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3.5 

Bonds of Brass

By Emily Skrutskie
Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie digital book - Fable

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Publisher Description

A young pilot risks everything to save his best friend—the man he trusts most and might even love—only to learn that his friend is secretly the heir to a brutal galactic empire.
 
“An exciting space opera full of action and adventure that explores the bonds of loyalty and love, and what happens when they are stretched to their limits.”—Rebecca Roanhorse, Nebula and Hugo award–winning author of Trail of Lightning
 
Ettian’s life was shattered when the merciless Umber Empire invaded his world. He’s spent seven years putting himself back together under its rule, joining an Umber military academy and becoming the best pilot in his class. Even better, he’s met Gal—his exasperating and infuriatingly enticing roommate who’s made the academy feel like a new home.
 
But when dozens of classmates spring an assassination plot on Gal, a devastating secret comes to light: Gal is the heir to the Umber Empire. Ettian barely manages to save his best friend and flee the compromised academy unscathed, rattled that Gal stands to inherit the empire that broke him, and that there are still people willing to fight back against Umber rule. 
 
As they piece together a way to deliver Gal safely to his throne, Ettian finds himself torn in half by an impossible choice. Does he save the man who’s won his heart and trust that Gal’s goodness could transform the empire? Or does he throw his lot in with the brewing rebellion and fight to take back what’s rightfully theirs?

Praise for Bonds of Brass

“Skrutskie’s Bonds of Brass is a high-octane galactic adventure replete with heart, drama, and a keen edge of pain.”—Caitlin Starling, author of The Luminous Dead

“Full of breathless action and dazzling characters, Bonds of Brass is space opera at its most exciting.”—Adam Christopher, author of Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town

386 Reviews

3.5
“Overall I enjoyed this Space opera and I’m looking forward to finishing the trilogy, but… not right now. Which I guess is why it got 4 instead of 3 stars. Definitely it’s in the messy stage and I’m not loving that.”
“I think my biggest problem with this book is that I just don't buy the character motivations. It's written well, but I wish we got to spend more time with the boys at the academy before the assassination attempt. These characters just don't feel fully developed to me. This book could've stood to be a little bit longer to flesh the characters out more, just another 50 pages or so”

About Emily Skrutskie

Emily Skrutskie was born in Massachusetts, raised in Virginia, and forged in the mountains above Boulder, Colorado. She attended Cornell University and now lives and works in Los Angeles. Skrutskie is the author of Hullmetal Girls, The Abyss Surrounds Us, and The Edge of the Abyss.

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