Do you love the idea of a curse rebounded and circumstances we could never have predicted? Of the ways fate ties us together even when can’t see the plan? Then you’ll be in for a treat with Lord of the Empty Isles. Keep reading this book review of Lord of the Empty Isles for my full thoughts.
Summary
Five years ago, Idrian ordered a withering—a death curse—cast on Remy’s brother that cost him his life, and Remy hasn’t been the same since. Now Remy finally has the materials he needs to return the favour, but he has one major problem. When he casts the withering, it rebounds onto him.
The implications are unthinkable: Remy is fatebound to his brother’s killer.
Even worse, the only way to slow the curse for long enough to find a cure is to join forces with Idrian and his criminal crew. But when he gets there, Remy discovers there are more than just their lives at stake.
Idrian is the sole provider of life-saving supplies to tens of thousands of innocents, and when he dies, they’ll die with him. Caught up in perilous heists and a race against time, Remy finds himself truly living for the first time since his brother died.
Too bad for Remy—the only way to stop a withering is to kill the witherer.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Lord of the Empty Isles is a story mired in revenge. It’s about wanting so badly to curse our enemy, to get this sense of revenge, and to let that fuel us. Like most revenge stories, it asks us whether the price of revenge is worth it. Whether that all consuming quest is enough when we think we’ve succeeded, or whether it has the power to get us what we want. With the magic of severing tethers and feelings, Lord of the Empty Isles has a distinct speculative fiction feel. While this was a bit confusing at times, the characters were the star of the show.
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There’s a crew dynamic and, of course it comes with the territory to have a found family feeling. Lord of the Empty Isles delivers group dynamics to a T. Beginning with loss and isolation, it’s a story about being tied – unwillingly so – to others, but also finding these moments with them. With all the queerness, aroace- spec gender non-conforming lead and featuring a queer platonic relationship, this is a fabulous addition to the SFF genre. Find Lord of the Empty Isles on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon UK, & Blackwells.