Oaths of Legacy
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Torn between loyalty and love, a young prince will learn how much he’s willing to sacrifice as he tries to destroy the rebellion that threatens his throne in the exhilarating sequel to Bonds of Brass. “A knockout.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) 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. Yet nothing is ever that simple in war—or in love. Gal is captured by the rebellion during a skirmish and faces public execution, his grand fate cut short. To save Gal’s life, Ettian does the unthinkable: He reveals himself as the secret heir to the fallen Archon Empire and rightful leader of the rebellion . . . and, therefore, Gal’s sworn enemy. Now a political hostage in this newly reignited conflict, Gal must use his limited resources to sabotage the rebellion from within, concoct an escape plan, and return to the empire he’s destined to lead. And if that means taking down the man he thought he loved? All the better.
Series
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3 primary books#2 in The Bloodright Trilogy
The Bloodright Trilogy is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2020 with contributions by Emily Skrutskie.
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I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
I cannot express just how I was excited to receive an early version of this book. While I hated Bonds of Brass' ending and the twist there, I was excited and hopeful that Oaths of Legacy would take steps to remedy that.
And it did... partially.
I'd love to say the story grabbed that twist and twisted it further and created something amazing but it didn't. It did almost exactly what I predicted last year after finishing Bonds of Brass. But hey! That's fine. I don't mind predictable.
There are two things about Oaths of Legacy that I disliked. The first is feeble and weak while the other is a major gripe that made me stop reading for almost a month.
Nothing happens. The story just continue but from start to finish, very little happens. There's so much talking amongst seasoned military command making the stupidest choices imaginable. Gal is the prisoner and POV here yet he's just allowed to wander around. I get why narratively and if I try very hard my suspension of disbelief can pretend everybody drank Amnesia Water (TM) and forgot their years of training. Also the attempts at intrigue and “politics” fall flat. I much prefer the spectacularly written space battles. This has been the weaker negative.
What I truly hated about Oaths of Legacy was Wen. I liked Wen in Bonds of Brass. She was a fine, fun character. A strong woman with streetsmarts. You know how I mentioned this book is from Gal's POV? It should have been from Wen's! She goes through a wince-worthy character change to become THE FLAME KNIGHT completely ‘off-screen'. Everybody is just so impressed with her and she survives the most ludicrous situations. Even when the narrative is begging for her to make some sort of sacrifice for her utter stupidity, there are no consequences. This lead me to think of her as Wen Sue. If she were the POV for Oaths of Legacy, I think it'd get 4 stars from me. Wen is a fantastic character ruined by the focus being Gal's story where very little happens (see the previous paragraph).
The ending was actually quite good. It was unexpected and while it was not at all foreshadowed, it was cool. It could have been longer. The whole book should have been to be honest. 29 chapters (+ Epilogue) as opposed to Bonds of Brass' 31. For a second book in a trilogy I'd expect at least a couple of chapters more.
I'd love to give it 4 stars but I can't. There's just too much that I disliked to warrant that. I hope Book 3 will give this trilogy a proper conclusion at which point I might change my rating for the first two books.
