Empress of a Thousand Skies – Rhoda Belleza

Good evening everyone! It’s that time of the week again, which means post time :3

I have FINALLY managed to finish the book ‘Empress of a Thousand Skies’ by Rhoda Belleza, as I also managed to finish my assignments about 2 weeks early. I just have to hand them in, and I’m officially done! So this led to more time to read and I’m finally done!

Before I get into the specifics, here’s the blurb:

“Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta’an wants vengeance.

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: Rhee is attacked, barely escaping with her life. Aly is blamed for her presumed murder.

The princess and her accused killer are forced to go into hiding – even as a war between planets is waged in Rhee’s name. But soon, Rhee and Aly discover that the assassination attempt is just one part of a sinister plot. Bound together by an evil that only they can stop, the two fugitives must join forces to save the galaxy.”

My thoughts: This book was SO good. Now, I normally don’t read sci-fi novels or watch anything very sci-fi related, but recently I’ve really been getting into the genre!

The plot: As seen from the blurb, Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta’an is practically hell-bent on avenging her family’s untimely death. When she’s being escorted to her coronation, she is betrayed by someone she holds dear and is then on the run, the whole kingdom thinking she has been assassinated. Now she’s running across the galaxies, trying to find out the truth about what happened to her family, as well as trying to prevent another deadly war. She doesn’t know who to trust or where to go, and she receives help from the unlikeliest source.

We also have Aloysha – the Wraetan who is accused of murdering the Princess and planning to re-start the war. He is also on the run and doesn’t know what to believe anymore. He is hated and targeted not only for what people say he did but for where he is from.

Both of these characters are on very dangerous adventures, with a lot of twists and turns. Their lives are put into question and they are faced with very difficult choices. Nothing is as it seems. Both of their POVs were a rollercoaster of experience and by the end of the book, I was left with only wanting more.

The world, characters, and plot were very well thought-out and detailed and the pace was slow at first, but quickly sped up, much like the action. There’s intrigue, mystery, betrayal, politics, romance – the perfect book if you’re looking for diving into something new.

My rating:

For more info, here‘s the link to the Goodreads page.

Thank you for reading my review. Please let me know what you think and if you have any other thoughts about the book.

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