Sooooo the most important and in my opinion most enjoyable part of this book is the SPACE BOYFRIENDS aspect, so I’m going to get right to that. During a WILD in-space assassination attempt, Ettian learns that Gal is actually the prince of the Umber empire and the two end up going on the run together, in the spaceship the Ruttin’ Hell, which Ettian describes as “the minivan of starships” that handles “like a brick taped to a cat.” Gal is his Umber-born happy-go-lucky roommate, best friend, and maybe-crush.

Ettian is a child of the conquered Archon Empire and after a rough post-war childhood, he has decided it is in his best interest to accept the new Umber regime and advance as best as he can within it. We start the book at the aforementioned fighter pilot school, where Ettian and Gal are students and roommates. (Cue voice of Stefon from SNL): This book has everything: Fighter pilot school! An evil intergalactic empire! Multiple almost-kisses! Angsty space boyfriends! Daring and reckless escapes! Gundam-style robot suits! A bold rebellion! A junky yet lovable spaceship with a whimsical name! While there are definitely echoes of FinnPoe here, the world and characters Skrutskie has created feel fresh even while deploying many of the classic elements of the space opera genre, except now 100% more queer!. I have been very excited for Bonds of Brass since I learned that the author, Emily Skrutskie, was inspired by the highly teased but never fully realized Finn & Poe relationship from the most recent Star Wars trilogy. Theme: Fake Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Forced Proximity (stranded, safehouse, etc), Mistaken/False Identity, Taboo Relationship/Forbidden RomanceĪrchetype: Diverse Protagonists, Military, Royalty As they piece together a way to deliver Gal safely to his throne, Ettian finds himself torn in half by an impossible choice.Genre: LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult Ettian barely manages to save his best friend and flee the compromised Academy unscathed, rattled both that Gal stands to inherit the empire that broke him and that there are still people willing to fight back against Umber rule. Even better, he's met Gal Veres-his exasperating and infuriatingly enticing roommate who's made the Academy feel like a new home.īut when dozens of classmates spring an assassination plot on Gal, a devastating secret comes to light: Gal is the heir to the Umber Empire. He's spent seven years putting himself back together under its rule, joining an Umber military academy and becoming the best pilot in his class.

A young pilot risks everything to save his best friend-the man he trusts most and might even love-only to learn that he's secretly the heir to a brutal galactic empire.Įttian Nassun's life was shattered when the merciless Umber Empire invaded.

Bonds of brass by emily skrutskie