BONDS OF BRASS

Ettian Nassun and Gal Veres are best friends, and maybe more, who are attending the Umber Empire’s system-spanning military academy, but when Gal is outed as heir to the Empire that killed Ettian’s parents and conquered his people, Ettian must choose whether to follow his heart and keep Gal alive or follow the drumbeat of his people as they attempt to restore their empire.

Ettian, an Archon war orphan, and Gal, who appears to be the well-off son of Umber-born parents, look out for one another at the Umber military academy. Ettian shines as a pilot and officer—his way of ensuring that he's never hungry or homeless again—while peace-loving Gal spends more time goofing off and finding ways to subvert the Empire’s warmongering ways. All that changes when other Archon war orphans at the academy learn that Gal's the Umber heir and try to kill him. Despite the revelation, Ettian risks his life to save Gal. Then, when Umber politicians try to use the prince’s vulnerability to their own advantage, Ettian is the only one Gal can trust to keep him safe. They escape to the neutral Corinthian system, where Ettian discovers the Archon people are not done fighting for their homes and families. He's torn between his love for Gal—and his hope the prince can forge a lasting peace—and his love for the Archon people he thought lost forever. Together with Wen, a sharp-witted girl running from the Corinthian mob, the boys’ loyalties, love, and mettle will be tested as their secrets and sacrifices are forced into the light. Fans of Pierce Brown's Red Rising series will find a fantastic home in Skrutskie’s (Hullmetal Girls, 2018, etc.) rich, diverse, and multilayered world. Her thoughtful SF portrayal of children navigating war, displacement, and PTSD while finding love and friendship in unimaginable circumstances is very much worth the read.

An impeccably paced, character-driven SF novel—the first in a trilogy—aimed at both adults and teens.