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Two young princes on opposite sides of a war must decide between loyalty and love in this galaxy-shaking finale of the Bloodright Trilogy. Gal and Ettian have never been farther apart. Once, they were roommates and best friends, each suffocating under a secret of galactic consequence. When Gal’s came to light—that he was heir to the Umber Empire and all of its brutal conquest—the two were forced to flee their military academy, fall in with a brewing rebellion to reclaim the Archon Empire from Umber’s grasp, and face their long-held feelings for each other. Then the rebellion discovered Gal’s identity and to save his life, Ettian had no choice but to unveil his own secret: that he was the long-lost heir to the Archon throne. With Gal as a political prisoner, Ettian began the fight to restore his own empire—and to open Gal’s eyes to the possibility of a galaxy reclaimed from Umber’s greed. But just when Gal was starting to come around, a team of Umber operatives rescued him from Archon’s clutches and dragged him home to take up his crown. Now, separated for the first time and in full command of the might of their respective forces, the star-crossed rulers find themselves truly at odds. And with the war reaching a tipping point, the time has finally come for Gal and Ettian to confront what they owe their empires, their friends, and each other if they’re ever to forge a universe where the two of them can be together.
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**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**
Emily Skrutskie completes the Bloodright Trilogy with Vows of Empire. This book picks up shortly after the cliffhanger ending of book two, and any real discussion of the plot will undoubtedly spoil the first two books. Suffice it to say, the war is still on between Archon and Umber.
I had suspicions of the way that the trilogy would conclude, and Skrutskie addressed one of those suspicions early on in this book. After that, it was clear there was only one way this series could actually end. Despite knowing the destination, that did not make the journey any less entertaining. The nature of the book's content kept Gal and Ettian apart for the vast majority, unfortunately. The nature of their relationship is such a focal point and strength of the series, but Vows of Empire was decidedly Wen's book.
It was smart for Skrutskie to shift perspectives the way that she did throughout the book and to highlight the amount of growth all of the characters achieved over the course of this trilogy.
Overall, I felt that this was a satisfactory conclusion to the series despite wanting more information about how things turned out. Certainly, there is room for Skrutskie to write prequels or sequels to the series, but the trilogy holds on its own. I look forward to future works from Skrutskie.