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Book Review - Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott

I won an ARC of this book from TOR.com, and I couldn’t be happier I did!

Thank you TOR Books!
Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org


Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott, due out from TOR Books July 2020

I’ll admit, this book caught me off guard.
It started by introducing a cast of aristocrats and palace intrigue, and slowly built up a wide set of characters cutting a swath across many economic classes in a galactic empire. It was slowly building the world, and I loved the world-building and the mysteries that began to take shape, so it kept me reading...
until something literally blows up!

Then the rocket boosters hard burn and the story accelerates with g-forces so intense it hurt to put the book down! I couldn’t stop myself, I was so quickly invested in these bickering characters and this crazy story! I was fully caught up in the riptide as the tension continued to ratchet up, betrayal and political machinations unfolded and reformed over again! The pace doesn’t relent to the end, and the intrigues deepen as the battle between empires explodes on the page. This first novel builds up so much promise of what’s to come in the next two: so many mysteries, so many things that I can’t wait to find out what happens next! My favorite character (not the title character), and I think the writers favorite too, is the one written in first person. She seems destined for galaxy changing things!

The universe is teeming with many rich and fascinatingly diverse cultures. And the writer did well in giving the characters very different and flawed ways of viewing other cultures and nations. It gave them a grounding feeling of being real in a story that takes place in the distant future and spends almost half its time on spaceships. There was a compelling yin & yang of saccharine, pop culture social media contrasting some gritty realism of war and tragedy.

This is the most fun and exciting novel I’ve read in at least a year, maybe longer. I had a blast reading this book, and I think you will too. I’m not saying this book is all escapist fluff, it has interesting comments on some serious topics. I was able to acknowledge points being made with them taking me out of the story or being hit over the head with them.

Even though this book doesn’t come out until July 2020, I’m dying for the next one! If I can, I’m going to be nominating this book for a Hugo! And a Nebula too if I can get myself published in time.
Thank you Ms. Elliott for the sheer enjoyment.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Galaxies

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Unconquerable Sun is also available at IndieBound 

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