Audiobook Review: Blood of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza

Title: Blood of a Thousand Skies Series: Empress of a Thousand Skies #2 Written by: Rhoda Belleza Published: October 28, 2014 by Harlequin Teen (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Empress With a revolution brewing, Rhee is faced with a choice: make a deal with her enemy, Nero, or denounce him and risk losing her crown. Fugitive Framed assassin Alyosha has one goal in mind: kill Nero. But to get his revenge, Aly may have to travel back to the very place he thought he’d left forever—home. Princess Kara knows that a single piece of technology located on the uninhabitable planet Wraeta may be the key to remembering—and erasing—the princess she once was. Madman Villainous media star Nero is out for blood, and he’ll go to any means necessary to control the galaxy. Vicious politics and high-stakes action culminate in an epic showdown that will determine the fate of the universe.

I really liked Empress of a Thousand Skies. It was one of my favorite debuts of last year because it was an amazing audiobook with a plot full of political intrigue in space. I was really excited for the next book in the series to find out what would happen next.

One of the great things about this book was the plot development. Not that I particularly remember the plot of the first book but I think it was a little different than this one. It was less action-packed maybe, but still with plenty of surprises and plenty of political intrigue. Many of the information from the first book came into play in a big way in this book which was really cool. It also really built to an exciting conclusion that had me nervous and ultimately very surprised. However I do think the plot dragged a little bit. There was a lot of moving parts and they all had to line up for things to move along and I think that really kind of complicated things. When we did finally reach the climax it moved entirely too fast and there was so little falling action. You would have thoughts there was another book coming the way it all wrapped up but there isn't.

But I will say, there was also a good amount of political intrigue. So much of this book involved the hunt to fund and keep power. It's not there was a lot of plotting and scheming though, it was more just constant shifts. So many shifts that I couldn't really keep things straight. But that all worked together for me to make an engaging read. We also learned more about the world and some of it's technological aspects as well as some of the religious elements of the book but I think I would have liked more from the political.

One thing I do think this book did much better was character development. In this book we alternated perspectives between Rhee, Alyosha, and Kara. Being in each of their heads we had to get to know them all very well. I really liked each of the characters in the first book and found them just as likable and complex in this book. For both Rhee and Kara they are torn between what they want and what is expected of them. For Kara that is all the more heightened because she is only just realizing who she is. There's a subtle story of discovery in this book. But more Kara meant less Aly. I loved Alyosha in the first book and I wish he got a little more screen time, but I totally respect that the two females got top billing. Their stories were interesting and I wanted to see them succeed.

I am mostly glad that I listened to the audiobook of this one. I listened to the audio of the first book in the series and as always I loved Rebecca Soler's narration. She does an amazing job in embodying the characters. She brought the sass and uncertainty of Rhee, the strength and caring of Aly, and the thoughtfulness and toughness of Kara. I love how she gives them their own felling and voice. Plus she captures the action and adventure of the book. This book is just one more example of why she is one of my favorite narrators.

I really enjoyed this book. It's not perfect but it was a fantastic read with an engaging plot, great characters, and a fantastic audiobook. I do wish the plot wasn't so complex and it had more info about the politics but I still really enjoyed it.

I give Blood of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy/Borrow. If you liked the first book in this series I recommend you pick this one up. But if you haven't an you are intrigued by a book that is political intrigue in space then I recommend this series. Plus I would definitely recommend the audio.

Have you read Blood of a Thousand Skies? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!