Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Space Opera
Content: Strong language, a couple of rather gruesome deaths

 
The only surviving heir to an ancient Kalusian dynasty, Rhee has spent her life training to destroy the people who killed her family. Now, on the eve of her coronation, the time has finally come for Rhee to claim her throne - and her revenge.

Alyosha is a Wraetan who has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. Despite his popularity, Aly struggles with anti-Wraetan prejudices and the pressure of being perfect in the public eye.

Their paths collide with one brutal act of violence...

Bound together by an evil that only they can stop, the two fugitives must join forces to save the galaxy.


This has been on my to-read list for a long time, and I was a little afraid to read it because of the low rating on Goodreads. I ended up liking it but not loving it. For the first half of the book, it felt like not much happened, but it picked up in the second half. It was a pretty standard space opera, which is usually right up my alley, but it lacked something to make it truly memorable. On the other hand I don't think it was as bad as the 3.38 rating would suggest. There were a couple of cool moments in the book, one being a rescue with a jet pack. I also liked the robots a lot. I just wished that it had been more exciting. There is a second book, and I may read it to see how things end up. I haven't decided yet.