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Galaxy of Thorns: Rise of the Empress
Divided between great wicked minds and cruel beings of unnatural power, the world of Artia has long been under the cycle of war and suffering. A child is born, conceived in an unholy union. A mighty empress to bring the world within her grasp, through mercy and kindness, through sword and fire. But will she be any better than the horrors that came before her? Or will she succumb to the vices of power and rule this world as its new dark master?
468 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 7, 2022
3 people are currently reading
469 people want to read
About the author
Bogdan Tăbușcă
2 books11 followersSometimes I make video games and sometimes I make books, but I always try to make them good ;)
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 19, 2023
Wow... Just... wow...
This surpassed all my expectations.
I don't even know where to begin with this so I'll start with my main complaint of it.
I wanted more, the beginning felt a little rushed and I wanted to know more about the simple people, how they go about their daily lives, what is their culture and stuff like that. What we've got isn't bad, it just focuses on the life of the main character Seirene, which was good, but it did felt like it was a little bit in a hurry.
Either way, me wanting more of something is the best complaint I think I can give a book.
Well, after a shaky start, about the time the little witch Mermerin is introduced, that's when the book really unfolds its wings and soars.
She is probably my favorite characters in this and she really initiates the character growth for Seirene, being her closest friend, mentor and Oh Lord I would like to hug her as well 😆.
Then there is the action...
Oh the action...
It's soo good! It's brutal, it's direct, it's scary and it comes in spades! It feels satisfying! However, I also do appreciate that the author knows when to stop and pause, it has flow, it never feels unnecessary or unjustified.
You can feel the danger and the tension and everything checks out. There is panic and confusion, people die and people run. Plans fall apart when the opposing parties fight each other and everyone adapts and improvises and just wings it at some point when the chaos of battle becomes to much. Fights are very vivid and there are a few scenes in this book that will stick with you for a long time.
The setting also helps with this and it is cleverly done.
You have people that embrace their psychic power and rule with them and people who despise them and have technology instead. While this isn't the most original concept, it is done so well. The Coven and The Rodvian Empire feel believable and interesting. The simple folk who live by with middle age tech and the Union who embraced both technology and sorcery also made sense and were interesting to see and hear about.
I won't spoil the magic system here, but it quite well defined and I was pleasantly surprised when real world physics were used to achieve incredible things that I would not have thought possible.
Otherwise, the world itself feels very much like the real world, there are some mysteries but don't expect to find dragons and faeries, it is very grounded in that regards.
So yeah, WW1-WW2 soldiers fighting witches that can fly and pop your head just by looking the wrong way at you with medieval soldiers and knights thrown in the mix was an interesting sight to read about.
And the characters!
I love the characters in this book and at first I thought I would hate them.
The prime example for this is Seirene herself.
She has all the redflags possible.
She is incredibly overpowered, to the point that you will generally know how a fight will end when she appears in the scene. She has so many things going for her (power wise) that you would roll your eyes over and scream Mary Sue, but she in fact is the total opposite of one.
She has weaknesses, she has to rely on friends for many things, she doesn't know a lot about leadership and ruling and stuff like that. How could she!? She was raised as a peasant girl. Enemies often outsmart her and force her in bad positions, even using her vast power against her. Her growth was the most incredible as the story unraveled and ultimately she feels very human and relatable.
I've already mentioned Mermerin, so I will skip over her, not because I wouldn't want to gush about her, but because I want you to experience first hand the awesomeness that is Saint Mermerin! 😃
The boys in this also have a tendency to steal the show, just by being true bros and doing the most heart wrenching things in this book.
Heck, I even sympathized with the main vilan in this book. His motivations and ambitions were clear, honest and I could certainly get behind them. He even has heroic moments that felt genuinely interesting to read.
But the cake has to go to Jack.
He is a good character throughout the book, but then has a moment that truly puts him above the rest. I felt both humbled and elated when reading about that moment. He truly deserves to be called a great man and the High Marshal of the Crows.
As for the plot...
It was truly great. Once it got going, there was never a dull moment in this book. It was gripping and interesting. Much of that is owed to the spectacular action, but I would actually praise more the moments of silence in this book. The story gets very dark at one point, in fact I would say this is one of the most mature fantasy books I've ever read. Not because of the violence and other unspeakable things, but because there are genuine heartwarming moments in there, elevated by the darkness around them. Not to mention that this book also cracks a joke here and there that is genuinely funny. It makes you feel conflicted and full of empathy, it makes you pity and cheer for the characters, it makes you want to scream at them and offer them a shoulder to cry on.
Truly a dance of emotions.
Also, this book is packed! There are more interesting things happening here than in entire series I've read.
And it ended surprisingly well. It is open ended, indicating that there will be more, which I pray there will be, but it also neatly wraps up the story.
It was an amazing surprise and I think I'll also buy a physical copy to have it on my shelf, for I truly enjoyed my time with it.
Thank you.
This surpassed all my expectations.
I don't even know where to begin with this so I'll start with my main complaint of it.
I wanted more, the beginning felt a little rushed and I wanted to know more about the simple people, how they go about their daily lives, what is their culture and stuff like that. What we've got isn't bad, it just focuses on the life of the main character Seirene, which was good, but it did felt like it was a little bit in a hurry.
Either way, me wanting more of something is the best complaint I think I can give a book.
Well, after a shaky start, about the time the little witch Mermerin is introduced, that's when the book really unfolds its wings and soars.
She is probably my favorite characters in this and she really initiates the character growth for Seirene, being her closest friend, mentor and Oh Lord I would like to hug her as well 😆.
Then there is the action...
Oh the action...
It's soo good! It's brutal, it's direct, it's scary and it comes in spades! It feels satisfying! However, I also do appreciate that the author knows when to stop and pause, it has flow, it never feels unnecessary or unjustified.
You can feel the danger and the tension and everything checks out. There is panic and confusion, people die and people run. Plans fall apart when the opposing parties fight each other and everyone adapts and improvises and just wings it at some point when the chaos of battle becomes to much. Fights are very vivid and there are a few scenes in this book that will stick with you for a long time.
The setting also helps with this and it is cleverly done.
You have people that embrace their psychic power and rule with them and people who despise them and have technology instead. While this isn't the most original concept, it is done so well. The Coven and The Rodvian Empire feel believable and interesting. The simple folk who live by with middle age tech and the Union who embraced both technology and sorcery also made sense and were interesting to see and hear about.
I won't spoil the magic system here, but it quite well defined and I was pleasantly surprised when real world physics were used to achieve incredible things that I would not have thought possible.
Otherwise, the world itself feels very much like the real world, there are some mysteries but don't expect to find dragons and faeries, it is very grounded in that regards.
So yeah, WW1-WW2 soldiers fighting witches that can fly and pop your head just by looking the wrong way at you with medieval soldiers and knights thrown in the mix was an interesting sight to read about.
And the characters!
I love the characters in this book and at first I thought I would hate them.
The prime example for this is Seirene herself.
She has all the redflags possible.
She is incredibly overpowered, to the point that you will generally know how a fight will end when she appears in the scene. She has so many things going for her (power wise) that you would roll your eyes over and scream Mary Sue, but she in fact is the total opposite of one.
She has weaknesses, she has to rely on friends for many things, she doesn't know a lot about leadership and ruling and stuff like that. How could she!? She was raised as a peasant girl. Enemies often outsmart her and force her in bad positions, even using her vast power against her. Her growth was the most incredible as the story unraveled and ultimately she feels very human and relatable.
I've already mentioned Mermerin, so I will skip over her, not because I wouldn't want to gush about her, but because I want you to experience first hand the awesomeness that is Saint Mermerin! 😃
The boys in this also have a tendency to steal the show, just by being true bros and doing the most heart wrenching things in this book.
Heck, I even sympathized with the main vilan in this book. His motivations and ambitions were clear, honest and I could certainly get behind them. He even has heroic moments that felt genuinely interesting to read.
But the cake has to go to Jack.
He is a good character throughout the book, but then has a moment that truly puts him above the rest. I felt both humbled and elated when reading about that moment. He truly deserves to be called a great man and the High Marshal of the Crows.
As for the plot...
It was truly great. Once it got going, there was never a dull moment in this book. It was gripping and interesting. Much of that is owed to the spectacular action, but I would actually praise more the moments of silence in this book. The story gets very dark at one point, in fact I would say this is one of the most mature fantasy books I've ever read. Not because of the violence and other unspeakable things, but because there are genuine heartwarming moments in there, elevated by the darkness around them. Not to mention that this book also cracks a joke here and there that is genuinely funny. It makes you feel conflicted and full of empathy, it makes you pity and cheer for the characters, it makes you want to scream at them and offer them a shoulder to cry on.
Truly a dance of emotions.
Also, this book is packed! There are more interesting things happening here than in entire series I've read.
And it ended surprisingly well. It is open ended, indicating that there will be more, which I pray there will be, but it also neatly wraps up the story.
It was an amazing surprise and I think I'll also buy a physical copy to have it on my shelf, for I truly enjoyed my time with it.
Thank you.
September 4, 2022
Galaxy of Thorns: Rise of the Empress may start out like a more traditional fantasy story, albeit a darker one, but then it twists and turns into interesting directions.
For one, the main character Seirene is a giantess and she is handled in a surprisingly good manner. She is lovable, she is hateable and somehow, she is relatable despite her size and power. The rest of the cast also shines through, maybe not in the beginning, but in the end they get to eclipse her.
(PS: Jack is an absolute chad.)
The plot itself is one heck of a ride! There is a war between tech and psychic powers(this world's magic), a world conquest story, followed by a world ruling one all sprinkled with tragedy, strife and a few surprisingly heartwarming moments. There is always something interesting going on and after the first 90 pages I could not put this book down.
Now, is it full 5/5? Probably not, as the prose can get a bit amateurish here and there, but just for the story and the ideas this book conveys I cannot bring myself to give it a 4. I wholeheartedly recommend this to any mature epic fantasy lovers for I myself certainly enjoyed my time with this book.
For one, the main character Seirene is a giantess and she is handled in a surprisingly good manner. She is lovable, she is hateable and somehow, she is relatable despite her size and power. The rest of the cast also shines through, maybe not in the beginning, but in the end they get to eclipse her.
(PS: Jack is an absolute chad.)
The plot itself is one heck of a ride! There is a war between tech and psychic powers(this world's magic), a world conquest story, followed by a world ruling one all sprinkled with tragedy, strife and a few surprisingly heartwarming moments. There is always something interesting going on and after the first 90 pages I could not put this book down.
Now, is it full 5/5? Probably not, as the prose can get a bit amateurish here and there, but just for the story and the ideas this book conveys I cannot bring myself to give it a 4. I wholeheartedly recommend this to any mature epic fantasy lovers for I myself certainly enjoyed my time with this book.
December 26, 2022
A very good book, one of the best fantasy novels I had the opportunity to put my eyes on. Easy to read, hard to put it down, for me was a beautiful experience. You can see some familiar elements like an OP protagonist and flying witches but the plot and the events setting make the whole book feel unique and fresh. A couple of pages into the story are enough to immerse yourself.
The characters are very complex, very well made, with rich personalities, unique characteristics and interior conflicts. Humor is there too, with some very memorable and well made jokes.
I can only recommend this book.
The characters are very complex, very well made, with rich personalities, unique characteristics and interior conflicts. Humor is there too, with some very memorable and well made jokes.
I can only recommend this book.
Read
January 3, 2024I am one of the judges of the special hybrid team Epic Space Stars for the SPSFC3 contest. This review is my personal opinion. Officially, it is still in the running for the contest, pending any official team announcements.
Status: Cut
Read: 20%
Sometimes, a negative review for a book about something that doesn't vibe with one person is exactly what another reader would love. And in this case, I really wanted to read Galaxy of thorns just to confirm if the protagonist's boobs really boob around boobiliciously. Usually I hate books with paper thin female characters, but sometimes I love the over-the-top fanservice stuff. Proof of these odd preferences of mine is the fact I love both the Aika and Burn Up! W anime series.
So, I was coming in this book with a certain expectation the protagonist's boobs would be sentinent and jiggle around like in Burn Up! Excess (an anime with the rather unusual uniqueness the US dvd's include a live boob jiggle counter so that viewers can take a shot of tequila or have a good laugh each time a character's boobs do their thing).
In a way, the book certainly does have some boob action. It is inevitable given the protagonist named Seirene is 20 feet tall and has knockers the size of a horse. The sad news is that I only got 4 boob jiggle scenes in the first 20% of the book, almost all of them involving her hugging a good guy witch named Mermerin (also known as the Cinnamon witch). The worst thing is that I was just feeling these really intense sapphic vibes whenever these unexpected hugging sessions pop up during the story and neither character gets to 1st base. I feel robbed! Robbed! Mermerin only teases us even more when she says zingers like: "Unhand me! You hugging witch!" she protested, but the empress would not relent.
I think the story is awesome and I liked several characters. Once again, I wish to mention this book is just exhuberant in closeted sapphic energy, I could feel these vibes from a mile away. Vera was also a very cool antagonist even though she barely appears in the early portion of the story.
So, what is the other big problem about this book? The story just covers way, way, way too much plot and ultracompresses it. I only reached 20% of the book and felt it covered the plot of 3 entire 60,000 word books by skipping 80% of the scenes. If I had continued the whole way, I would have felt this book was really 12 books trapped in 1. To try to make so much story fit in, the author ended up narrating 80% of the time. In fact, I believe we don't even get our first line of dialogue until around the 7% point of the novel.
If I had been asked to beta read this book from the start, I would have suggested to make this a series, hands down. Book 1 would be the coming of age portion of the plot where Seirene was kidnapped by a slave when she was a newborn baby and raised by a farmer. Try to avoid the pitfall of the filler farmgirl growing up trope that is seen in so many books by trying to focus more on how fast she grows and ends up having to sleep in a barn or something. Apparently Seirene was created with some kind of genetic engineering as a weapon to anhillate the neighboring non magical human nations which is why she is so tall.
By skipping an entire book in just around 15 pages, everything felt rushed, I don't even remember the name of Seirene's farmer dad and the ex slave (aka kidnapper) that sort of became her adoptive mother. Advanced technology appears out of nowhere as well. Seirene was created by witches that use magic, and up to the 15% of the novel, there were zero hints there was modern technology in this book. It feels like a medieval fantasy. So when we discover planes and military tanks are popping up and everyone finds them to be normal, I was utterly confused because there wasn't any hints peppered around earlier in the story.
Another thing that seemed weird was the fact the witch nation that created Seirene didn't recognize her the instant she crossed the border and planned to overthrow their government to liberate the non magical slaves. The country apparently invested a lot of resources in her creation, and nobody bothered to track her down when she was stolen as a baby. The witch queen didn't even recognize her when they finally meet. Even weirder was that Seirene was supposed to hide while they reached the witch country capital. Like... she is 20 feet tall, has white hair and is already very famous by then. No matter what she does, I would assume witch soldiers that favor the current status quo where slaves serve them would like... recognize Seirene walking around. She doesn't even try to hide in a wagon or something.
So in a nutshell, if the book had been rewritten as a sapphic fantasy that spans several much shorter books and had at least a little bit of dialogue over the incessant wikipedia entry narration, I would have enjoyed this story a lot. The concept of a gigantic witch is cool, her overthrowing corrupt governments is cool, and the other witches that sort of team up with her are also cool. Sadly, the book feels like too much of too little with way too much telling the story and not even trying to slow down and let us get to know each character. Does Seirene have any pets? Favorite dishes? Are her boobs really sentinent? How does a 20 foot tall person make their own clothes?
The one scene that felt close enough to taking things slow and enjoying itself is the scene where Seirene does the psychic floating ball test and verify her current magic level. If the rest of the book had emulated that scene and just take things easier, I would have been more forgiving of the scant dialogue writing style and wanted to finish it to the end. And so, it is a cut for the contest for me.
Status: Cut
Read: 20%
Sometimes, a negative review for a book about something that doesn't vibe with one person is exactly what another reader would love. And in this case, I really wanted to read Galaxy of thorns just to confirm if the protagonist's boobs really boob around boobiliciously. Usually I hate books with paper thin female characters, but sometimes I love the over-the-top fanservice stuff. Proof of these odd preferences of mine is the fact I love both the Aika and Burn Up! W anime series.
So, I was coming in this book with a certain expectation the protagonist's boobs would be sentinent and jiggle around like in Burn Up! Excess (an anime with the rather unusual uniqueness the US dvd's include a live boob jiggle counter so that viewers can take a shot of tequila or have a good laugh each time a character's boobs do their thing).
In a way, the book certainly does have some boob action. It is inevitable given the protagonist named Seirene is 20 feet tall and has knockers the size of a horse. The sad news is that I only got 4 boob jiggle scenes in the first 20% of the book, almost all of them involving her hugging a good guy witch named Mermerin (also known as the Cinnamon witch). The worst thing is that I was just feeling these really intense sapphic vibes whenever these unexpected hugging sessions pop up during the story and neither character gets to 1st base. I feel robbed! Robbed! Mermerin only teases us even more when she says zingers like: "Unhand me! You hugging witch!" she protested, but the empress would not relent.
I think the story is awesome and I liked several characters. Once again, I wish to mention this book is just exhuberant in closeted sapphic energy, I could feel these vibes from a mile away. Vera was also a very cool antagonist even though she barely appears in the early portion of the story.
So, what is the other big problem about this book? The story just covers way, way, way too much plot and ultracompresses it. I only reached 20% of the book and felt it covered the plot of 3 entire 60,000 word books by skipping 80% of the scenes. If I had continued the whole way, I would have felt this book was really 12 books trapped in 1. To try to make so much story fit in, the author ended up narrating 80% of the time. In fact, I believe we don't even get our first line of dialogue until around the 7% point of the novel.
If I had been asked to beta read this book from the start, I would have suggested to make this a series, hands down. Book 1 would be the coming of age portion of the plot where Seirene was kidnapped by a slave when she was a newborn baby and raised by a farmer. Try to avoid the pitfall of the filler farmgirl growing up trope that is seen in so many books by trying to focus more on how fast she grows and ends up having to sleep in a barn or something. Apparently Seirene was created with some kind of genetic engineering as a weapon to anhillate the neighboring non magical human nations which is why she is so tall.
By skipping an entire book in just around 15 pages, everything felt rushed, I don't even remember the name of Seirene's farmer dad and the ex slave (aka kidnapper) that sort of became her adoptive mother. Advanced technology appears out of nowhere as well. Seirene was created by witches that use magic, and up to the 15% of the novel, there were zero hints there was modern technology in this book. It feels like a medieval fantasy. So when we discover planes and military tanks are popping up and everyone finds them to be normal, I was utterly confused because there wasn't any hints peppered around earlier in the story.
Another thing that seemed weird was the fact the witch nation that created Seirene didn't recognize her the instant she crossed the border and planned to overthrow their government to liberate the non magical slaves. The country apparently invested a lot of resources in her creation, and nobody bothered to track her down when she was stolen as a baby. The witch queen didn't even recognize her when they finally meet. Even weirder was that Seirene was supposed to hide while they reached the witch country capital. Like... she is 20 feet tall, has white hair and is already very famous by then. No matter what she does, I would assume witch soldiers that favor the current status quo where slaves serve them would like... recognize Seirene walking around. She doesn't even try to hide in a wagon or something.
So in a nutshell, if the book had been rewritten as a sapphic fantasy that spans several much shorter books and had at least a little bit of dialogue over the incessant wikipedia entry narration, I would have enjoyed this story a lot. The concept of a gigantic witch is cool, her overthrowing corrupt governments is cool, and the other witches that sort of team up with her are also cool. Sadly, the book feels like too much of too little with way too much telling the story and not even trying to slow down and let us get to know each character. Does Seirene have any pets? Favorite dishes? Are her boobs really sentinent? How does a 20 foot tall person make their own clothes?
The one scene that felt close enough to taking things slow and enjoying itself is the scene where Seirene does the psychic floating ball test and verify her current magic level. If the rest of the book had emulated that scene and just take things easier, I would have been more forgiving of the scant dialogue writing style and wanted to finish it to the end. And so, it is a cut for the contest for me.
August 16, 2022
I was hesitant to pick this up, but decided to give it a go anyway. And while it started as a bit predictible, the story then realy grew on me as it twisted and turned to what I can only describe as an epic fantasy
January 18, 2023
Empires have always risen and then fallen throughout time. Well, it is no different in the World of Artia, or is it? Join Seirene who was created for something beyond anything anyone could imagine as she grows larger than life (literally). In this book, the Author does a fantastic job of mixing a dark ages type setting in the land of the Kindom of the Simple Folk. Along with the advanced technology of The Empire of Rodviium. Then, finally throwing the magic of The Coven. I found this to be a very unique World where Seirene is forced into a role she really didn't want while trying to figure out who she really is. At first, the story read a little more like a biography, but then it takes off and you find it very hard to put down. I downloaded this from Kindle and took a chance. Now, I am going to buy a copy and add it to my collection. Nicely done!
August 26, 2023
I almost DNF-ed this book TWICE! Once in the beginning, cuz this really isn't something that can be judged from the cover or even the first few chapters. And again when something really messed up happens further in the story...
Yet here I am giving it full marks, because of its uniqueness and the fact that this has some really heartfelt moments about redemption and self loathing and real friendship.
Yet here I am giving it full marks, because of its uniqueness and the fact that this has some really heartfelt moments about redemption and self loathing and real friendship.
October 20, 2022
I really enjoyed this beginning to the Galaxy of Thorns series. It does what I was hoping for in a fantasy novel. The characters worked in the world that was set. I really enjoyed the journey and it left me wanting more.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 4, 2024
A masterpiece this is not, but taking my time with its blazingly fast pace I have discovered that a lot of thought and consideration was put into it and the story really goes in unexpected ways making it a fairly unique military fantasy, tragedy? sci fi? a bit of everything?
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews