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Bonds of Brass
- The Bloodright Trilogy, Book 1
- Narrated by: James Fouhey
- Series: The Bloodright Trilogy, Book 1
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: LGBTQ2S+, Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Oaths of Legacy
- The Bloodright Trilogy, Book 2
- Written by: Emily Skrutskie
- Narrated by: Anthony Rey Perez
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Gal’s destiny has always been clear: Complete his training at the military academy, prove his worth as a royal successor, and ascend to the galactic throne. When a failed assassination plot against Gal sends him and Ettian - his infuriatingly enticing roommate - on a mad dash through the stars, Gal’s plans are momentarily disrupted. But he was born to rule the Umber Empire, and with Ettian by his side, nothing will stop him from returning home and crushing the growing insurgency threatening his family’s power.
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Love it
- By Anonymous User on 2021-09-26
Written by: Emily Skrutskie
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Vows of Empire
- The Bloodright Trilogy, Book 3
- Written by: Emily Skrutskie
- Narrated by: James Fouhey, Anthony Rey Perez, Carolyn Kang, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Gal and Ettian have never been farther apart. Once, they were roommates and best friends, each suffocating under a secret of galactic consequence. When Gal’s came to light—that he was heir to the Umber Empire and all of its brutal conquest—the two were forced to flee their military academy, fall in with a brewing rebellion to reclaim the Archon Empire from Umber’s grasp, and face their long-held feelings for each other.
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What a way to end the series!
- By Amazon Customer on 2022-07-07
Written by: Emily Skrutskie
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Winter's Orbit
- Written by: Everina Maxwell
- Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
- Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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A famously disappointing minor royal and the emperor's least favorite grandchild, Prince Kiem is summoned before the emperor and commanded to renew the empire's bonds with its newest vassal planet. The prince must marry Count Jainan, the recent widower of another royal prince of the empire. But Jainan suspects his late husband’s death was no accident. And Prince Kiem discovers Jainan is a suspect himself.
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Gay Space Opera
- By Kindle Customer on 2021-12-18
Written by: Everina Maxwell
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Dark Rise
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- Narrated by: Christian Coulson
- Length: 15 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run, pursued by the men who killed his mother. Then an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards, who have sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns. Will is thrust into a world of magic, where he starts training for a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark. As London is threatened and old enmities are awakened, Will must stand with the last heroes of the Light to prevent the fate that destroyed their world from returning to destroy his own.
Written by: C. S. Pacat
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The House in the Cerulean Sea
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- Narrated by: Daniel Henning
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Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world. Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.
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Narrator sounds like a bad computer generated voic
- By Ryan on 2020-12-24
Written by: TJ Klune
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Icebreaker
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- Narrated by: Tom Picasso
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Seventeen-year-old Mickey James III is a college freshman, a brother to five sisters, and a hockey legacy. With a father and a grandfather who have gone down in NHL history, Mickey is almost guaranteed the league's top draft spot.
Written by: A.L. Graziadei
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Oaths of Legacy
- The Bloodright Trilogy, Book 2
- Written by: Emily Skrutskie
- Narrated by: Anthony Rey Perez
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
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Story
Gal’s destiny has always been clear: Complete his training at the military academy, prove his worth as a royal successor, and ascend to the galactic throne. When a failed assassination plot against Gal sends him and Ettian - his infuriatingly enticing roommate - on a mad dash through the stars, Gal’s plans are momentarily disrupted. But he was born to rule the Umber Empire, and with Ettian by his side, nothing will stop him from returning home and crushing the growing insurgency threatening his family’s power.
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Love it
- By Anonymous User on 2021-09-26
Written by: Emily Skrutskie
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Vows of Empire
- The Bloodright Trilogy, Book 3
- Written by: Emily Skrutskie
- Narrated by: James Fouhey, Anthony Rey Perez, Carolyn Kang, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Gal and Ettian have never been farther apart. Once, they were roommates and best friends, each suffocating under a secret of galactic consequence. When Gal’s came to light—that he was heir to the Umber Empire and all of its brutal conquest—the two were forced to flee their military academy, fall in with a brewing rebellion to reclaim the Archon Empire from Umber’s grasp, and face their long-held feelings for each other.
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What a way to end the series!
- By Amazon Customer on 2022-07-07
Written by: Emily Skrutskie
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Winter's Orbit
- Written by: Everina Maxwell
- Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
- Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A famously disappointing minor royal and the emperor's least favorite grandchild, Prince Kiem is summoned before the emperor and commanded to renew the empire's bonds with its newest vassal planet. The prince must marry Count Jainan, the recent widower of another royal prince of the empire. But Jainan suspects his late husband’s death was no accident. And Prince Kiem discovers Jainan is a suspect himself.
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Gay Space Opera
- By Kindle Customer on 2021-12-18
Written by: Everina Maxwell
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Dark Rise
- Dark Rise, Book 1
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- Narrated by: Christian Coulson
- Length: 15 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run, pursued by the men who killed his mother. Then an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards, who have sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns. Will is thrust into a world of magic, where he starts training for a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark. As London is threatened and old enmities are awakened, Will must stand with the last heroes of the Light to prevent the fate that destroyed their world from returning to destroy his own.
Written by: C. S. Pacat
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The House in the Cerulean Sea
- Written by: TJ Klune
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- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world. Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.
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Narrator sounds like a bad computer generated voic
- By Ryan on 2020-12-24
Written by: TJ Klune
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Icebreaker
- Written by: A.L. Graziadei
- Narrated by: Tom Picasso
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Seventeen-year-old Mickey James III is a college freshman, a brother to five sisters, and a hockey legacy. With a father and a grandfather who have gone down in NHL history, Mickey is almost guaranteed the league's top draft spot.
Written by: A.L. Graziadei
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Smart men never dabble with demons. I never claimed to be smart, but at least, I’m powerful enough to control them. When I bound Havoc to me nearly 300 years ago, I never realized how difficult he’d make my life, although “accidentally” lighting him on fire every now and then does bring a smile to my face. Havoc is handsome, mysterious, and somehow, my closest companion, even if we don’t always get along.
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Pleasantly suprised.
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In Manhattan, a young grad student gets off the train and realizes he doesn't remember who he is, where he's from, or even his own name. But he can sense the beating heart of the city, see its history, and feel its power. In the Bronx, a Lenape gallery director discovers strange graffiti scattered throughout the city, so beautiful and powerful it's as if the paint is literally calling to her. In Brooklyn, a politician and mother finds she can hear the songs of her city, pulsing to the beat of her Louboutin heels.
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Should have listened to the other critical reviews…
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The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain. When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected - she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow.
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A wonderful surprise
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Incredible!
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The Last Sun
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Rune Saint John, the last child of the fallen Sun Court, is hired to search for Lady Judgment's missing son, Addam, on New Atlantis, the island city where the Atlanteans moved after ordinary humans destroyed their original home. With his companion and bodyguard, Brand, he questions Addam's relatives and business contacts through the highest ranks of the nobles of New Atlantis. But as they investigate, they uncover more than a missing man: a legendary creature connected to the secret of the massacre of Rune's Court.
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Amazing!!
- By Amazon Customer on 2018-10-10
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Wayward Son
- Simon Snow Series, Book 2
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The story is supposed to be over. Simon Snow did everything he was supposed to do. He beat the villain. He won the war. He even fell in love. Now comes the good part, right? Now comes the happily ever after.... So why can’t Simon Snow get off the couch? What he needs, according to his best friend, is a change of scenery. That’s how Simon and Penny and Baz end up in a vintage convertible, tearing across the American West. They find trouble, of course. (Dragons, vampires, skunk-headed things with shotguns.) And they get lost.
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Meh
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-12-29
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Boyfriend Material
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Luc O'Donnell is tangentially - and reluctantly - famous. His rock-star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next 20 years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything. To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice normal relationship...and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and someone who has never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. He’s perfect boyfriend material.
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Here’s hoping!!
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The Gravity of Us
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As a successful social media journalist with half a million followers, 17-year-old Cal is used to sharing his life online. But when his pilot father is selected for a highly publicized NASA mission to Mars, Cal and his family relocate from Brooklyn to Houston and are thrust into a media circus. Amidst the chaos, Cal meets sensitive and mysterious Leon, another "Astrokid", and finds himself falling head over heels - fast. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so does their connection.
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Cute Story with beautiful relationships
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The Magpie Lord
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- Original Recording
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Exiled for 20 years, Lucien never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He's also inherited his family's enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn't expect it to turn up angry. Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane's family. Unfortunately, it's his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he's ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude...and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed.
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Of Secrets and Wolves
- Winsford Shifters, Book 1
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- Unabridged
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My whole life, I’ve been taught to despise shifters. So when I’m hired to track two escaped convicts, I’m suddenly thrust into the world I hate - or thought I did. Yet I’m inexplicably drawn to the alpha of the pack, whose land the convicts may be hiding on. He’s different than any shifter I've ever met - laidback and quick to laugh, caring, and protective. As secrets are revealed, I start to wonder if everything I’ve been raised to believe was a lie, though it may not matter, because it seems like someone wants us dead.
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Enjoyable!
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The Hanged Man
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- Unabridged
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The Tarot Sequence imagines a modern-day Atlantis off the coast of Massachusetts, governed by powerful Courts based on the traditional Tarot deck. Rune Saint John, last child of the fallen Sun Throne, is backed into a fight of high court magic and political appetites in a desperate bid to protect his ward, Max, from a forced marital alliance with the Hanged Man. Rune's resistance will take him to the island's dankest corners, including a red light district made of moored ghost ships and the floor of the ruling Convocation, where a gathering of Arcana will change Rune's life forever.
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Kings Rising
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- Unabridged
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His identity now revealed, Damen must face his master, Prince Laurent, as Damianos of Akielos, the man Laurent has sworn to kill. On the brink of a momentous battle, the future of both their countries hangs in the balance. In the south, Kastor's forces are massing. In the north, the Regent's armies are mobilizing for war. Damen's only hope of reclaiming his throne is to fight together with Laurent against their usurpers.
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An audible page turner!!!
- By Amazon Customer on 2019-10-12
Written by: C. S. Pacat
Publisher's Summary
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.
"Riveting, wildly fun, and incredibly smart." (Emily A. Duncan, New York Times best-selling author of Wicked Saints)
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)
What the critics say
"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)
"A fast-paced space opera with heart and style, Bonds of Brass had me screaming KISS ALREADY on every page." (Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times best-selling author of Star Wars: Phasma)
"Thrilling and unpredictable, this book kept me on the edge of my seat all the way to an end that I did not see coming. All I can say now is...wait for it...wait for it." (Mindee Arnett, author of Onyx & Ivory)
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What listeners say about Bonds of Brass
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- David Brush Abel
- 2020-07-07
A bit predictable...
Despite being a bit predictable, ( I KNEW what was in Etien’s velvet bag!), I did enjoy this book. We need more fantasy/science fiction with LGBTQ+ characters. If you’re looking for a space opera with queer content, and lead characters, this book is for you. At first I didn’t enjoy the narration, but quickly grew to enjoy the narrator’s inflection and earnest style.
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- Zell Oakley
- 2020-04-15
I didn't like it, but your mileage may vary
Here's a fun thought experiment you can do when you have a moment:
Make a list of some mainstream sci-fi/fantasy novels with male/female romances. Now check off which of them have bisexual protagonists. Then make a list of sci-fi/fantasy novels with male/male romances, and check off the bisexual protagonists. Chances are, you're going to see a discrepancy; actual gay men are very, very rare in fiction compared to bisexuals, particularly when the novel is written by a straight woman. Consequently, you get a disproportionate number of novels like Bonds of Brass where BOTH partners in the m/m romance are bisexual.
I have a number of theories as to why this might be the case. The most likely one is that authors who are progressive enough to include a central m/m romance are often so progressive that they believe sexuality is fluid for everyone. This sounds wonderful (not to me, but I suppose to some people it must anyway) but it has the unintended consequence of pretty much erasing gay men entirely. We don't really fit into their worldview. It's the homophobia of the political left, and I'm sick of it.
"But Zell!" I hear you say. "Aren't you being biphobic here? Disliking a book simply because it has bisexual characters?" Good point, you. This is the reason for my thought experiment at the beginning of this review. This happens almost exclusively in m/m novels. Once bisexual characters start popping up left and right in sci-fi novels with m/f romances, get back to me and maybe my answer will change. In fact, I defy you to name ONE m/f sci-fi novel where both protagonists are bisexual. And let me be clear: I'm fully aware that the fact that--ONCE AGAIN--I'm reading a m/m romance with no actual gay characters is a terrible reason not to like a book. So accordingly, I'm not giving this less than three stars even though I have no interest in finishing it, ever (you can disregard this sentence, I got myself worked up writing this and downgraded it to two stars). It really did start out well written. But be warned, if you're a young gay man looking for a good non-romance sci-fi novel to pass the time, you won't find yourself in this one.
Narration was superb, incidentally.
23 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2021-06-16
Great easy but worthwhile read for sci-if lovers
I won’t lie I loved this book. Finished it within a week. I was a little bit hesitant based off the reviews (not the star numbers just the written reviews) bc I am insanely picky when it comes to all things but especially audiobooks but I was immersed the whole ride. It’s a good story that is well paced and strong on lore. I really like how the author dives in to the lore without assuming that the readers needs hand holding bc realistically a good fiction story on the scale of a galaxy is going to have gaps the reader has to fill in on their own or just let go. Some folks didn’t like the pacing particularly in the middle but the middle was my favorite part. I really enjoyed the lower stakes moments where it focused solely on character development.
Apparently it’s a YA book but it didn’t really seem like it. I think it’s more mature just not overtly super sexual? Idk. My only gripe is the melodrama of the writing that I think the voice actor sometimes over emphasizes. It is definitely more an issue with the writing (a small one) that gets more noticeable when the voice actor has a moment. Gets ~almost~ grating every few hours but then it’s quickly over. There was moments where I was like “baby please get over yourself this is your inner monologue not a speech to the United Nations” but they were rare. For the next book/audiobook they should tone down Etienne’s grandiose inner monologue, it gets to be a bit much. Other then that the experience was a 4.5/5.
2 people found this helpful
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- Chris
- 2020-06-29
I feel manipulated and not in a good way
This book was a frustrating experience. I honestly feel like I finished the story knowing less about the main character than when I started it. Main character and narrator, Ettian, spends most of the book fluctuating between supporting his friend and eventual love interest... and betraying him to support the empire that Gal's, said friend and love interest, mother destroyed. You would think that this would create lots of tension for the relationship between Gal and Ettian. You would be right, but that tension gets displayed in increasingly frustrating ways: Ettian complains about Gal questioning his loyalty in one chapter and actively questioning his loyalty to Gal in the next. Keep in mind, Ettian acts increasingly shady as the book progresses, making decions that, even knowing the big twist at the end, are not explainable. What this actually produces in the book is a really uneven character arc for Ettian. The relationship between Ettian and Gal, while being the main conflict in the book, is shelved so Ettian can express his feelings to a manic pixie dream girl, Wen.
I really hate Wen in this book. She is introduced as a street smart, savvy youth with a burned face and a rainbow umbrella that has a hidden switch blade. I shit you not, it's a character that screams, "Quirky NLOG here." But, even though it's a bit cliche, that is not my problem with Wen. It's just that the way she is written, and the way she comes off in the story is that of an interloper. She is a character that shouldn't care about what Ettian and Gal are doing, but does anyway because the writer wanted her there. She also becomes the cipher for Ettian to express his growing dissatisfaction with the direction Gal is taking, politically, in the book. And, reading between the lines, will be a future romantic interest for Ettian, however much the idea of this upsets me. It really floors me that, in a supposed queer romance novel, most of the expressed romantic tension is found in a m/f friendship.
I mentioned it briefly earlier, but we really need to talk about the twist. Writer Emily Skrutskie managed to make a twist ending that was both predictable and incredibly silly. Warning for spoilers ahead.......
It turns out that Ettian and Gal have something in common: they are both blood heirs to their respective empires. Now, blood heir is a term that is painfully common in fantasy, but seems to be seen less often in sci-fi. I guess that most societies that perfect space travel have already passed the "monarchies are a stable way to run a government" phase of adolescence but "Bonds of Brass," asks us to pretend with them anyway. The novel asks us to take the whole blood heir thing seriously, even alluding to a potential supernatural effect of having royal blood. Gal is able to go from an apparent Umber empire deserter to a key force in the Archon rebellion taking back their home planet (Gal and Ettian are both 17, btw). Gal even leads the strike mission that was actually a Machiavellian plot to undermine and defeat the Archon rebellion and solidify his future role in the Umber empire. The truth of Ettian's blood line is revealed, almost incidentally, in the penultimate chapter in the novel. I swear, it was so god damn upsetting I almost returned the book for that, alone. Gal is captured and held prisoner by Ettian's Archon forces and the reader is left wondering how much of Ettian's actions in the book were actively planning for this outcome (it is somewhere between 0 and 100 percent, I'm certain.) I really hate the whole blood heir thing. Letting your main characters have super powerful king blood that makes them fit to rule a multi-planet empire comes off as kinda... fascist? I dunno, ymmv.
World building was nice and the narration was superb. I had no idea who Ettian was as a person, but James Fouhey sure sold it well.
2 people found this helpful
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- Pup Cerberus
- 2020-05-21
swinging between a 2 and a 4
predictable book end guessed at chapter 1, characters IQs drop when Wen joins the party.
2 people found this helpful
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- Lola
- 2020-05-15
Bonds of Brass
After reading a review for this book by one of my blogger friends I knew I had to read this one. It sounded exactly like the type of book I would enjoy. After listening to the sample I decided to get the audio format and I am so glad I did as this book was a joy to listen to. And one of the first male narrators I listened to that really worked for me.
Bonds of Brass jumps right into the action, after a short introduction scene you get thrown right into an explosive action scene and I was immediately pulled into the story. The rest of the story continues in a similar feel, some calmer scenes and plenty of action. The story captivated me and the role of these two boys who would do anything for each other in the middle of a galaxy wide conflict. The ending was awesome, while I shortly before predicted the twist I did enjoy the direction the story took, but at the same time I have no idea where this series will go next and I can't wait to see how the author handles it.
I love how this series mingles the romance storyline with the action and the more political tinted storyline in this galaxy with different empires. And ofcourse the two main characters are at the center of it all. Add in a totally reckless and adorable female side character. And this was one awesome listen. There are plenty of twists and reveals, a lot of action and great characters.
I really liked main character Ettian, in the first chapter you already get a good feel for him. how loyal he is to his friend Gal and how much he cares about him. But that is only the start. Throughout the book you really get to know him and how conflicted he feels over the whole situation. He loves Gal, but when something he never dared wish for is in his path he struggles deciding what to do. I really liked his character and enjoyed following his story. The flight scenes were amazing, you could really feel his love for flying and see how capable he was at it as well.
I love a good sci-fi romance book and this book handled the romance really well, especially amidst the whole big galaxy spanning political plot line. I really liked Gal and Ettian together. They started out as friends and the author did a good job giving that vibe that they were good friends already and that slowly turns into more. It was clear how much they cared for one another. But they also have some struggles to go through. Gal is a prince and Ettian a nobody and they could never make this work, but at the same time trying to stay apart is hurting them. And I liked how early on it becomes clear they both feel the same about the other. It's not a question of whether their feelings are reciprocated, but more of whether they are willing to go that way if they know it can't last. And when they finally do grow closer it's amazing and also sad at the same time as you know what is waiting for them. And that ending was beautiful and so heartbreaking. I can't wait to see what happens to their romance in book 2. I hope we get to see more of them together as there wasn't nearly enough of that in this book.
One thing that did bother me is how much Ettian gives up for Gal and while I loved seeing how deep his feeling were and how much he was willing to do for him. I also would've loved to see some of that dedication from Gal's side as well. I wanted Gal to show Ettian how much he meant to him as well. I would've liked to get a bit more insight into Gal's personality. I liked the glimpses we got, but I would've liked to know more, maybe that will come in the future books.
I liked the world building in this book. You get a good feel for the 3 mayor factions/ empires in this part of the galaxy. There is enough about the political situation and how Umber gained power to get an insight in how things work. I liked how this was worked out and throughout the book you learn more. The story takes place in space and two different planets so you also get to see a bit of the galaxy. I liked the sci-fi spacy feel mixed in with the political plotlines of the Umber empire and the rebellion
I am really glad I picked up the audio version of this one. The narrator did a great job with the narration. I liked his voice for Ettian and it was pleasant to listen to. He did the other voices and even the female ones pretty well too. I especially liked his voice for Gal and Wen. I also liked how you could hear the emotion in his voice in some scenes, like when Ettian was happy or angry. It really came across in the narration, which was really well done. I definitely plan on listening to the rest of the series as well.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this action packed sci-fi book with a great romance. There is plenty of action, twists and turns. The plot gripped me from the start and I liked seeing where the story went. Ettian made for a great main character and I liked getting to know him. He was so loyal to his friends and I liked how deep his feeling for Gal went and how much he was willing to do for him. But it was also clear how conflicted he was later during the story. I liked their romance and how much they care for one another. Although I would've liked to get to know Gal a bit better and see how much he was willing to do for Ettian as now it felt like Ettian sacrificed so much more for Gal. The scifi world was well done with how we get a good feel for the political situation and how it impacts the galaxy. There are some great space and flying scenes as well. The narrator did a great job with this one. His voice was pleasant to listen to and I liked how he did the different voices. All in all I would definitely recommend this one to those who like action packed scifi stories with a MM romance.
2 people found this helpful
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- Whitepawn
- 2022-06-19
Could there be a more sunken, disappointing ending?
The performance is great, the narrator makes it an easy listen no matter what is happening.
Great characters. The great bane of many a sci-fi story is cardboard cutouts as characters, no life, no allure, no shits to give over whether they live or die. All 3 characters are excellent. They carry the story, which is as it should be.
But the entire last quarter of the book left me disappointed. Just finished it and all I could say is “What the fuck was that?”
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- Jackson
- 2021-11-22
Fab entertainment and PS I don't think they're Bi
So, I read the blurb for the second and third books before reading this one, and they are spoilers. Which I'm fine with because I honestly like a spoiler, especially when the story is good enough that it doesn't matter. I actually think I enjoyed it more, because I felt like I was in on a secret with one of the characters. I feel like I have to comment on some of the reviews because they were initially off putting and I'm glad I read it anyway.
1. I don't find the relationship to feel toxic. Etienne (sp?) has big reasons having nothing to do with Gal for making some of his choices.
2. I can't figure out where the bi thing comes in. The relationship is between the two main dudes. Unless there's a poly twist in book 3, the female character seems like a good friend. There's maybe a crack about a good looking lady somewhere in there? But I'd joke like that about a boy to one of my fellow gay lady friends, so I'm not convinced. I do generally dislike the making of gay characters, male or female, more acceptable to straight readers one way or another, part of which is making them bi. But even with my penchant for overthinking these things, nothing here annoyed me.
3. This kind of trilogy is a bit of a trope (one I enjoy), and if you've read such things before, there are always twists and turns and questionable allegiances. I think betrayal or manipulated is ... a bit strong.
4. Maybe it's YA because of the character's ages? But not because of the sexual explicitness or lack thereof. If you're looking for porn, go read porn. This is a story.
No reviewers commented on this but I love that not all the characters are light skinned blonde people AND the author doesn't do the wee bit racist thing of describing the POC people by race. People are described as they are. Love. And hard to find in LGBT lighthearted writing.
Def recommend this book (and the second one). It's the sci fi equivalent of a satisfying vacation read, and I'm currently dying for the third book to come out.
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- Ace Ryder
- 2021-04-29
ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE & INSPIRING!!
As a writer myself, this is everything I’ve always wanted to read! I wish I was this good! And the readers voice is amazing! I could listen to him read forever!! The book is inspiring and thrilling and depicts sexuality as nothing more than people loving people. No labels or overcoming some homophobia. This is the world I love read about. Helps me picture what Society might be one day. The relationship between the two boys is beautiful and the struggle of the main character is something I have never seen before in writing and the wrote it PERFECTLY! IM STUNNED AT HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS BOOK AND CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT!!!!
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- Amazon Customer
- 2021-03-02
Intentionally misleading
I don't write too many reviews. Particularly, I don't write negative reviews that often. However, I was very excited for this book and the beginning was excellent. Then, I struggled along through the middle and felt utterly betrayed at the end.
Thank God for the narrator.
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- Michael
- 2021-02-10
Can't wait for next book
Starting this book I had no idea what to expect, but by the second chapter I was completely drawn in. I am a sci-fi fan and I was impressed with the level of detail about what happens when any space battle occur.
Ettian and Gal are surprisingly stubborn for their intelligence. Which is why the introduction of Wen is perfect for the dou. I admit I did not see the ending coming, and can't help but wonder how the main characters are going to get themselves out of this problem. Ettian definitely does not make things easier in the last chapter.
This book in some ways reminds me of similar story called Lost Stars where the main characters are in a very similar situation. That book was awesome and so was this one, I look forward book 2.