burntotears 's review for:

Vows of Empire by Emily Skrutskie

4.0

---

 I think I like the scheming the most in these books and that they try to misdirect you, but they also feel pretty short for how epic they try to be overall. I like most of the characters and suspending disbelief for the most part, they're pretty smart and capable. But it does seem a little unreasonable that a group of teenage twenty-somethings somehow continuously outsmart people who have been in war for years upon years and other blood thirsty nobility. It's a fun thought, sure, but ultimately kind of ridiculous.

But I still liked the series a lot, even if all the characters got whiny and petulant sometimes. They are young so that's to be expected, honestly. Especially when you're supposed to be a war-time leader with high expectations put on you. I think the shortness of the books kind of made the character development away from that seem a bit abrupt at times, but it was what it was. I liked the ending.