Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Behind the Throne is an easy and entertaining read.
The idea of a rogue princess is not a new one but it works. Hail has left her planet for a particular reason, living as a gunrunner for the last 20 years and making a 'reputation' for herself. However, with the Empress ill and her sisters and niece recently murdered, Hail is brought back to fulfill her role as heir.
The blurb is misleading since this story is nothing like Star Wars, nor are there any space battles. Really, did they read the story before writing that? No. What we have is an entertaining political intrigue with yes some action scenes. Wagers puts together an interesting multi-ethnic feudal civilisation, a matriarchy in this case, where LGBT relationships are accepted. However she seems to focus only on the 'aristocracy'. I would have liked to see more of the Indranan world, how it functions at all levels, but we only get glimpses. The story is indeed very much centered on the mystery surrounding the murders of Hail's family and the threats to the throne and empire.
The choice of having a 38-year old woman of colour as the main character is a good one. Hail is easy to like with her harsh manners and reticence to be responsible for millions of people, although sometimes inconstant. I did enjoy witnessing her problematic relationship with her mother, and banter with her trackers. Emmory and Zin in fact stole the show in my opinion, and I'll probably read the sequel to find out more about them.
So, not a groundbreaking novel but a quick and engaging story that kept my attention to the end.
The idea of a rogue princess is not a new one but it works. Hail has left her planet for a particular reason, living as a gunrunner for the last 20 years and making a 'reputation' for herself. However, with the Empress ill and her sisters and niece recently murdered, Hail is brought back to fulfill her role as heir.
The blurb is misleading since this story is nothing like Star Wars, nor are there any space battles. Really, did they read the story before writing that? No. What we have is an entertaining political intrigue with yes some action scenes. Wagers puts together an interesting multi-ethnic feudal civilisation, a matriarchy in this case, where LGBT relationships are accepted. However she seems to focus only on the 'aristocracy'. I would have liked to see more of the Indranan world, how it functions at all levels, but we only get glimpses. The story is indeed very much centered on the mystery surrounding the murders of Hail's family and the threats to the throne and empire.
The choice of having a 38-year old woman of colour as the main character is a good one. Hail is easy to like with her harsh manners and reticence to be responsible for millions of people, although sometimes inconstant. I did enjoy witnessing her problematic relationship with her mother, and banter with her trackers. Emmory and Zin in fact stole the show in my opinion, and I'll probably read the sequel to find out more about them.
So, not a groundbreaking novel but a quick and engaging story that kept my attention to the end.
Mostly mediocre and forgettable. There was absolutely nothing new here, but it was interesting enough to keep me reading.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I loved the world building in this but overall just found this book ok. The characters just felt flat and I wasn’t super invested in what happened to them. The main character I thought also accepted her situation way too quickly for someone who spent 20 years trying to avoid going home. I did appreciate that she was an older character and not the usual young 20s or teens we usually see in these stories. In general I thought the book was fine but probably won’t be seeking out the sequels.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this. The main character was supposedly designed as a cross between Han Solo and Princess Leia. She's a princess who ran away from home decades before, and became a gun smuggler. At the start of the novel, she's forced to return home after a tragedy befalls her sisters, and ultimately to embrace her identity.
I just thought this was a lot of fun, and enjoyed the dynamic between most of the characters. The characters were influenced by Indian culture which is quite unique in fantasy in my experience.
I just thought this was a lot of fun, and enjoyed the dynamic between most of the characters. The characters were influenced by Indian culture which is quite unique in fantasy in my experience.
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I skipped bedtime to keep reading this epic space opera. The mix of character and world building with the mash-up of cultures and languages had me binge reading the rest of the series in fewer days than there were books left! I was even mad when I was cut off because the rest weren’t published yet! I will now be constantly checking back to see when I can read more of Hail Bristol’s rapidly-paced, complex political drama. Readers may also enjoy Raymond Fiest’s Daughter of the Empire Trilogy or Fortune's Pawn by Rachel Bach. – Alexis S.
3.5 stars rounded up. I can't exactly pinpoint why I enjoyed this novel so much; it's generally far off of what I enjoy reading, but any well-written novel can get me. It annoyed me that the back of the novel felt the need to draw itself a comparison to anything Star Wars related because, let's face it, that franchise is way over hyped for its now recycled stories.
This novel's strongest point is its characters. They definitely all had a unique voice and were easy to navigate through. I was a little disappointed that there weren't any surprises to the traitor cast. I just wanted one unsuspected member to be among them. This novel was well-paced, putting in action and rising action when appropriate. We did not need this to devolve into another Michael Bay film or another "The Defense" (another Reader's Choice Novel in this 2017 set): action just for the sake of action. This novel had great parallels in world building. It didn't try and drown the reader in useless information (I know stylistically that's what epic Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels are supposed to do, but I felt this was a nice disregard to those rules). This author chose just the appropriate amount.
Perhaps the only true lacking is Hail's past as a gunrunner in character building. You get the training, but not necessarily anything else.
Overall, I would pick up the second novel to this series. I liked this premise even if it is a common trope. The characters definitely carried this and strong characters make a trope interesting.
This novel's strongest point is its characters. They definitely all had a unique voice and were easy to navigate through. I was a little disappointed that there weren't any surprises to the traitor cast. I just wanted one unsuspected member to be among them. This novel was well-paced, putting in action and rising action when appropriate. We did not need this to devolve into another Michael Bay film or another "The Defense" (another Reader's Choice Novel in this 2017 set): action just for the sake of action. This novel had great parallels in world building. It didn't try and drown the reader in useless information (I know stylistically that's what epic Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels are supposed to do, but I felt this was a nice disregard to those rules). This author chose just the appropriate amount.
Perhaps the only true lacking is Hail's past as a gunrunner in character building. You get the training, but not necessarily anything else.
Overall, I would pick up the second novel to this series. I liked this premise even if it is a common trope. The characters definitely carried this and strong characters make a trope interesting.
7/10 - not particularly "original" but a well executed space politics. character was a bit gimmicky especially at first (princess/gunrunner) but she grew on me and I TOTALLY appreciated how she was 40-ish and not a bebe suddenly tasked with saving the world.