Something about how the author sets up the sci-fi aspects of their stories always brings them down. Unfortunately, this was a super sci-fi heavy world. Also, it takes time to appreciate all the characters in the story.

I have been trying to read this book for several weeks now and something about it has made me put it down after only a chapter or two. At first I was put off my the 1st person narration - the older I get, the less I like books written in 1st person. But that's not this book's fault and I was determined to get past my hangup over it.

I first paw this book being hyped on Twitter long before it came out. I was pretty excited by the premise. A high-stakes, political gay space adventure? Sign me up.

The original cover was pretty generic and told basically nothing about the book. The cover was redesigned after the ARCs were sent out to the cover image above, and it looks better, but it also looks like a YA novel. This book is not being marketed as YA, so it threw me off. But it became apparent after I started to read it why the cover change.

I have no idea why this book is not being marketed as YA. The protagonists are 17 years old and are about to graduate from a military academy. A large part of the early plot hinges on the fact that Gal is about to turn 18 in a couple months. The writing is also very reminiscent of a lot of the YA that I have read. The prose reminded me so vividly of reading the Hunger Games trilogy that it was startling.

Don't take this review as some kind of diss on YA. I have loved some YA novels in my time. I just was not expecting <em>Bonds of Brass</em> to be one. I also think the way they marketed this book was a missed opportunity. This book would be a much better fit for the YA shelves than the scifi shelves. It has a lot of political machinations but it also deals with the pitfalls of first love and trying to figure out who you are going to become as you move from a school setting to a wider world setting.

It just so happens that in this book the wider wold is in, like, space.

I really did like this book. The two main protagonists, Ettian and Gal, are both pretty complicated characters that have their moments of just being young and silly, then are weighed down by their circumstances and their responsibilities. The world-building was pretty solid, and the action scenes were super well choreographed. I could see the final "twist" pretty early on, so it wasn't very shocking to me, but I like where the plot ultimately ended up going. This book sets up the second one nicely, and I am interested in seeing where Skrutskie goes with it.

Ultimately, I gave this book 3.5 stars because it was a solid book, slightly better than average, but it did not wow me. I am hoping that with all the set up in this book that the second one will step up its game and knock my socks off.

A fast moving story! Loved all the rep and the not overpowering romance. Friends to lovers is one I enjoy, as it seems the most organic. 

The story starts out slow, as there is so much political backstory to be explained. I felt a bit overwhelmed and still confused. The unfamiliar names and factions - they weren't very clear. Glossary would of helped. 

And then everything hit the fan. The story just flew by. It was engaging, adventurous, with enough action not to be bored. Loved adding the third personality in this story that did mesh with the two main protagonists. And then that end! Can't wait to see where and how this proceeds. Perfect for YA fans.

This was quite enjoyable! I did predict some of the things that happened, but that's fine.

In terms of characters, I liked Ettian the most for sure. I thought he was relatable, and I liked seeing his skill as a pilot and willingness to do what it takes to save his friends. Wen (one of the side characters) is very impulsive, so she makes some questionable decisions. I did enjoy her overall though. Gal, on the other hand, was actually not particularly appealing to me because he didn't seem genuine. That being said, I'm certainly interested in seeing how his character develops in the next book based on some of his actions in this book.

The plot was interesting, fast paced, and engaging overall. It reminded me some of Star Wars with the empire, pilots/ships (and the way they travel), and rebellion. I liked learning about the rebels, and the entire situation with Knightfall was very interesting! I'm curious to see what happens next after the way things ended here.

In terms of the relationship, I'm conflicted with how I feel about Ettian and Gal. Our characters must balance love, familial obligations, duty, and revenge, so that makes for very complex relationships with each other and others.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this! I enjoyed my time with it, and I'm interested in continuing the series.

I won a giveaway copy of this from the publisher (fulfilled via NetGalley) - thank you! All opinions are my own.

In a nutshell, Bonds of Brass is a sapphic science fiction thriller featuring best friends turned lovers, an incredible intergalactic universe, and an action-packed plot. Following the conquest of his home planet under the brutal Umber Empire, Ettian Nessan finds himself joining a military academy run by the same empire that destroyed his home, in hopes of becoming a high ranking pilot despite being treated as a second class citizen. When a flying drill quickly turns into an assassination attempt, it's revealed that Ettian's quirky roommate is actually the secret heir to the Umber Empire and will one day inherit the throne of the empire Ettian so despises. After narrowly escaping from the academy, Ettian and Gal must find a way to return the heir of the Umber Empire home safely despite bounty hunters and Ettian's harboring resentment to the Umber Empire. Secrets are revealed. people are betrayed, an m/m romance develops ("and they were roommates!"), and lot of tea gets spilled. In short, the components of a fantastic adventure. 

 I wish I'd read Bonds of Brass sooner- I really enjoyed this one, and I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group publishers for providing a free ARC

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Quarantine brain has me feeling some type of way. I finished this book weeks ago and I’ve only now managed to write anything resembling a review. If there’s anything you can glean from this post, it’s that this book is an amazing escape from every day life under this pandemic. It’s got everything: a Finn/Poe fanfic vibe, friends to lovers trope, action, adventure, and excellent plot twits.

The parts of this book I particularly enjoyed were the action sequences. Almost immediately our heroes are in a space battle against their own classmates. It only gets more intense from there. The action sequences pulled this book along, from the time Ettian rescues Gal, to when they land on a remote planet and have to escape gangs with their new companion, Wen, and when they join rebels in a plan to get back home. It was all SO FUN. As much as these characters are risking their lives at every step, there’s humor and fun behind a lot of their decisions. Personally, I’m a fan of this for any sci-fi book; that it allows for moments of joy and doesn’t get bogged down in technical details.

Even though this book is described as Finn/Poe fanfic, the biggest distinction is that the audience for this book is clearly Young Adult. They only kiss, okay! It’s pretty tame. I guess I should have anticipated this because they essentially go to a military high school (aka are high school aged), but I was expecting more action to Ettian and Gal’s relationship. That’s not to say there wasn’t excellent moments of tension (when they are repainting the plane!), it’s just that it’s all kind of watered down.

The person I trusted least in the book was Wen Iffan. She’s a street urchin on the planet of rebels where Ettian and Gal escape, who Ettian somehow trusts implicitly even though they barely know each other. It kind of caught me off guard how much he relied on her. If he saw something of himself in her, then wouldn’t he know not to trust her? (And this could go both ways, why does she stick around with these two?) To be fair, I think she is a cool character on her own, and does redeem herself at the end. I’m excited to see where that goes in the series.

Speaking of which, what a twist ending! Not what I expected! As a reader, I always appreciate when we’re led down a certain path, but it’s crushed at the end by something we didn’t see coming.

This series is one to watch. It’s a good escape, fun, and definitely keeps you on your toes. I would definitely read other books by this author, too.

I was very excited to win a copy of Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie from a social media event that was held for this book’s release. This book was a wild ride from
start to finish. This was FinnPoe with royal intrigue and the history of bloodlines and empires in the background. This book posed several questions including what are you willing to do for those you love, how do you move forward through childhood trauma, and how do you start/continue a relationship when both people haven’t been fully truthful with each other. The revelations and cliffhanger at the end of this book have me on the edge of my seat for the next book in this series!

When Ettian finds out that his best friend, Gal, is secretly the heir to the empire that colonized his home planet, the two of them are forced to flee their military academy. On the run, Ettian has to decide whether he’s going to help Gal claim his rightful throne or join in the rebellion that’s growing against Gal’s empire.

I feel so conflicted about this book. I’m going to try to explain it without spoilers, so bear with me.

For much of this book, I was confused by the characters’ motivations, particularly Ettian’s. I kept feeling like he wasn’t making choices that made sense in his situation, and the reasoning he gave didn’t sit with me. Plus, there was an emotional disconnect from his narration that frustrated me. So I spend much of this book annoyed with him and the decisions he was making because I didn’t understand them.

Then at the end of the book, there’s a Plot Twist that makes us reevaluate everything we’ve read up to that point! And it was a Very Good Plot Twist that makes me want to read the next book despite not loving this one! It clarified a lot (though not all) of the motivations that I was confused about earlier…but that doesn’t make up for the fact that I was frustrated for so much of the book. I don’t know how to feel!

Also, this is the second Emily Skrutskie book I’ve read and the second that I’m rating 3 stars, so I’m thinking that she’s just not the author for me. Though I’m probably still going to continue this series because I’m invested now. Anyways, go read this book if you like space stuff and/or if you wanted Finn and Poe from Star Wars to kiss.

Emily Skrutskie’s Bonds of Brass is a fast-paced YA space opera with plenty to love. We’re introduced to two fighter-pilots-in-training one of whom turns out to be the heir to the throne of an evil space empire. It’s one part coming of age story, one part military sci-fi, and one part YA romance. It’s easy to love the two main characters, and the story pulls you along making it difficult to put the book down.

There are plenty of things worth praising in Skrutskie’s novel. The pacing, in particular, was excellent. There were just enough moments to catch your breath for the fast-paced action to feel natural. From the first moments of the novel it’s obvious that Skrutskie isn’t waiting around. We’re thrown into the action, but just as quickly we’re introduced to the two main characters - best friends and roommates - through the action. Those two characters are easy to love and we instantly care about them, their concerns, and what is going to happen to them. All this happens by about the tenth page, which is an impressive feat. In the midst of that, Skrutskie also manages to introduce a good deal of world building and relevant history. All of it feels natural. Another thing I loved about this one is how violence is not seen as a panacea. Too often in science fiction and fantasy, violence is largely perpetrated without consequence. In Bonds of Brass, the characters have to deal with the violence they commit, even violence committed in self-defense, and the way that said violence affects them psychologically. There are also themes of friendship, love, and divided loyalties that are weaved seamlessly throughout the story. I loved every moment of it, and the climax is suitably tense and thrilling. Fast-paced, character-driven, military science fiction with a strong coming-of-age element and characters you love and ache for isn’t available on every bookstore shelf. It's a very emotional book. By the end your emotions are raw. Friendship and loyalty play a pivotal role, but so does legacy and birthright, and the importance of the past in shaping the future. It’s a wonderful story, and I'm looking forward to the next book.

There isn’t much that I have to criticize in this one. It is written in present tense, and I am not a fan of that writing style. I know for some folks it works fine. For me, reading a present tense narrative almost always jars me out of the story at some point. The exceptions to this are few and far between. In this case, there were moments when I was jarred out of the story by the present tense narrative. But it happened less than I might have expected, and I noticed it less as the story went on. I also would have liked to have seen a little more fleshing out of the technology. This isn’t hard scifi, and it doesn’t need to be, but a little more explanation for how technology works, faster-than-light travel, that kind of thing, would have been something I enjoyed. Obviously, that’s the sort of thing that’s very specific to reader preferences.

Bonds of Brass grabs you, makes you love it, and then leaves you aching for more. It’s a wonderful young adult tale. Sure to appeal to fans of Star Wars: Rogue One, folks looking for a YA science fiction tale, and those yearning for a M/M YA romance. The entire book feels real and authentic at every turn, and it doesn’t shy away from grappling with important themes. A wonderful start to a new trilogy. I can’t wait to see where the story takes us!

“You’re infatuated,” Gal says, and I stiffen before I realize he means with the planet.

Brooding, beautiful and biting, Emily Skrutskie captured my heart with Bonds of Brass, a heart-wrenching tale of betrayal paired alongside a devastating friends-to-enemies love story.

Doomed from the start, Ettian Nassun cannot avoid the beat of his true empire, a pounding rhythm that spells destruction in the novel’s tense opening chapter, wherein the up-and-coming pilot’s best friend is outed in an assignation attempt. Betrayal two years in the making crashes around Ettian, boiling his blood and stirring his heart when Gal Veres is outed as the heir to the Umber imperial throne – the very same throne that shattered any chance he had at a normal life within Rana, the former beating heart of Archon territory.

Choosing Gal over his past invites chaos for Ettian, igniting a spark of regret that burns bright over the course of a frantic journey to return the prince to his rightful home – a journey that sends the duo to the outer edge of Corinth, a neutral border world that may offer safe passage if they play their cards right.

Atmospheric and inviting, Skrutskie takes the reader on a journey, inviting them to explore the void alongside Gal, Ettian, and their undeniable sexual chemistry inside of a stolen Beamer ship, codename Ruttin’ Hell. Near kisses and a single bed make for a messy relationship, one that is only complicated by Ettian’s internal turmoil. Torn between past and present in a fight against the rush of Archon blood in his veins, Ettian struggles with guilt, regret and paranoia as the winds of the Archon resistance movement meet him in Henrietta Base, a large academy compound where rebellion brews. Faced with long-lost heroes and a complicated ruse, Ettian seeks solace in stolen moments with Gal made possible by a fake relationship.

Ettian’s mindset becomes a thing of passion – a complicated network of shame, pride and undeniable love, not just for Gal, but for space. Star ships are second nature to the Archon orphan, the cockpit of a ship the only place where he feels free – to move, to fight, and to think – that is, until a cut-throat thief named Wen Iffan enters the fray. In Wen, Ettian discovers the true meaning of survival, the duo connected by a thread of understanding – a deep-seated connection that spans empires.

“On my left, power without fathom in the fragile body of a boy. On my right, a nightmare of a girl who should be ruling these streets. And in the middle, there’s me.”

A ruse to use the Archon resistance movement has catastrophic consequences, offering dedicated space opera fans a world-shattering blow, giving new meaning to the word betrayal when the novel comes full circle, pitting Gal (and Ettian) against the very same enemies that threatened the heir-to-be at the Umber Imperial Academy.

Devastating and inventive, Emily Strutskie lays a near impeccable foundation for the future in Bonds of Brass, offering readers a slow-burn romance alongside a frenzied fight for survival and power.

I loved this book, I devoured it whole even though I'm typically not an e-book person. The pacing was slightly too fast for me and outside of the two main characters I feel that the others fell flat, but that may be because the two main characters were so amazing. I also knew that the "twist" at the end was coming from the beginning, but watching it unfold was satisfying in of itself. The world building was exciting and innovative. All in all, I highly recommend it and I can't wait to see what else the author has in store!

Bonds of Brass is a space opera trilogy about a pilot, a hidden prince, and a scrapper girl with a rainbow umbrella. This story is incredible! From the very first chapter things just take off and everything goes crazy quickly. While everything is going crazy, the worldbuilding is done incredibly well, the characters are well-developed, and you find yourself needing to read the next chapter immediately to find out what happens next. 

I loved the characters, the romance was a little rushed, but assuming that the two were friends for years, it just seems rushed to the reader because you don't see their history together. 

The ending is insane and I need the next book immediately!

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I always have an extra love for space operas, and I was so excited to read Bonds of Brass early! This was a lovely read, full of adventure, danger and love. I do have to admit that I restarted this book roughly 15 times. For some reason, I had a hard time focusing at the beginning and getting into the story. As it moved along though, I found myself wanting to find out what happens to both Gal and Ettian. Worth the finish friends and I am looking forward to reading the next in the series!

First off: I see a lot of people comparing this to Finn/Poe. Ettian and Gal have some of the same physical characteristics as Finn and Poe (Ettian has dark skin and full lips and Gal's skin is described as "golden"), and they're pilots, in the stars, during wars. That's about where the similarities end, in terms of character-to-character analogues. Just a heads-up to manage people's expectations.

Whew, this book. The plot moves at a zippy pace, and Ms. Skrutskie really excels at writing action, in both the second-to-second action sequences and in larger plot machinations. Her prose in general is effective and punchy, and I'm still reeling from the final plot twist (almost TOO late in the book) that sets up book #2. Ettian and Gal are written as both competent and boyish, both too young for this and literally born for this. It's very humanizing, especially given said final twist, and I will definitely be picking up book #2 to see what happens next.

My main reason for deducting a star is that I wasn't entirely sold on the romantic pairing, and the bloated cast of friends at their military school. I hope said friends will be appearing in the next books, because frankly it seemed like some of the time spent talking about their friends could have been spent furthering the backstory of exactly <i>why</i> Gal and Ettian are so in love. Maybe there could have been some more flashbacks? Like I said, the action moves quickly, so much so that it feels like the readers have less time to dwell on their relationship.

Finally: it took me a second to warm up to Wen, as her introduction was a little... manic pixie dream girl-esque. However, the more time we spent with her, her radical honesty and reckless nature served as a great foil to Ettian's tendency to get caught in his head.

(Note: An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks, NetGalley!)

This book was sold to me on Twitter as the book perfect for fans of Star Wars, in particular the romance that could have been between the characters of Finn and Poe. This book delivered what those movies failed to, and then some!

Bonds of Brass is a smooth sailing sci-fi, easy enough to dive into even if your extent of sci-fi doesn’t reach far beyond movies and tv shows. The plot is easy to follow, and the author doesn’t overwhelm you with too many integral characters and alien species to remember (major deterrents for some when it comes to the genre). The story follows Gal and Ettian, two students at a military accademy, whose educations are derailed when Gal is targeted by other students due to his royal ties. Ettian helps his friend and roommate find safety, but at what cost. And since when did Wen become part of their previously two-man crew? 

The story plays like a space opera from start to finish, full of exciting fights in space and daring escapes by our two protagonists (no spoilers I promise!). Wen steals hearts as the plucky young stowaway that grows on Ettian. She’ll grow on you too. While other characters play key roles in different acts of the story, these three make up the motley crew that demand the most attention. 

Bonds of Brass keeps you flipping the pages up until the very last scene, which made my heart skip a beat more than once. The twists and turns are as thrilling as I imagine it would be flying in a ship with Ettian. 

I am so excited to see where the two subsequent sequels take us!

SPOILERS IN REVIEW
I'll admit, this book was a complicated read for me in a lot of ways.
The plot was tight and well-crafted, with no extra fluff and a breakneck speed from the first chapter. In fact, I think the story would make an incredibly compelling action/sci-fi movie, if Hollywood would give us some proper (not blink-and-you-miss-it) space gays for once.
That being said, while I went in fueled by the hype about the romance plot, in the end, the romance ended up being the least interesting part of the book, and I almost wished they were either straightforward best friends or that the romance had been amped up a bit sooner. I didn't feel any of the momentum building in their relationship lended to a romantic arc. All of their difficulties and the distance building between them felt detached from their romantic feelings for each other, so I was skeptical that everything could be resolved by affirming their feelings and fixing it all with a kiss and some I love yous.
What added to my skepticism was that in the context of the rest of the story, their focus on their own relationship is *incredibly selfish*. Ettian is constantly justifying his decision to betray thousands upon thousands of his own people by saying that he can't live in a world without Gal, etc. etc. So essentially, this teenage boy is so completely out-of-his-mind in love with this boy (who, quite frankly, I didn't care for) that he is willing to basically commit genocide against his own people and side with a brutal regime that killed his own parents.
I kept waiting for the moment when Ettian would figure out what a completely batshit crazy trade-off that is, and I really thought that moment would come, because it's what the entire plot seemed to be leading up to. And when it seemed like it wasn't going to happen, I thought maybe Gal would be the one to pull the plug and realize he couldn't follow through with his plan.
Neither of those things happened, and it completely threw me, especially when the final twist came at the end and Ettian's parentage was revealed. That reveal made it even more shocking to me that he was completely ready to lead all of those people to their deaths, just so he could help his boyfriend get home. (And it wasn't even so they could be together, which would still be a ridiculous justification! He literally was taking direct responsibility for the deaths of thousands of his own people, and at the end all he was getting in return was being able to wave goodbye to Gal as he went back home and married some rich space princess and maybe sent Ettian an intergalactic postcard once a year.)
Whether or not he thought it was the lesser of two evil evils, the choice was indicative of a drastic shift in mindset, and quite honestly, I can't imagine he'll make much of a king in the sequel if he was so willing to lead his own citizens to the slaughter all to help Gal, who didn't seem to even understand the magnitude of the choice he was making.
All of that to say, I still really enjoyed the read, and while the above is a glaring eyesore for me and will definitely make me wary going into the sequel, the great pacing and the fantastic twist at the end improve significantly on what would otherwise be a 3-star read for me.

this book was so unbelievably incredible. i suspected about Ettian's past, and when my assumption was correct, I was THRILLED. Plus the way this book ended??? Wow, a literal power move.

LGBT+ sci-fi? Be still my beating heart.
***
Bonds of Brass is a crazy ride, and with that ending? I can’t wait to see how the rest of this trilogy goes from here. Just, wow.
Ettian’s life was turned upside down when the Umber Empire invaded his home. Seven years down the line he is now training to be a pilot for the Umber military. His life is turned upside down once again when some of his classmates attempt to assassinate his roommate, and BFF/giant crush Gal, who turns out to be the heir to the Umber Empire.
With Gal’s life at stake Ettian does his best to keep the boy/man he thought he knew alive all while wrestling with his own wants, needs, ideologies, etc.
***
What I love. I love Gal and Ettian, these two disaster bi-boys need to work on their communication so much. Wen! All hail sneaky Wen. If I have to declare loyalty to anyone here, it’s this beautiful scarred soul that will probably blow herself up someday, but cackle all the while.
I love that you see outside of what the Umber empire has declared, and Ettian’s struggle with himself and his loyalty as he sees more of the world, because Gal has always had it but with the secrets building up between them maybe Gal isn’t necessarily enough anymore?
What I hate? Nothing, except knowing there is a long wait between now and book 2.
***
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

★★☆☆☆

I hate writing bad reviews for books that I didn't hate. That's something important to be clear about. I don't hate this book! Yes, I gave it 2 stars. Which in my rating system means it was ok!

I want to go ahead and address the Poe/Finn marketing that surrounds this book. I see why they emphasized that -- it's m/m in space and there're warring empires but that's more or less where the similarities end. The power imbalance between an heir of an empire and the citizen of a planet that empire conquered gave me some strong hmmm... Captive Prince vibes.

This was resolved by the end of the book but still made me much more hesitant to get invested in the pairing, and I wouldn't compare it to Finn (an ex-member of the conquering empire) and Poe (your average hotshot rebel pilot) and the 'co-generals' attitude of their relationship.

The book started off on the wrong foot for me - the ex-citizen of a conquered planet/empire (main character) saves the conquering empire's heir (love interest) from a rebel attack. The rebels being citizens of the main character's conquered empire. Granted, at the time, the MC only knew that the person he rescued was a native of the conquering empire. I understand that alliances shift and obviously citizens can renounce their old alliances but... it just struck me as odd.



And then I stopped reading for a week and a half because quarantine has shortened my attention considerably and I wasn't hooked into the story yet.

Eventually, the guilt of possibly DNFing got to me and I picked it up again, forcing myself to get at least 25% of the way through. There was enough of a hook in between where I started and 25% that I kept going until 50% where set-up finished and the plot finally picked up pace.



We're just going to ignore the sci-fi plot holes (like the fact that space is 3 dimensional and you can approach things from almost infinite direction and I'm not sure how possible it is to have true "territories" that completely block you from somewhere).

There were some good parts and overall enough to keep me interested, but I think it's an indicator of... something... when my favorite characters are secondary or background characters.



Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Bonds of Brass was the first book that I read by the author. While its was enjoyable, and I am looking forward to reading the next two books, I'm sad that I had to knock the story down two stars.

Because this book just recently came out, I'm going to focus more so on the problems I had with the book than the good things.

Problem 1: 

The fact that there is paragraph after paragraph of info dumps from this kid (Ettian). That's not a way to write exposition nor is it a way to write a story about a galactic war. Maybe you can get away with info dumps if, say, this was some kind of memoir. (Maybe it is a memoir and I don't know, since sometimes chapters end with some weird foreshadowing about what is yet to come.) I know the book is meant for YA's, but the fact the author does not let you experience the turmoil, the anger, the pain the main characters face is sad. This 'empire' is terrifying? Okay, show me, make me feel the terror. Don't just have this kid info-dump it in multiple paragraphs. Right now, this empire is lame compared to the empire in Star Wars. 

Problem 2: When the romance is hyped more than the sci-fi. I have no problem with romance in this book, I think the romance was great, natural. However, it is a problem if we already have problems with the lack of setting (again, see Problem 1) and you are forced to lean on the romance. You really don't get to learn much about the characters and who they are as people besides from their endless pining over one another.

These two issues knocked the book down. I'm curious after that crazy ending where the book will go, and I'll be monitoring its release. I just felt upset that what sounded like a really promising read (hello Finn/Poe fans) ended up lacking in the bits that make a story exciting for me.