Vows of Empire is the finale to Emily Skrtuskie's Bloodright Trilogy, her M/M Space Opera Romance series that began with Bonds of Brass. The series is very much inspired by Star Wars (and may have begun originally as Poe/Finn fanfiction) and well I've had mixed feelings about it: on one hand, I liked the first book, even if I had some reservations on how the book didn't really tackle some of its deeper themes of Empire and Rule in favor of trying to keep things fun and Star Wars-y. The second book however kind of disappointed me as it again didn't go into the serious issues, failed to confront its protagonist's privilege, and focused instead entirely on his romantic feelings....and the book felt very much like a direct take on a Star Wars Expanded Universe plotline. It wasn't bad, and it was entertaining for sure, but well I was hoping for more given the setup, and the author wasn't interested in taking the series there. So I came to this book, the finale, with much lower expectations for what to expect.

This was a correct approach honestly - Vows of Empire does try to take on some of the themes the earlier books missed of privilege, Empire, leadership by birthright and more, but rarely does so in more than a superficial way. Instead it's more focused on a heist-esque (ala Oceans 11) style of space opera, with its protagonists clearly having some scheme that hasn't been revealed to the reader for most of the book, and the reader forced to guess how much of what's happening is part of that scheme and how much is things genuinely going wrong. And well, it's actually pretty enjoyable at that to be fair, and the book is short enough that it never outstays its welcome. The result is a solid ending to a trilogy that wasn't what I hoped it could be, but at least had its moments.
-------------------------------------------------Plot Summary------------------------------------------------
For the first time in a long time, Gal and Ettian are separated physically, on opposite sides of the galaxy. Ettian still retains uneven control of the rebelling Archon Empire, still struggling to maintain its foothold in its war to free itself from the cruel Umber Empire; while Gal is back under his mother's thumb in the capital of the Umber Empire...a mother whose cruel ambitions remain for her son, ones she hopes will temper him in her image and put him on the throne at the expense of Ettian's people.

But their separation - caused by Gal's "escape" from Ettian's forces - is not completely real, as Gal is devoted to finding a way to fight back against his mother to stop the war and save Ettian....and the chance of the two of them ever getting back together.

The problem? Gal's mother's cruelty, especially in light of Gal's prior image of being in love with Ettian, isn't likely to give him that chance. And Ettian has similar problems, with his own forces still understandably worried about their Emperor's relationship with their enemy....and an allied nation only willing to come onboard if it can be convinced Ettian isn't going to let his personal feelings overwhelm his duty.

To save their chances, and to end the war and possibly save the people they care about, Gal, Ettian and their mutual friend, Wen, will have to enact a desperate plot to change the way the galaxy sees them and people like them....but such a complicated plot can easily go wrong, and once it starts falling apart, they may each be forced into desperate and deadly actions to try and save each other.....
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Each of the first two books presented one of our two main romantic partners - Gal and Ettian - as the sole protagonist, with the book written entirely from their perspective. So Bonds of Brass featured Ettian as the two characters escaped for their lives, discovered who first Gal was, and then Ettian revealed himself after the adventure, taking over the Rebellion to save Gal; while Oaths of Legacy featured Gal befuddled by Ettian's way of people first over power and realizing throughout the book that he couldn't leave Ettian behind and truly was in love, even taking actions to help the Umbers to keep Ettian safe....before circumstances forced him to be kidnapped back to his own people. Both books were essentially devoted to the romance first - for better or for worse - where each book featured the protagonist realizing how deeply he was in love with the other and how far he'd have to go to protect the other.

But with that done, Book 3 splits its initial parts by alternating between both Gal and Ettian's perspective (before going somewhere different with the perspectives in the final act), as both characters attempt to make things work in impossible situations - Ettian trying to lead an Empire he doesn't feel worthy of, with a general trying to usurp his authority, needing allies from an allied nation who doesn't trust his commitment and for good reason; Gal trying to defy his evil mother, free the general he's promised to save, and find some way to stop the war. And well, with both characters' feelings towards the other pretty well realized, there really isn't much development there to do in this book - the main issues the pair's romance has is physical separation and the fact that forces on both sides will take action against the pair to remove them from power if they realize that their love is basically something they prize above all.

And so this book turns into something else this time around: essentially it turns into a heist novel, where the two characters get together at the end of the first act, clearly come up with a plot to try and change the universe and get happiness for each other, but do so in a way that the particulars of the plot are hidden to the reader....so the rest of the book is the reader trying to guess how much certain events are part of the heroes' plans (with the point of view chapters being a bit better at straddling the line between leaving things out for the reader and still containing hints that make it clear that there is something not being told than the first book was) and how much is things actually going wrong. It works pretty well, even if some "twists" are so obviously fake-outs that the reader will laugh, and the result is pretty fun. It helps that once again Wen is great, as is a counterpart of hers on Gal's side who really comes into his own here, and they make this enjoyable while Ettian is kind of a stick in the mud here (although Gal is pretty fun as he manipulates various pompous generals and aristocrats)

Again, this doesn't really delve too heavily in the serious themes this series might have once - there's a big focus on how birthright as a system of basis for governing (monarchies and the like) lead to problems and bad governance, but this theme is really only tackled on a shallow level - and issues of Empire and whatnot are again hardly touched. Like if you think too hard about how it all ends, it doesn't really make much sense? But as a fun capper to just what turns out to be a Space Opera Romance with some Action and other fun, Vows of Empire is pretty solid. The result is a trilogy that is honestly pretty skippable despite some early promise, but one that's got some value in just being enjoyable at times.

The sign of a good book, I think, is when you nearly have to put it down because it surprises you so much - but only <i>nearly</i>. When characters do things that are so insane and heartbreaking that you're just... shocked, but you still have to understand <i>why</i> they did what they did, what's going on behind the scenes, and what will play out at the end.

VOWS OF EMPIRE hit me with one of these moments at <i>least</i> three times. The whole trilogy? I couldn't even tell you. The threading of plots and character arcs and dissonant motivations in this series is masterful to a level I can't really describe, and the only way you can properly experience it for yourself is to give it a read.

I don't use the word "perfect" lightly, but this series? It deserves the title. I'm going to cherish my copies of the Bloodright Trilogy and violently shove them down the throats of all my friends that have ever even so much as <i>whispered</i> the fact that they love space opera stories in my proximity for as long as I can.

(Endless thanks to the ruttin' amazing folks over at Del Rey for the NetGalley ARC!)

Worthy culmination of the Bloodright trilogy. I was a bit disappointed in part two, but this one started off fast and just kept going at a breakneck pace, very exciting and emotionally intense. To explain is to give away important plot points, so I will leave it at Ettian and Gal's empires are still faced off against each other, and the two are desperate to find a reasonable end game that isn't just more death and destruction. You know, somehow save the galaxy. That's all. Just the two of them, Wen, and the deranged Wraiths against the rest of the universe. Piece of cake. And the book just goes whoooosh! Absolutely great stuff, all the potential of the previous story is fully achieved. Outstanding.

Now THIS is how you end a trilogy that's been nothing but one plot twist and con after another with a bang.

I fell in love with Ettian and Gal and Wen from the very beginning of Bonds of Brass. The writing style employed in these novels is easy and conversational and personal, making incredibly good use of first person perspective. The story races along at full tilt with plots and secrets and betrayals and counter betrayals and 'wait-that's-not-actually-a-betrayal's slotting into place and never quiiiiite spinning out of control, but only just.

The first book was Ettian-focused, and the second Gal-focused, but in this one there's a nice balance of the two and also a look into Wen and a growing familiarity with the utter chaos that is the Wraiths.

If I can just quote from my review of the second book in the trilogy (Oaths of Legacy) for a moment:

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"...if I could read about Wen going off-script with a mad slap-dash plan and Ettian caring too much and Gal “fed up to here with these two idiots but don’t anyone dare touch them” emp-Umber attempting to manipulate everyone forever I totally would... "
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Same, past self. Same.

After absolutely flying through this final book at a breakneck pace I can say that I am completely satisfied with the ending. It's the best ending these characters could have dreamed up. It is everything I wanted (and several things I didn't know I wanted). The plot twists and surprises and long cons nearly killed me several times over as I read, in the best way possible.

I love a good twisty plot where the characters are pulling multiple cons on each other and ALSO on the reader, and this trilogy definitely delivers, with moments that made me gasp and moments that made me want to cheer as things fell into place.

I am in awe of Emily Skrutskie's plotting skills and also will read absolutely anything she writes because this trilogy and these characters have completely stolen my heart.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for providing an e-arc for review.

Similar to its predecessor, VOWS OF EMPIRE has an incredibly slow build-up and spends over half the book repeating themes that have been long established. Furthermore, the scope of the war has grown so large that the much-needed detail about certain characters and events is no longer possible. With the trilogy coming to a close, I find that I still know very little about Gal, Ettian, and Wen, let alone minor characters such as Hanji and the Wraith squadron. These flaws are nothing new and have been holding the story back since the first book.

On the bright side, the last hundred pages or so were interesting enough that I stopped skimming. The action, plot twists, and ending were unpredictable which is always a good sign. Though it was still rushed, I prefer it to a story that drags on. Overall, a nice conclusion to a fun trilogy.

Trying to write a review for the last book in a series is difficult. I don’t want to say too much and ruin the experience for anyone else. Overall, I’m happy with how this trilogy has played out. There are unresolved issues but they make more sense than having everything wrapped up too neatly. And they leave the door open for spin-offs or maybe one-off short stories and sequels. My biggest issue is that the plot is so big, the stakes so high, and there are so many characters, that I was left wanting more of the main characters together. I feel that’s true for most media though that has more than one part. It’s usually why I love the first in a series the most. But I loved where everyone ended up at the end of this series enough that I hope we can revisit them in the not-too-distant future.

In ‘Vows of Empire’, Emily Skrutskie delivers a wrenchingly good and mostly unpredictable end (for now) to her YA space opera M/M romance 'Bloodright Trilogy'.

This review contains spoilers and reader deductions. I will reference characters and events from the first two books.

For spoiler-free review, TL;dr....read the other books first, grab this one, & hang on for a wild ride. This is unabashedly but not graphic *queer* SF, so don't read it if you don't like that genre.

First: the action in this book is both harrowing and hilarious, often in the same scene. Skulking, snark, dramatic rescues, royal weddings, gay supporting character couples, more space battles, more romance, more tender moments...everything that made the first two books shine is all here, and more.

Second: my kudos for Skrutskie's skill at spinning plots around unreliable narrators!

Book One showed Ettian's completely understandable duplicity about his royal origins. Book Two was all about Gal's need to bury his true hopes and plans under several layers of misdirection.

In Book Three, we have both angsty, brilliant princes dialed up to eleven. They still take second place to mob-daughter-guttersnipe-supermechanic-spaceknight Wen Iffan.

Who is not, thankfully, the madwoman she could be. Wen is sheer joy to experience in all of her scenes. Her character arc was something I suspected, as it was the only logical outcome of the dysfunctional political system. It didn't go quite where I expected it, but this was even better.

Nor is Wen the only strong, well-written female character. Nor are secondary characters *of any gender* denied depth and a bit of back story.

Even Empress Iva, Gal's ruthless mother, is given some personality beyond 'ruthless dictator'.

Which leads to a *big* plot hole I suspect Skrutskie has already factored into her work, should she return to this series. Iva is not the type to ignore backup plans. According to Gal's own recollections, Iva would have seen how unsuitable Gal might be to rule her vision of empire. And she lies when she needs to.

I suspect Gal has a fully-legitimate and indoctrinated sibling hiding somewhere, waiting to avenge their mother's defeat.

And I think Wen, Ettian, and Gal will do just fine against them.

'Vows' is a satisfying conclusion to a queer gay space opera series I wish I'd had on my bookshelf back in 1987, when I first started my own writing journey.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Emily Skrutskie completes the Bloodright Trilogy with Vows of Empire. This book picks up shortly after the cliffhanger ending of book two, and any real discussion of the plot will undoubtedly spoil the first two books. Suffice it to say, the war is still on between Archon and Umber.

I had suspicions of the way that the trilogy would conclude, and Skrutskie addressed one of those suspicions early on in this book. After that, it was clear there was only one way this series could actually end. Despite knowing the destination, that did not make the journey any less entertaining. The nature of the book's content kept Gal and Ettian apart for the vast majority, unfortunately. The nature of their relationship is such a focal point and strength of the series, but Vows of Empire was decidedly Wen's book.

It was smart for Skrutskie to shift perspectives the way that she did throughout the book and to highlight the amount of growth all of the characters achieved over the course of this trilogy.

Overall, I felt that this was a satisfactory conclusion to the series despite wanting more information about how things turned out. Certainly, there is room for Skrutskie to write prequels or sequels to the series, but the trilogy holds on its own. I look forward to future works from Skrutskie.

The final book in The Bloodright Trilogy is here, and Gal and Ettian are back and trying to stop all the chaos the world has left them with. Gal is trapped with his empress mother and her evil rule, while Ettian is trying to play the game of thrones when he only took up the leader mantle to save his friend's life. It's all a giant mess, and somehow they have to fix a whole galaxy in only 288 pages.

So Vows of Empire jumps a little in time from where the events of the second book, Oaths of Legacy, left off. But it's not a large time jump. The book starts out with Gal and Ettian on separate sides of an ongoing war and it follows them throughout their political decisions to find their way back to each other. However, here's the thing, the plot at the end was obviously fake. It was told to us beforehand that certain events weren't real, so I'm a little confused as to why the author decided to lean into that storyline like we didn't know what was going on. It was frustrating. Now, for those of you who haven't read this book, you'll have no clue what I'm talking about. Basically, all you need to know is that Gal and Ettian come up with a plan to "win the war" and, as the reader, you know the broad strokes of what that plan is as it plays out. Yet the author acts like we, as the reader, have no idea what's happening. It's an odd writing choice.

And while the first half of this book was a solid four stars, I just didn't enjoy the rest, which is sad, considering this was one of my most anticipated books of 2022. Unfortunately, everything was just too obvious and that obviousness made it seem like the adults were completely incompetent. Plus, I found the overabundance of battle strategy explanations tedious. I wanted more interactions between the main characters instead. I'm primarily a character reader. Without good characters, I can't enjoy a book, even if the plot is amazing, and especially if it's so heavy on the politics that the character dynamics are kind of left to the wayside. Now, if you like a ton of political sci-fi elements, this will definitely be the series for you; though, I will say that the first book didn't start out that way at all. It was more of a fun action/adventure romp.

Sadly, towards the end of the book, I also didn't enjoy the characters as much. This includes Gal, Ettian, and Wen. All of them made weird decisions. I'm not sure if it was the situation they were in or if they themselves changed between books two and three, but I simply didn't like them in this final story. Maybe it's because they couldn't get into hijinks together as a fun trio since they were all apart for a large portion of the book... Or maybe its because I hated the plan they came up with in general and no one really stepped up like I had hoped for. What I think I'm getting at is I wanted more time with the three main characters together to solve a problem, and things didn't go down that way.

Now, despite my complaints, I will say the last two chapters of the book were good. They ended how I predicted they would based on the big plan Ettian and Gal set up. But the predictability didn't hurt the story, as it finally got back to Ettian and Gal, not just endless battle tactic discussions and political maneuvering. While sometimes I do like political-esque books, for this series, I had grown attached to the main characters, so it was super disappointing not to have time with them together as a unit like books one and two.

All in all, Vows of Empire was a book with an eh end. A lot of questions about the state of the galaxy are still up in the air, and the book doesn't have a very climactic finale. But there's a kind of happily-ever-after, which makes it an okay ending in my mind.

3 stars

*Note: I received a NetGalley ARC of this book to review from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for an early copy! All opinions are my own.

Vows of Empire picks up where Oaths of Legacy ended. I liked the changing viewpoints and that we also got Wen and Hang's viewpoints. I enjoyed the book, but it definitely wasn't my favorite after about 65%. I got tired of the never-ending "plot twists" that each character threw out there. I didn't really like not knowing what the plan was. The book felt like it was just unnecessarily throwing plot points out there hoping something would stick.

I was slightly disappointed because I loved the first two books and this one fell short of my expectations. The back-stabbing and planning was done off page and the reader doesn't get to find out about it until the end. Which I didn't really enjoy. I do, however, still recommend reading this trilogy, just as long as people understand that the last book throws you for a loop.

This is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. It is definitely required that you read the first two books in the series to enjoy this book. The final book in the series contains the viewpoints of several characters, but relies mostly on Gal and Ettian. Our two heroes have been separated across a galaxy, but they have some tricks up their sleeves! Gal and Ettian must work out how fix the broken system of blood rights, while staying true to their friends, and navigating an inevitable clash between their empires. Oh, and avoid the wrath of a cruel empress/mother. The characters beg the reader to ask the question of who should rule empires and how. Wen gets more focus in this book, but the character development that gets her to the end of the book is perhaps too little established. There are some good action scenes and twists that aren’t explained until the end of the book. I really enjoyed finding out how this space opera, focused on two people who love each other deeply, finished. I loved these characters so much that I wanted to see what they would do after the end of the book, but I also love getting to imagine it for myself. Well edited and paced.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an early copy of this book!

I just finished the third in the series of the blood right trilogy, it was really good. I loved that we got to see multiple perspectives instead of just seeing one persons pov. I think it really helped round out the trilogy, it really made everything that they went through make sense more. There was a lot of twists that I definitely did not see coming and wen was an amazing character throughout the first two books but Emily
really took her to a whole new level in this one. I love that gal and Ettian got to grow and learn about what really matters to them and that titles aren't everything. I love the entire trilogy, Emily Skrutskiedid an amazing job at telling a story about two boys who would be willing to risk everything for each other.

Overall, I thought Vows of Empire was a really good conclusion to this trilogy. I thought the switching between Gal and Ettian’s POV made it that much more enjoyable (and some POV chapters from Wen and Hanji!!). I found that this developed their relationship better than only getting one POV like in the other two books. The characters that stuck out to me the most were Wen and Gal. I loved getting to see Wen in a more political role and see how her mind works. There were some parts of the plot where I had to question whether that was truly something she would do, and it was cool because I really wasn’t sure! I really liked Oaths of Legacy because we were in Gal’s POV. In this book, we got to see him in his own court and interacting with his mother, which I found to be great parts. The interactions between Gal and Ettian were some of the best parts, along with the scheming of the trio and the wraiths.

As for the plot of the story, I feel that I had a hard time with the way it was executed. As similar to the other two books, we as the reader are left in the dark on the major plot points. I felt that by the end of the story, I was wishing we as the readers had a bit more information before the big reveals, as it made the story confusing as it continued to grow in magnitude. For the actual plot points, it was a very interesting way to end the series. After it was revealed, I found I really enjoyed it. Although the book is only 288 pages, it feels a lot longer than that. I personally don’t enjoy heavy political intrigue, which may have resulted in the book’s pace feeling slow for me.

I had a lot of fun reading this trilogy, and I think this last installment tied up the character’s arcs well with some great plotting!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the arc!

A lovely ending to a surprising, action-packed trilogy. I've had the honor to reading ARC's throughout and am glad to have experienced Gal and Ettian's story. I loved seeing more of Gal's family and empire and the other powerhouse in this war with the Archon's. There are a lot of suspense and twist which I loved and some SPICY romance that had me squealing. But somewhere in the middle I started to drift off and lose interest. Overall, a great sci-fi/romance read.

It's been a while since I've followed a SFF series from the very beginning and up through each release in real time, and I'm very glad I got to experience this trilogy in that way. Feeling the tension build up in between each entry has been delightful, and I'm glad that, for the most part, VOWS OF EMPIRE is a satisfying conclusion.

One complaint I've seen a lot of throughout the first two books has been the characters' (and the story's overall) relationship with the very concept of empire. This time around, it feels like those themes get much deeper and more thoughtful, which feels necessary to get to a truly satisfying finale. This time, we also get to alternate between Gal and Ettian's POVs, giving us more insights into their relationship. Fewer twists, more feelings, and I'm all for that.

And then there's the Wen of it all. Really, this series could be summed up as "come for the canon Stormpilot, stay for fierce and fantastic warrior woman." Wen just steals the show, and I'm so glad she doesn't get pushed to the side in any way.

The one quibble I do have is that, just by making the scope of the story SO BIG in this finale, it loses some of the charm and fun that made the first two so readable. There's just too MUCH happening, and along the way, it starts to become a little hard and unrewarding to keep track of. I'd have preferred a story that either kept the scale a bit smaller (scale does not equal stakes!) or navigated the world a little more smoothly. Still, all in all an enjoyable series and one I'll definitely revisit!

I'm in the minority here and gonna start with what I didn't love, so the good will stick better at the end. Although there are aspects I enjoyed, think it's safe to say this leaned more towards letdown like the second book.

I think the editor was slacking. By the third book of overdone writing, paragraphs stretched out, and sentences weighed down with far too much metaphor and florid language, it gets old. I skipped whole sections of Too Much Politicking or Strategizing, over and over. We've seen this in the previous books; much tell, and hardly any show. The book wasn't long but it sure felt like it. That's a feat in a book clocking in under 300 pages.

That leads me to the sense of stake. Everyting was depicted in such a hyperbolic, world's gonna end way that I think Skrutzkie sabotaged herself, like a narrative crying of wolf. Over and over we're told whole systems are at risk, how bloodthirsty Gal's parents are, all this extremely high-stakes tension is built into this trilogy. And yet at the end of it all, I never really felt that. Much of the tragedy is reduced to flashbacks, tension watered down with our characters removed from it by a generation. I get that it's YA but the characters' gravitas in every conversation and inner monologue defies what Cost we see. Avoiding spoilers but there are so many GOTCHA moments of a particular nature in this book that I stopped believing anything I read on-page, and that's just not effective storytelling.

But now on to the better parts. It's always emotional getting to the ends of things, and I have real affection for this series, from its conception as fanfic with the serial numbers filled off, to the tropes, to the gorgeons covers. The first book was easily consumed, despite Pandemic Brain, and that I appreciate.

I love how organic the inclusion of queer characters was in this series, how the world plays with gender roles and sexuality. Outer space, that blackness between planets, is a liminal space, like the wild west or the sea during the age of piracy; it begs this kind of acceptance of anything and everything. The gay, gruff generals, the sapphic commodores, the nonbinary ambassadors, and use of the title Emprex, those parts were awesome.

What romance there was, was very good, complete with pining and feral makeout scenes. The ending was lovely and probably the best way it could go, given the pressures of the story. Women characters were allowed to shine, and even got POV slots in this one. It was neat to read Hanji's voice for once. The messaging of taking down monarchies and inherited right of rule was incredible.

All in all, the Bloodright Trilogy was pretty fine. It's an inclusive world, an improvement upon its familiar base in popular sci-fi fandoms, and I applaude it releasing all three volumes through a global pandemic.

I've read ARCs of this whole trilogy, but oh my god, this one blew the others away. Thank you SO much to Del Rey for approving me to read this (and only seven hours after I requested too).
First of all, let's talk about our amazing cast here. To recap, because of the different settings, Oaths didn't mention a lot of characters from the beginning of Bonds, but they're awesome characters. Vows combines the casts of both to have almost all of the past characters, but not in a confusing way at all. I absolutely loved having Ollins, Rhodes, Hanji, and Rin in addition to the Archon rebel characters. It's also so clear in these books as a whole that Skrutskie knows how these characters are built. Throughout Oaths, there was a TREMENDOUS amount of growth, especially since new sides were revealed of Ettian and Gal, and Vows made sure that we didn't forget just how cunning they both were. We also have the academy squad (favorites <3) and Wen, all of which totally shine throughout the book.
How in character our cast was also had a crucial influence on the relationships between everyone. There were times where I was totally blindsided and thought the actions of some were impossible, but when I thought about it, it made so much sense. Although the romantic relationship between Gal and Ettian takes center stage compared to the other relationships, I love seeing how they both interact with Wen and their other friends. I would say the character work was better than the relationships themselves, but oh my god, it was all so amazing.
WHEN I TELL YOU THIS BOOK WAS UNPREDICTABLE. Oh, boy. During the other two books, although I didn't get the main plot twists, I'd like to say that I knew the potential for each outcome. Vows was completely different in that sense. Because Ettian and Gal were trying to dupe empresses and entire empires, there was a lot that the reader wouldn't know, but again, Skrutskie makes it make so much sense in the long run. You that whole heist movie thing where if a scheme works, they don't tell you how it's supposed to go, and if it won't work, they give you a play by play so that you know exactly what's going wrong? Yeah, Vows is so unpredictable (in a good way) that nothing like that could help you here. This book showcases the intelligence of the main characters and the lengths they'll go to SO WELL.
I could not recommend this book enough if you love this series. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time in the best way possible. I read it a couple weeks ago, so I'm not entirely sure, but I probably cried. We even had an "in THIS economy?" joke. Vows is the perfect finale to a series I've been reading for two years ever since Bonds became my second ARC ever and I couldn't be happier with the final Bloodright Trilogy book.

I quite enjoyed this book (well, the whole series, really) even though I'm not a major fan of subtle political intrigue where every-word and/or gesture-has-10-different-meanings. Even so, the characters are great and the reader just has to have unwavering faith in them, just like they do.
I'll be reading the author's other titles and looking forward to more.

This is the last installment of Emily Skrutskie's Bloodright Trilogy. I impatiently waited after Oaths of Legacy for this book and it did not disappoint! Like the other 2 in this trilogy, there were gays in space. Honestly, I don't need much more than that to be happy.

While I was reading, I was continually in the dark about plot twists. Even when I was pretty sure that what I read had happened didn't actually happen, the writing was so well-crafted that it made me question. I kept being surprised by things that seemed out of character, only for the events to be totally different from what they seemed at first.

I loved seeing more Wen in this book. She's fearless, and brilliant, and determined that her favorite people and her empire all get what they need.

I did feel like there were parts that dragged a little. This might be because the first third was so intense, I had to keep putting it down and giving myself breaks. At some point in the last third, I did feel a little pummeled by action and emotion. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as our characters are going through it, but just something to note.

Overall, I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone who loves gays, fantasy, political intrigue, heists and hijinks, and of course, anyone who has read the first two in the series.

I first started reading this series after seeing an online review referring to it as AU FinnPoe, and they’re not exactly wrong. The characters are strongly mapped on the characters from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but the plot is a lot better, plus we get the boys in love in canon.

There’s lots of scheming on a galactic scale, and even though you know something is going happen (several somethings, actually) the reader isn’t in the know about the plan until it’s done. There are hints so you can piece together the outline of the Big Con, but not the details. So was a betrayal real, or part of the con? How about that one? Or that one? I’m not sure if it’s better or worse that I knew there was a Big Con in play, but even knowing what was likely to happen based on a previous event, I did have to pause my reading for a bit after one of those betrayal scenes. Not only was it painful to read, it basically meant one of the characters was sidelined for several chapters.

Book one was from Ettian’s POV, book two was Gal’s, and there were a lot of Big Misunderstandings due to their lack of communication. In my review of book two, I said I wanted to see alternating POV’s from Gal and Ettian, and that’s pretty much what played out. I also wanted to see inside Wen’s head, and I got that too, though not exactly how I imagined.

While I do love that The Bloodright Trilogy is exactly that, a trilogy, I do wish a little more explanation of what happens next had been delved into beyond an epilogue. The Umber Empire didn’t become a literal backstabbing mess overnight, and even with the events in the book, I’m not sure how the cycle is broken. Even Archon’s more benevolent ideals were tainted by a Bloodright that nearly ended years ago, yet managed to carry on after a fashion. Perhaps future books in the universe are possible though with a different cast of characters to explore how the events of the trilogy played out for others.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.