Literature & Fiction
![Emily Skrutskie - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_emily_skrutskie.jpg)
Oaths of Legacy: Book Two of The Bloodright Trilogy
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.
"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.
Editorial Reviews
Praise for Oaths of Legacy
"Oaths of Legacy is a wildly thrilling and fast-paced sci-fi adventure, and equal parts a heart-wrenching romance torn asunder by bloodrights and galactic war."-Your Money Geek
"Skrutskie is a master of perspective."-But Why Tho?
"Skrutskie's breathless, brilliantly written action sequences and tear-jerking quieter moments will keep readers enthralled. [Oaths of Legacy] is a knockout."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Gays. In. Space!!"-Sam Maggs, author of Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas
"Skrutskie sets her characters' competing political and personal motivations against stellar battle scenes. . . . An engaging narrative that should satisfy existing fans and new readers alike. Recommended for fans of anime-inspired space opera and readers looking for queer relationships in their sf sagas."-Booklist
Praise for Bonds of Brass
"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 bestselling author of Star Wars: Phasma
"Fast ships, quick decisions, a new friend who likes to blow stuff up, and a love story with empires at stake: This story's got it all."-Kevin Hearne, New York Timesbestselling author of A Plague of Giantsand the Iron Druid Chronicles
"Thrilling and unpredictable, this book kept me on the edge of ...
"Oaths of Legacy is a wildly thrilling and fast-paced sci-fi adventure, and equal parts a heart-wrenching romance torn asunder by bloodrights and galactic war."-Your Money Geek
"Skrutskie is a master of perspective."-But Why Tho?
"Skrutskie's breathless, brilliantly written action sequences and tear-jerking quieter moments will keep readers enthralled. [Oaths of Legacy] is a knockout."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Gays. In. Space!!"-Sam Maggs, author of Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas
"Skrutskie sets her characters' competing political and personal motivations against stellar battle scenes. . . . An engaging narrative that should satisfy existing fans and new readers alike. Recommended for fans of anime-inspired space opera and readers looking for queer relationships in their sf sagas."-Booklist
Praise for Bonds of Brass
"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 bestselling author of Star Wars: Phasma
"Fast ships, quick decisions, a new friend who likes to blow stuff up, and a love story with empires at stake: This story's got it all."-Kevin Hearne, New York Timesbestselling author of A Plague of Giantsand the Iron Druid Chronicles
"Thrilling and unpredictable, this book kept me on the edge of ...
Readers Top Reviews
superstardrifter
This is the continuing story of Gal and Ettian – whose story from Bonds of Brass I won’t spoil for you, but suffice to say that there are feels to be had. The end of Bonds of Brass had events that lead to much hard feelings between the two, and this one continues that story from Gal’s POV (Book 1 was from Ettian’s POV). He is a political prisoner, more bored than anything else, and is trying to come up with escape plans. One plan results in him being dragged to the warfront with Ettian, and from there, many shenanigans are had. I really liked seeing this one from Gal’s point of view. It was interesting seeing how a lifetime of training makes him think about situations he finds himself in. It seems almost second nature for him to try and manipulate the people around him, even the people that he likes, to get what he wants. We also see a lot of Wen Iffan in this one, as she has become rather a central character in the grand scheme of things. It was fantastically written and easy to sit down with for hours at a time. The last quarter or so was action-packed, and hard to put down. I didn’t love it quite as much as I loved Bonds of Brass, however the story that it sets up to tell in the third volume in the series is certain to be entertaining, and so it left me eagerly awaiting the next in the series. Thanks to the author, as well as Del Rey via NetGalley for the review copy!~
Gerard IzzoSophia Ro
Fair to middling story. Mot much science in the fiction. Plot is transparent and predictable with cardboard characters and backgrounds C+
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter 1
There's a quiet to captivity. Its monotony steals time. I can feel myself getting slower and duller to match it.
It's the exact opposite of what I should be doing. If all had gone according to plan, I'd be at the Umber Imperial Seat right now, preparing to take my crown. I'd be caught in a tumult of meetings designed to bring me up to speed on the seven-year handover process that would begin the day I turned eighteen. I'd be proving to my mother, Iva emp-Umber, that I deserve wholeheartedly to take up her mantle-that I am the perfect heir she raised. That's all gone to hell now.
All of this is to say that my guard is solidly down when the man comes crashing through the grate on the ceiling.
I'm lounging on an ostentatious couch that used to belong to Berr sys-Tosa, legs kicked up on a pillow, and for a moment I find myself locked in my messy repose as my body scrambles to inject the necessary adrenaline into my bloodstream. Two horrible, still seconds pass as the intruder locks his sights onto me.
Then he lunges.
I grab the pillow from behind my head and fling it at him, but it glances harmlessly off stealth-black tac armor. I barely manage to snag the pillow at my feet and jam it up between us before he's on me, his right hand swinging up with an obvious glint in it. The blade sinks into the pillow, the tip of it tearing free mere inches from my throat. The sight of it sparks something deep in my gut, a survival instinct so strong that for a moment my brain takes the copilot's chair. I twist my arms, yanking the knife away from my jugular as I brace one foot on the sofa beneath me and lunge upward.
The assassin staggers back a step, giving me the space I need to snatch his wrist and lever his arm up over his head. The whites of his eyes flare in surprise, and I jam the heel of my hand up against the hilt of his blade, popping it out of his grasp before he can counter. The clatter of metal against the stone floor sends a pulse of relief coursing down my spine.
Then the man's free hand latches around my throat.
He throws me down hard, nearly cracking my head open on the tiles. I've got one breath left in my lungs, and before he can tighten his grip, I holler, "Help!"
My brain slides back into the pilot's chair just in time to realize what a waste that is. There are guards stationed outside my room, but their only order is to prevent me from getting out. They don't care about anybody getting in-in fact, they'd probably welcome the death of the Umber heir with open arms. Most people in this palace are solidly on the side of cutting off the Umber line of succession.
I'm one of the few holding out on the other side. I squirm as my throat collapses under the assassin's weight, trying to wrench a knee up somewhere soft. All I find is more tactical weave, bruising me wherever I try to strike it. My hands scrabble fruitlessly at his wrists, a plea caught in my spasming windpipe. All my life, I've been surrounded by people who leap into action whenever someone tries to kill me. Bodyguards when I was a kid, growing up in the shadows of the Imperial Seat. Sleepers once I left its safety to study on Naberrie and train on Rana, in the heart of the former Archon Empire. And when that life and the secrets that propped it up shattered on a clear winter's day in the skies above the academy-
When a Corinthian mobster on a wiretram raised his gun with my heart in its sights-
When the great Archon general Maxo Iral, risen from the dead, victorious in his bid to reclaim the old empire's capital and have his vengeance on my parents for their conquest, held my fate in his hands-
Fury strikes like flint, and my blood ignites. My gaze flicks sideways and catches the end table perched next to the couch. Within reach?
It had better be. I lash out with one hand, knocking over the glass of sweetwine I've been nursing. It shatters with a sharp, clear noise that doesn't break the assassin's laserlike focus on watching the life drain from my face.
Pity. If he'd looked, he would have caught the moment my fingers closed around the stone coaster.
A thrill washes over me the moment I slam it into his temple. I feel myself come back to life in the crunch-al...
There's a quiet to captivity. Its monotony steals time. I can feel myself getting slower and duller to match it.
It's the exact opposite of what I should be doing. If all had gone according to plan, I'd be at the Umber Imperial Seat right now, preparing to take my crown. I'd be caught in a tumult of meetings designed to bring me up to speed on the seven-year handover process that would begin the day I turned eighteen. I'd be proving to my mother, Iva emp-Umber, that I deserve wholeheartedly to take up her mantle-that I am the perfect heir she raised. That's all gone to hell now.
All of this is to say that my guard is solidly down when the man comes crashing through the grate on the ceiling.
I'm lounging on an ostentatious couch that used to belong to Berr sys-Tosa, legs kicked up on a pillow, and for a moment I find myself locked in my messy repose as my body scrambles to inject the necessary adrenaline into my bloodstream. Two horrible, still seconds pass as the intruder locks his sights onto me.
Then he lunges.
I grab the pillow from behind my head and fling it at him, but it glances harmlessly off stealth-black tac armor. I barely manage to snag the pillow at my feet and jam it up between us before he's on me, his right hand swinging up with an obvious glint in it. The blade sinks into the pillow, the tip of it tearing free mere inches from my throat. The sight of it sparks something deep in my gut, a survival instinct so strong that for a moment my brain takes the copilot's chair. I twist my arms, yanking the knife away from my jugular as I brace one foot on the sofa beneath me and lunge upward.
The assassin staggers back a step, giving me the space I need to snatch his wrist and lever his arm up over his head. The whites of his eyes flare in surprise, and I jam the heel of my hand up against the hilt of his blade, popping it out of his grasp before he can counter. The clatter of metal against the stone floor sends a pulse of relief coursing down my spine.
Then the man's free hand latches around my throat.
He throws me down hard, nearly cracking my head open on the tiles. I've got one breath left in my lungs, and before he can tighten his grip, I holler, "Help!"
My brain slides back into the pilot's chair just in time to realize what a waste that is. There are guards stationed outside my room, but their only order is to prevent me from getting out. They don't care about anybody getting in-in fact, they'd probably welcome the death of the Umber heir with open arms. Most people in this palace are solidly on the side of cutting off the Umber line of succession.
I'm one of the few holding out on the other side. I squirm as my throat collapses under the assassin's weight, trying to wrench a knee up somewhere soft. All I find is more tactical weave, bruising me wherever I try to strike it. My hands scrabble fruitlessly at his wrists, a plea caught in my spasming windpipe. All my life, I've been surrounded by people who leap into action whenever someone tries to kill me. Bodyguards when I was a kid, growing up in the shadows of the Imperial Seat. Sleepers once I left its safety to study on Naberrie and train on Rana, in the heart of the former Archon Empire. And when that life and the secrets that propped it up shattered on a clear winter's day in the skies above the academy-
When a Corinthian mobster on a wiretram raised his gun with my heart in its sights-
When the great Archon general Maxo Iral, risen from the dead, victorious in his bid to reclaim the old empire's capital and have his vengeance on my parents for their conquest, held my fate in his hands-
Fury strikes like flint, and my blood ignites. My gaze flicks sideways and catches the end table perched next to the couch. Within reach?
It had better be. I lash out with one hand, knocking over the glass of sweetwine I've been nursing. It shatters with a sharp, clear noise that doesn't break the assassin's laserlike focus on watching the life drain from my face.
Pity. If he'd looked, he would have caught the moment my fingers closed around the stone coaster.
A thrill washes over me the moment I slam it into his temple. I feel myself come back to life in the crunch-al...
