*3.5 stars rounded up.

First, I would like to say that Wen is under-appreciated. I also think that BONDS did a horrible job characterizing her: she’s a sixteen-year-old badass and yet they treat her like a wayward thirteen-year-old. She was definitely more important in OATHS, which was nice.
What really bugged me was Gal. This book is in his POV and he’s totally still my favorite, but his thoughts didn’t correlate with his actions very well; if you’re loyal to your empire, STOP HELPING THE ARCHONS. Also, he was totally amazing and super manipulative and nobody listened to him??? That bothered me a lot because he made valid points and Ettian was very “follow your heart.”
Despite that, there was very little romance and they weren’t even in close proximity a lot. I wanted a lot of mutual pining, and that wasn’t really it.
Anyways, I did really love this book. The ending totally got me by surprise, and I really hope I get an ARC of book three!

Did I devour this book in a single day? Yes. Yes I did. And it was *worth it*.

This is exactly what I expected and wanted from a BONDS OF BRASS sequel: a fun, zippy, quippy space adventure with our beloved disaster trio, backstabbing and betrayals and longing, and a few twists along the way. This time around, the book is from the POV of Gal, which is a smart choice: it lets us take a closer look at the history of this world and the inner questions about fate, empire, and what it all means. Gal gets so much wonderful character development here, and some of the stuff that didn't quite land in the first book improves immensely with more time and space to really dive deep.

All three of the main characters, honestly, are served better this time around. We've moved past the initial hook/sly wink of "FinnPoe but canon!" and into a world that's totally its own. Wen is a blessing in every scene she's in, full of her own wants and her own emotions but also trying to delicately navigate her divided loyalties between the two boys who once were a team and who both adore her. It's proof that you don't need romance to make a "love" triangle compelling - platonic love is just as emotional and resonant.

Ettian isn't our POV character this time, but he still goes through a ton of character development, trying to figure out what his new role actually means and dealing with lingering feelings for Gal, who, obviously, loathes him at this point. If you've ever yearned for a ship that's both friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers at the same time, well, here you go. The ending is a wild ride, and the parallels to the first book throughout are spot-on and really confirm that the driving force in the whole series is these two idiots who love each other more than literal empires.

(This review will be published on Goodreads by 04/19/2021.)

Gal is a little ball of fiery anger and resentment and most of it is aimed toward his former roommate Ettain, now in charge of the Archon Empire. Somehow, Gal still loves him despite being his enemy. However, he is beyond bored with his captivity, so much so that he thinks that an assasination attempt ‘breaks up the monotony’. The book is full of internal and external angst, interpersonal drama, and denial . . . heaps and heaps of denial!

It feels like forever since I read the first book in the series, so I was a little hazy about what exactly happened, but Skrutskie starts the book with all of the reminders you need to jump right back on the starship. The pacing starts out slow, mostly with Gal wandering around moping, trying his best to look like he wants to escape, but not doing a very convincing job of it. Things really start to pick up in the last third of the book.

I really enjoyed the authors writing style in the last book and I think it got even better in this one. The little references to Star Wars was an added bit of amusement for me, but Skrutskie said that she wrote it because ‘we’ did not get to see a popular pair of characters have a romantic relationship in the sequel star wars trilogy. I see that Gal and Ettian are loosely based on those characters, but not quite.

However, the relationships between all three main characters shows more depth in this novel and they evolve into a slightly different dynamic. With the perspective of Gal in this one, you really get to know all three of them better through snappy banter and rather truthful confessions. Their fears and personalities really start to break through all of the angst.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable book. It takes a bit to get going, but I still look forward to seeing what happens to them in the next novel.

As the middle book in a trilogy, Oaths of Legacy accomplished what it set out to do - build the tension. I really wanted the pay off in this novel but I know it's coming and I just have to wait patiently.

Last year I had an older gentleman come into the store asking for gay science fiction with a happy ending. I wish I had already read Emily Skrutskie's work at the time because I would have for sure hand-sold Bonds of Brass and Oaths of Legacy. This series really delivers on full-fledged Sci Fi with a believable and angsty M/M pairing. Really looking forward to the third!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review! Seriously. THANK YOU. I've been literally stalking the NetGalley site for this ARC. <3

I love Emily Skrutskie's brand of sci-fi. Lots of flashy action scenes, friendships and couples that are easy to root for, and just so much damn heart poured into every single moment. But mostly I love how messy and tangled everything gets from page one. Every time. <3

I loved the first book in this trilogy and was so hyped for what was built up for the sequel, and book two does not disappoint. Gal's perspective is fresh and feels very different from our boy Ettian in book one (I'm an absolute sucker for a snarky prince with a tortured soul give 'em here). Relationships that were established in the first iteration are shown in different lights, changed, mangled, and just absolutely turned on their heads. We have plot twists, we have scheming, we have new friendships, we have betrayals, we have makeout scenesssssss. Ugh. Loved it.

And just like before, the ending has me salivating for the next book.

My only complaints are that it felt too short - like stuff went DOWN, but scenes moved really fast. And my dreaded fantasy curse word was back. Just let them say 'fuck', please, Emily. I cringe every time they utter the word 'rut'. Like a piece of my soul shrivels and dies a little.