Bonds of Brass

emily skrutskie said if i can't have canon finnpoe i'll just do it myself and i respect that

BONDS OF BRASS is my big little troublemaker. It was the book I wrote in the spring of 2016—remember those days?—and it'd been the joyful light that's carried me through the time since then. It's made of secrets and lies and the ultimate question of how far you can trust someone who's been lying to you the entire time. It's got a half-burnt girl with a rainbow umbrella whom I love with my entire heart, and two disastrous bisexual boys who might bring the entire galaxy down around them for each other. And a horrible spaceship. And streaking. And other shenanigans. I hope it brings you even more delight than it has brought me.<br />

Tor: We have the LGBT+ sci-fi market cornered, bitches ?<br /><br />Del-Rey: WE'RE CHANGING OUR NAME TO DEL-GAY<br /><br />---<br /><br />I keep begging for ARCs of this. This is my third Goodreads giveaway application. I have no shame bc I WANT DIS

Some vague-ish spoilers ahead.<br /><br />Bonds of Brass: Here is an evil conquering empire.<br />Bonds of Brass: The empress murdered her own sister.<br />Bonds of Brass: Much evil. So bad.<br /><br />Bonds of Brass: Here is a poor, conquered world.<br />Bonds of Brass: They fought so bravely.<br />Bonds of Brass: Look at these wicked cool flying knights they had!<br /><br />Bonds of Brass: Look at all these bad-ass rebels, fighting to destroy the evil empire! They're so likable and cool. These one has a metal arm and used to be a pirate! Aren't they great?<br /><br />Bonds of Brass: Anyway, our heroes are going to betray them to save the evil empire. Cool, huh?<br /><br />Me: Ok. That's a hard sell. But not impossible! For example, here's one way the book could have pulled it off:<br /><br />Ettian: Hey, Empire that conquered my people, fuck you!<br />Ettian: Also, hey, what's left of my people and that fancy rebellion you're working on, fuck you!<br />Ettian: Literally the only thing I care about is Gal and if you're not Gal then, yep, fuck you!<br />Ettian: I will happily destroy this plant and any other planet to stay by Gal's side, sorry not sorry.<br />Gal: heart eyes<br />Gal: I see there are two beds in this room but let's share anyway, kk?<br />Wen: keeps being awesome.<br /><br />Here's how the book played it:<br /><br />Ettian: pages and pages of waffling indecision.<br />Gal: complete and total disregard for the fact that his parents literally conquered Ettien's homeworld.<br />Gal: apparently never considered the fact that his parents are the reason Ettien's an orphan<br />Gal: Get's pissy that Ettien won't share his tragic backstory with him.<br />Gal: demands loyalty he has no right to and occasionally makes a sad face about it, as though that makes it fine.<br />Wen: still awesome.<br /><br />I spent the second-half of this book rooting against the main characters. Straight-up wanted their plan to fail. And that's usually not something you want from your reader.<br /><br />If Gal had been presented as a stone-cold bitch who loved Ettian but still wouldn't hesitate to use him, I could have enjoyed that. If Ettian had been like the Ettian above, who'd push an orphan down so Gal wouldn't have to walk through I puddle, I would have been there with bells on.<br /><br />But the book wants them to be good guys even though they are doing this objectively awful thing. So they feel bad about what they're doing even as they make no effort to think of any other plan where they don't have to do it.<br /><br />Even more frustrating, there's this "twist" that you see coming from five miles away, and because it has to be a big twist saved for the end we're left without a good chunk of potential motivation for Ettian.<br /><br />Most frustrating is that this book could have been so good. The way it plays with romance tropes was a delight. Ettian and Gal were adorable (well, up until Gal decides that Ettian should betray his own people because obviously Gal needs to be emperor what other choice is there smh?), and honestly just scrap the whole second half and make the whole book Gal, Ettien (and Wen!) take a roadtrip and I'd be here like, where do you want these five stars?<br /><br />I will say the ending left open the intriguing possibility for some really cool hate/love Cruel Prince-eque fun and games. Problem is I have zero faith that the sequel will go there.

<b>A simple truth:</b> Sci-fi is my weakness.<br />There was no way I'd <i>not</i> love an intergalactic warfare/space opera with a best-friends-to-lovers romance...<br /><br /><blockquote> <b> <i>“On my left, power without fathom in the fragile body of a boy. On my right, a nightmare of a girl who should be ruling these streets. And in the middle, there’s me.”</i> </b> </blockquote><br /><br /><b> <u>~★~ What is this book about? ~★~</u> </b><br /><br />Seven years ago, Ettian's life was destroyed by the Umber Empire's invasion of his homeworld. His miraculous survival forced him to enroll in the Umber Academy and coexist with the people that brought the downfall of everything he knew. <br />Years later, Ettian has risen to the top of his class, becoming a star pilot at the Academy. The life he's steadily rebuilt quickly crumbles when his best friend Gal nearly falls victim to an assassination attempt, one that reveals him to be the Umber Heir. The event forces Ettian to question whether abandoning his life to escape with Gal (the begrudging heir to the galaxy/son of the Royals who crushed his home planet) is <i>really</i> worth it.<br /><br /><blockquote> <b> <i>“No empire is worth it if I don’t have you too.”</i> </b> </blockquote><br /><br /><i>Bonds of Brass</i> was such a fun journey!<br />Emily Skrutskie’s writing was efficient at doling out information critical to readers while also maintaining an entertainment factor that almost never wavers. I had such a good time throughout the entirety of this story; I’m amazed at how well each aspect comes together in the end! Not to mention the conclusion, which left me itching to get my hands on the next instalment.<br /><br />Ettian and Gal were lovely protagonists; I grew attached to the both of them fairly quickly. Their friendship turned romance was really well done and properly paced considering the circumstances. I appreciated that their feelings for each other didn’t overshadow the main storyline, though I am eager to see more of their relationship in the rest of this trilogy.<br /><br />Action commenced frequently and relentlessly, which is something I always enjoy when it comes to space adventures. With really likeable characters and a story that took me by storm, <i>Bonds of Brass</i> was truly impressive!

this is so totally a finnpoe book isnt it<br /><br /><br />ill have 10

This book was all sorts of disappointing. The true problem was that it felt like, very early on, you could see the signs of it collapsing in on itself.<br /><br />The romance was chemistry-less and cheap. Nothing about the two main characters felt believable or romantic. Most of the time I was wondering why the characters were even drawn to each other in the first place. The book establishes their connection on page 1, so the reader is given no context or journey to feel attached to this dynamic at all. And it only gets worse when you sort through the plot.<br /><br />The plot was paced extremely ineffectively and generally just felt lackluster. This is why I say the book collapsed in on itself: the plot bones have a lot of potential (love pulled apart by birthright, intergalactic imperialism, grappling with war and class etc.) but it goes nowhere.<br /><br />My largest frustration with the book came from the POV and main character, Ettian. None of his decisions made sense and he didn't really have any fleshed-out character arc. It was not apparent why he ever thought Gal would be a pacifistic or worthwhile ruler. It was not apparent why Wen would trust him after the invasion. It was not apparent why he couldn't act on his emotions for Gal for so long (especially considering the "twist"). The Umber Empire destroyed his life and culture and yet he bafflingly spent 97% of the book trying to secure the Empire's legacy. This is already very YIKES before you add the context that Ettian is canonically dark-skinned. Mega-yikes, especially coming from a white author.<br /><br />The plot twist felt extremely cheap and did not do anything to recontextualize the novel. I had already spent 300~ pages feeling disappointment on the characters, romance, and plot being flat that the "twist" just felt too late. It could have served as an interesting device if the reader was clued in earlier to what was happening. But instead, it just undermines Ettian's reliability as a narrator, when nothing about the book foreshadowed or planted that idea. It feels like one of those "it was all a dream" or "it was all part of the master plan!" twists that ALWAYS makes the reader feel like they've wasted their time.<br /><br />This book was a frustrating read that left me questioning many, many key plot and character beats, and not in a good way. There was a lot of potential here for world-building, theme work, character development, and romance that, overall, went unrealized.<br /><br />Also, can we retire "bloodright" as a theme in all fiction for the rest of time?

Ultimately a gripping science-fiction that features a him-and-him star-crossed romance within a political landscape on the cusp of a revolution. One side came to power in blood while the other side seeks justice, and Ettian must decide where his loyalties lie. <br /><br />Ettian, our protagonist, is in love with a boy that tests his loyalty to his origins. His family died during the revolution when he was a kid, and he's lost so much that he's content to simply be alive and fed. His priority now is protecting Gal, his roommate and (as we discover) a central player in the power's that be. But as his people make a comeback, he must choose – does he still continue protecting the boy or does he rejoin his people?<br /><br />Ettian frustrated me at times. He doesn't communicate, and he's indecisive, but mostly what drove me crazy was just how much he prioritized Gal who really didn't seem to deserve it. Gal doesn't give him the benefit of the doubt when situations call for it. Ettian is strong in conventional ways; he's a talented pilot, and goes to admirable lengths to protect Gal. But he's so self-deprecating that it can be a hard perspective to sit behind for extended periods. There are a couple of good romantic moments, but until I can really get behind Gal as a character, I just don't feel that it'll be all that fulfilling. Given where this story leaves off, it really does seem like Gal will be in a beneficial position as far as his capacity for character growth goes. Gal has a bit of growing up to do.<br /><br />I'll definitely read the sequel, but I hope to see an Ettian that is more willing to claim what he wants (and hopefully he wants more than just Gal). Ettian has some growing up of his own to do.

DNF @ 64%<br /><br />The writing itself is fine in this, Emily Skrutskie is clearly a talented writer. I just have concerns about pretty much this entire book. I actually won this copy in a giveaway, not through requests, but am reviewing on Netgalley as that was how the copy was sent to me. <br /><br />Initially I was worried to start with, as the book is written from the perspective of a gay/bisexual Black man with a gay/bisexual Latinx love interest, but written by a white woman. I was worried about how well the POV would be portrayed, and unfortunately in my opinion I was proved correct. From here on out, there be spoilers. Be warned.<br /><br />So our main character Ettian was born and raised on Rana. The Umber empire colonised Rana and built a military academy on the planet in the rubble of the destroyed world that they /invaded and colonised/ seven years ago. Ettian watched the public execution of the leaders of his planet and lived in the rubble of his destroyed city for five years, then spent two years at the military academy before the story started. I have no issues with any of this, and if the story that followed was Ettian fighting off the Umber empire with the Rana rebels, it would have been a fun space romp. But it wasn't. Instead, Ettian finds out that his best friend of two years is the heir to the Umber empire and proceeds to turn against the Rana rebels and do everything he can to help Gal get on the throne. He says this is because Gal will be a better leader than his parents, because Gal is such a nice guy. I couldn't show you ONE scene where Gal is a nice guy. Ettian turns him down and he keeps telling everyone he's Ettian's boyfriend anyway, he wants to destroy the rebels even though he apparently doesn't agree with war, and in a spectacular moment of assholery he sends a girl back to the planet where an abuser put a bounty on her head - literally sentencing her to death without a qualm. He's NOT a nice guy. <br /><br />The point where I noped the fuck out of this book was when Ettian literally thought about the fact that he could have escaped as a refugee and joined the rebellion and, in his own words, not been worn down by Umber propaganda, but decides that he wouldn't choose that because he wouldn't have met Gal. Not for nothing, but 'I wuv him' isn't a good enough reason to excuse and enable genocide. I haven't read the last forty percent of the book, but I have talked to someone who did who explained it to me, so I admit that this is secondhand information but apparently he continues to go against the rebellion until outside forces make his plan fail, and THEN he decides to join them. So he's fine with the genocide of his people up until that point. <br /><br />Ettian just lacks ALL character agency, and every time he makes a choice it's the worst possible one? I love characters that are awful, I love bad characters doing bad things, but the constant implication that Ettian is right to protect Gal no matter what is so irritating. Their relationship is pre-established before the book starts, so we just get told that they're friends - we don't learn to care about them - and I just think they lack all personality. I don't think a white woman should ever have been writing this book, and I think that white POV is shining through in this gross as hell coloniser-oppressed romance story. This book was marketed with so much fluffy language and cheerful ao3 tags that I was expecting something fun and fluffy and all about the space battles. I wasn't expecting a book that half-assedly criticises genocide while acting like the power of love can fix the murder of Ettian's people (and if I've been informed right, of his FAMILY).

Sometimes, you just have a powerful feeling that you're going to love a book and in my experience, that instinct is <em>never</em> to be ignored. <em>Bonds of Brass</em> first came to my attention randomly, <a href="https://twitter.com/paracactus/status/1215207504050892800" rel="nofollow noopener">on twitter</a>. Still in the depths of my Star Wars obsession and <a href="https://otherworldsreviews.wordpress.com/2020/01/06/star-wars-without-nostalgia-the-sequels/" rel="nofollow noopener">salty over <em>Rise of Skywalker</em></a> (oh so salty), I had to request it. It seemed tailor-made for what I wanted and needed.<br /><br />And it was fantastic. What it promised, it delivered in spades. Fast-paced, yup. Heavily Star Wars inspired, yup. Fun, fanfic-style romantic tropes, yup. More twists than a ship executing a complex maneuver, yup. And that ending. Holy fuck. It's the kind of book you read popcorn in hand, and then recommend to friends to watch their reactions popcorn in hand too. I'd say it even <em>overdelivered</em> - in places, I could barely manage a few pages at a time because the tension was too high and I was too afraid for the characters.<br /><br />If a highly entertaining but not necessarily relaxing story is what you're looking for, this is the perfect book for you.<br /><br />Ettian is the best pilot in the Umber Empire's military academy. Orphaned and left to fend for himself in the streets after the Umber Empire conquered his home, he has spent the last few years trying to put his life back together, forget his past, and abandon any hope that the Archon Empire might be restored. When his best friend (and let's face it, crush) Gal is revealed as the Umber heir and attacked from multiple sides, he is torn - should he help the person he loves the most or join the rebellion in hope that the Archon Empire might be restored?<br /><br />First of all, the pacing is absolutely <em>breakneck</em>. It doesn't let go for even a page. Just when you think poor Ettian couldn't get himself more tangled up in the whole mess, there comes another twist of the knife. The plot is designed for maximum internal conflict - in a way that felt natural to me - and while that's precisely what makes it so intense and compelling, it was, at points, too much for me. Too good, perhaps. I was often too afraid for the characters to read on and could only handle reading it in short bursts. But that's 100% a me thing. AND THAT ENDING. Wow.<br /><br />The reason why it works so well are the characters. It's written from Ettian's perspective, in first person, so we really get to see inside his head. It's very well done. I felt for him - his fears, his insecurities, indecision, split loyalties, trauma. He's not perfect by any means and it bites him in the ass literally all the time, but he's complex and utterly compelling. I also liked Wen, a friend they make along the way...but I did have a slight issue with Gal. We don't really get to see the side that made Ettian fall in love with him, and his compassion remains mostly an informed attribute - from his behaviour on page, he doesn't really deserve the level of adoration (and he's shitty to Wen...!). Might also be due to the limitations of intensely first-person single-POV narrative style, but the fact remains: I rooted for Ettian to join the rebellion more than for him to remain with Gal.<br /><br />The world felt heavily inspired by Star Wars (a huge plus for me!) - spaceship stunts, hotshot pilots, empires, the way travel works, vibroweapons, rebellion, a group of warriors that was wiped off by the empire (OR WERE THEY) - but with enough original touches that it was more than just Star Wars with serial numbers filed off. I look forward to seeing more of it in the next book.<br /><br />In short, it's fun, it's angsty, it's one hell of a ride, and I'd absolutely recommend it. And most importantly: when do we get the sequel?<br /><br /><strong>Enjoyment:</strong> 3/5 because TOO INTENSE<br /><strong>Execution:</strong> 4.5/5<br /><br /><strong>Recommended to:</strong> those who wish Star Wars was gayer, YA fans, anyone looking for a fast-paced space romp with <em>twists</em><br /><strong>Not recommended to:</strong> fellow fools who get overattached to characters, those looking for a romance book, those who don't like books focused on internal conflict and (justified) angst<br /><br /><i>More reviews on my blog, <a href="https://otherworldsreviews.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow noopener">To Other Worlds</a>.</i>