Lord of the Empty Isles

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. 

Healing feels like betrayal. Like releasing a fragile, precious thing kept from crumbling only by the pressure of his hands. 

Do you like Found Family?
Do you have trauma?
Do you love a good cry? 
Well do i have the book for you!Lord of the Empty Isles is easily one of my top 10 books this year. It is heart wrenching and beautiful and so full of love. 
I adored all the different forms of platonic and familial love that we got to see grow between the cast. Every character felt so full and well rounded and I loved the growth that Remy had, though i am hoping that we get a sequel because I think there is so much potential for more growth with the rest of the characters! 
It was easy to be drawn in and absolutely absorbed into the story and so easy to care about and fall in love with the characters. the world building wasn't clunky, the action was fast and fan, and the emotional moments we so strong. I cried multiple time. I am excited to see what Arbeaux does next. 

I was honored to be gifted a ALC from the publisher and netgally. Audiobooks are my main source of reading and this one was great! As a southerner, I did struggle a bit with the southern accent for Idrian but quickly adjusted to it and it didn't hinder my reading experience!