Lord of the Empty Isles
Ratings1
Average rating4.5
15
Ratings1
Average rating4.5
One curse. Two sworn enemies. Thousands of lives in the balance. 'A glorious cast of misfits that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure - even as they hold a gun to your head' KATE DYLAN Winter's Orbit meets The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet in this stunning emotional yet action-packed adult science-fiction novel, perfect for fans of found family and queer-platonic relationships. Ash, dried flowers, and a drop of blood: Remy has all he needs to avenge his brother's death. Five years ago, interstellar pirate Idrian Delaciel ordered a withering - a death curse - cast on Remy's brother, costing him his life. Now, Remy is ready to return the favour. Only when he casts the withering, it also rebounds onto him. The implications are unthinkable - that Remy is fatebound to his brother's killer. The only way to slow the curse is to close the distance between them, so Remy infiltrates Idrian's criminal crew, hiding his identity as the witherer. But Remy quickly learns that Idrian is the sole provider of life-saving supplies to thousands of innocents. And if he dies, they will perish with him. With more at stake now than just revenge, Remy must find a way to break the curse. Too bad for him - the only way to stop a withering is to kill the witherer. 'Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming' ESSA HANSEN 'Amidst all the magic and space-faring adventure is a stunning, thoughtful treatise on grief and love in all its forms' JULIE LEONG
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I received an eARC thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton Audio. The opinions expressed are my own.
Remy casts a curse to kill the man who killed his brother, but the curse rebounds on him. Desperate to slow the progression of the curse he must be (physically) close to Idrian, the illustrious criminal he cursed. Only as he learns about Idrian and his compatriots, he comes to realize things are more... complicated than he realized. Now he must figure out a way to break the curse before it kills both of them and Idrian's entire crew.
I would characterize this book as science fantasy: Post climate apocalypse with space travel to orbiting satellites, but with seemingly magical tethers or bonds between people.
This is a slow burn story. It is queer-normative. It is NOT a romance. At all. Instead it is a story about loss and grief and found family. It is a story about secrets and lies. It is about betrayal and courage and finding solutions when all hope seems lost.
And the author tells it very well. Half way through I wasn't sure how I felt. I thought it would be a 3 star read for me at best. About two-thirds I realized how much more invested I was in the fate of these characters. By the end, I was all in.
While this book is a stand alone (I believe), and works as a complete story, I would enjoy spending more time in this world and with these characters. I will definitely keep an eye out for this author and check out future stories by her.
