious and they just deserve happiness. 

It’s all very actiony with lots of space battles, spaceships, seeeecret rebel plots, and essentially all the things that people love in Star Wars. If you really like Star Wars, this is probably a great book to pick up. 

Here’s a trope list, because much like Fake Boyfriend… tropes are the best way to describe this book. 

Friends to lovers!
Loveable con artist girl who tries to screw over the main characters but then they discover that actually they really platonically care about each other and now she’s FAMILY
casually sleeping in the same bed while PINING
Fake dating!
FALSE IDENTITIES
omg no we can’t we have so many obligations we can’t get involved *gets involved*
loyalty and BETRAYAL
water fight and then oh no I slipped and he’s on top of me oh no

While I may have put “so far” in the title, there’s a good chance that we’ll be able to confidently say by the end of the year that Emily Skrutskie’s Bonds of Brass was our all-time favorite sci-fi novel of the year. I haven’t been as sucked into a story as I was this one in a long time and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this trilogy. There wasn’t a moment in this book where I wasn’t waiting with baited breath to see what would happen next.

Bonds of Brass is an epic space opera that takes place in a galaxy full of imperial conquest. Ettian and Gal are two seemingly everyday cadets at a military academy at the heart of a conquered empire. But the truth quickly comes out after Gal survives an assassination attempt and is outed as the heir to the Umber empire. Soon he and Ettian are off on a crazy adventure trying to stay one foot ahead of the traitors and enemy forces that would either capture or kill them.

There is never a dull moment as the two do their best to stay alive. But even in the quieter moments when the action stops the ever changing relationship between Ettian and Gal keeps things interesting. Both boys share feelings for one another but after the truth of Gal’s lineage comes out how could there ever be a future for them? And after years of being roommates and best friends how can Ettian look past such deception?

It doesn’t help that Ettian’s loyalties are torn between the defeated empire that was his home as a child and the future that Gal could bring to the Umber empire he’s spent so many years learning to serve. There is a constant battle in Ettian’s heart throughout and just as war drums sound on the horizon for the galaxy as a whole. Readers will be just as torn as they wait and wonder what will happen next not just between Gal and Ettian but to everyone as the story progresses. And they’ll be rewarded time and time again by huge moments and incredible twists.

You won’t be able to put this one down, trust me!

It’s hard to articulate just what I loved about this book because there are so many great things about it. Skrutskie’s world-building is impecible and the history of this galaxy and characters – from the fall of the Archon Empire to all the different elements of the intergalactic political struggles – feels very realistic. The characters are phenomenal from our leading men to the cast of supporting characters that surround them.

Bonds of Brass is action-packed, fast-paced, and incredibly well written. It’s the perfect blend of drama, romance, and suspense. It’s fun for long-time science fiction fans just as it is fans who may be newer to the genre. It also has great cross-over appeal for both young adult and adult sci-fi readers similar to other great sci-fi hits like Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series.

If you’re a fan of science fiction you’ll want to check out Bonds of Brass immediately!

***A review copy was provided for the purpose of this review***

Young love is so complicated, they burn hot and bright, and everything feels so intense. So add to that a 
space-operatic sci-fi adventure full of action, betrayal, and you have yourself a book for the ages. Bonds of Brass was one of my most highly anticipated reads this year, and it delivered on all levels. Read it now!