Saturdays in Books

A fast-paced, galactic scale adventure with engaging characters, fantastic fight scenes, and a bit of romance. One of my friends picked this up based solely on the cover, and it turned out to be so good neither of us can figure out how nobody has been talking about it.

Really, how has everyone not read this already? It's so below the radar that I had to add it to booklikes to review it.

The whole concept of the Empress Game is itself so absurd that when the protagonist looks up it's history, she compares the Imperials to children.

Have I mentioned that I love her?

We meet her in a fighting pit at the wrong end of the universe - this book start with a knife fight. (Have I mentioned that starting a SFF novel with a knife fight that I will read your book? Because I will.) She's been hiding and fighting for so long now that she doesn't know how to do anything else. Her serious trust issues are not easily resolved - nothing in this book is easy. It feels like a fun light read, but I keep turning parts of it over in my head.

If I have to pick something to complain about, I wish it hadn't been quite so hetero-normative. Maybe book two?

Oh, I am so excited that there is a book 2.