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mexican_ninjas's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
zerosiero's review against another edition
adventurous
3.5
The world and the memory cube thing are interesting. Could have been fleshed out more. Quick easy read though.
books4susie's review against another edition
4.0
I really wish that I had picked up the ending to this duology sooner than I did for the simple fact of remembering all of the little details from the first book. It really didn’t take me long to fall back into the story of the Ta’an sisters and their quest to regain the throne from Nero. Our main characters are separated for most of the book. Told from the POVs of Rhiannon, Kara, and Aly, the story ends on quite a dramatic note.
abidoodle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Like the first one, this book was okay. I didn’t love it, and at times I was very annoyed at it, but I didn’t hate it. I did start to like the characters a little better in this one than the first one, especially at the end, but I still wasn’t super invested in what happened to them besides a few and honestly thought the character development was a little flat.
I noticed too the ways that some of the main characters (namely the Ta’ans) were operating out of an honor/shame culture, which I found interesting but also their decisions frustrated me. But I appreciated the diversity of characters and there were still some important themes regarding ethics and social issues.
I noticed too the ways that some of the main characters (namely the Ta’ans) were operating out of an honor/shame culture, which I found interesting but also their decisions frustrated me. But I appreciated the diversity of characters and there were still some important themes regarding ethics and social issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
neveroutofbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the story of these two books, but it felt like the entire Star Wars series as one movie. Way too rushed. I had a hard time keeping track of where everyone was and who had done what. I wanted to be able to envision the unique planets in this galaxy, but there was only a tease. But the story was so unique and fun. So it’s a 2.5 for me.
I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you!
I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you!
edressa's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 star.
I'll be honest: from page 233 onwards, I started skimming through the book because I was so bored, and I came this close to just reading the last two chapters to get to know how it ended, but I like being bored apparently.
It's really a shame, because the world presented here has so much potential, but the plot is all over the place, the author just hurls information at you whenever it's needed so it just ends up being super confusing, whatever themes there were in the first book that "kind of" made the whole thing hold together were just splattered all around and barely distinguishable. When it came to the characters, I either really did not care about them, either really disliked them, because I'm not given any reason to emotionally connect to them, because I just feel so removed from the whole thing, not that I want to be!
**SPOILERS AHEAD** Is it just me, or is Kara kind of terrible? So, her dilemma in the first book is realizing that her mother isn't really her real mother, finding out she's actually Josselyn, and realizing her memories have been tampered with. Which makes for an interesting character in theory, especially since stakes are rising up since people are looking for her and that there's a war going on because of that, and since Kara doesn't remember being Josselyn, she doesn't exactly feel like she can become Empress just like that when she remembers nothing about her past life. Her being torn between a life of anonymity with Aly and her duty to reveal herself and save millions of lives seems like a good enough arc to follow, right? But nope! Kara basically decides that the best solution for everyone is for her to wipe out everyone's memory of Josselyn's existence, similarly to how her memory was tampered with, which was the reason for her conflict in the first book. Make it make sense. And her justification for that is basically "I'm doing this because this is my choice and I had all possibilities for my own choices removed from me before", which, fair enough, but you having the freedom to make choices shouldn't override other peoples' choices? Not to mention it's a very short-sighted plan given Rhee will be stuck dealing with Nero regardless? Thankfully she realizes by the end it's a bad idea, but I'm somehow still mad at her for even thinking about it in the first place.
Meanwhile, Aly is in revenge mode because he thinks Kara is dead (namely, he saw her buried under a pile of rubble and didn't even bother digging her out - like, really, dude, her hand was sticking out! You didn't bother to check her pulse?), which is a very convenient way of keeping them separated for the rest of the book. I wonder if some of my feelings are due to me not caring much about Kara and Aly's romance, because there's just... nothing to like about it. They're just there, and they're just together. And I have to laugh at the praise given at the first book for it to have "no romance until the very end" (because kissing cooties are yucky I guess), because by that, they mean there was zero buildup for Aly and Kara's relationship and when they make out at the end of the first book, I literally just stared at the page and said to myself: "Cool" in the most flat tone possible.
Oh, and the reveal about Veyron? Should have happened in the first book. No reason to keep it secret until 75% of the duology is done.
As for the 1.5 star rating, that's because of Dahlen's death. It was dumb, and it seemed like it was there just for shock value and also this morbid fascination some people have with "youth dying for a greater cause" somehow being a great thing, which is one of the most depressing ideas in our day and age, and I cannot stress this enough.
I'll be honest: from page 233 onwards, I started skimming through the book because I was so bored, and I came this close to just reading the last two chapters to get to know how it ended, but I like being bored apparently.
It's really a shame, because the world presented here has so much potential, but the plot is all over the place, the author just hurls information at you whenever it's needed so it just ends up being super confusing, whatever themes there were in the first book that "kind of" made the whole thing hold together were just splattered all around and barely distinguishable. When it came to the characters, I either really did not care about them, either really disliked them, because I'm not given any reason to emotionally connect to them, because I just feel so removed from the whole thing, not that I want to be!
**SPOILERS AHEAD** Is it just me, or is Kara kind of terrible? So, her dilemma in the first book is realizing that her mother isn't really her real mother, finding out she's actually Josselyn, and realizing her memories have been tampered with. Which makes for an interesting character in theory, especially since stakes are rising up since people are looking for her and that there's a war going on because of that, and since Kara doesn't remember being Josselyn, she doesn't exactly feel like she can become Empress just like that when she remembers nothing about her past life. Her being torn between a life of anonymity with Aly and her duty to reveal herself and save millions of lives seems like a good enough arc to follow, right? But nope! Kara basically decides that the best solution for everyone is for her to wipe out everyone's memory of Josselyn's existence, similarly to how her memory was tampered with, which was the reason for her conflict in the first book. Make it make sense. And her justification for that is basically "I'm doing this because this is my choice and I had all possibilities for my own choices removed from me before", which, fair enough, but you having the freedom to make choices shouldn't override other peoples' choices? Not to mention it's a very short-sighted plan given Rhee will be stuck dealing with Nero regardless? Thankfully she realizes by the end it's a bad idea, but I'm somehow still mad at her for even thinking about it in the first place.
Meanwhile, Aly is in revenge mode because he thinks Kara is dead (namely, he saw her buried under a pile of rubble and didn't even bother digging her out - like, really, dude, her hand was sticking out! You didn't bother to check her pulse?), which is a very convenient way of keeping them separated for the rest of the book. I wonder if some of my feelings are due to me not caring much about Kara and Aly's romance, because there's just... nothing to like about it. They're just there, and they're just together. And I have to laugh at the praise given at the first book for it to have "no romance until the very end" (because kissing cooties are yucky I guess), because by that, they mean there was zero buildup for Aly and Kara's relationship and when they make out at the end of the first book, I literally just stared at the page and said to myself: "Cool" in the most flat tone possible.
Oh, and the reveal about Veyron? Should have happened in the first book. No reason to keep it secret until 75% of the duology is done.
As for the 1.5 star rating, that's because of Dahlen's death. It was dumb, and it seemed like it was there just for shock value and also this morbid fascination some people have with "youth dying for a greater cause" somehow being a great thing, which is one of the most depressing ideas in our day and age, and I cannot stress this enough.
chivon's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful second book in the Duo following Empress of a Thousand Skies. I love how the characters intertwined and the stories un fold to friendships, love , betrayal , self discovery , and family ties . It’s a great read I definitely recommend. I love the space setting and how the describe the atmosphere and hi tech lifestyles.
quolwy's review against another edition
3.0
Jam packed with action and plot, the story propelled forward sometimes faster than I could keep track of.
A nice read, while not outstanding, definitely enjoyed my time immersed in this universe!
A nice read, while not outstanding, definitely enjoyed my time immersed in this universe!
i_love_read_ing's review against another edition
4.0
This would be a great read for fans of the lunar chronicles. It is a sci-fi space duology centering around 2 sisters who are trying to take back their throne. It has elements of romance, adventure, suspense, and science fiction. The duology is told from the alternating perspective of 3 character whose lives weave together in unexpected ways. The writing is ok; it was hard to tell how much time had passed in between events, especially when perspective changed every chapter. I felt like a lot of explanations were rushed, and that the characters and world weren't as developed as they could have been. That being said, it was still an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it for someone looking for a short young adult sci fi series.
leyaruth42's review against another edition
3.0
A decent ending to a generally good young adult story.