Author: Melissa J. Cave
Series: Empire of the Stars #4
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Publisher: Owl and Bear, LLC
Publication Date: May 1, 2026
Edition: Ebook
Source: NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Powell's |
Synopsis:
Too many Knights of the Brede are the last of their blood. But being an orphan might be better than being the beloved daughter of the Divine Emperor.
With blood still soaking the Tresingale docks, Remin and Ophele set sail for the capital, where a single night's scandal can echo to the Five Courts. The Emperor's cold war with his Empress has already torn the Empire apart once, and as the Crown Princess Selenne makes her debut, Ophele's arrival threatens the precarious balance of power.
Amidst assassins, duels, and the dangerous machinations of the court, it becomes clear that the only thing more deadly than defying the Emperor is belonging to him. The capital has always found many uses for the Children of the Stars, and Ophele will have to learn to command this game, or be claimed as a pawn.
Sidelined in society and despised as the son of traitors, Remin is forced to fight at her side with new weapons of intrigue and influence, where every move he makes risks everything they have built. Because this time, the greatest general in the Empire isn't trying to win a war.
He's trying to stop one.
With blood still soaking the Tresingale docks, Remin and Ophele set sail for the capital, where a single night's scandal can echo to the Five Courts. The Emperor's cold war with his Empress has already torn the Empire apart once, and as the Crown Princess Selenne makes her debut, Ophele's arrival threatens the precarious balance of power.
Amidst assassins, duels, and the dangerous machinations of the court, it becomes clear that the only thing more deadly than defying the Emperor is belonging to him. The capital has always found many uses for the Children of the Stars, and Ophele will have to learn to command this game, or be claimed as a pawn.
Sidelined in society and despised as the son of traitors, Remin is forced to fight at her side with new weapons of intrigue and influence, where every move he makes risks everything they have built. Because this time, the greatest general in the Empire isn't trying to win a war.
He's trying to stop one.
*********************
I got this as a NetGalley arc mid-April, and I had every intention of finishing it before it was released, but alas life got in the way.
I am so very invested in this story. The stakes are up, the tension is up, I have no idea who the villain is. I know that I do not trust the Emperor, nor his wife. The Princesses are in the middle of this messy marriage. I just know that if Ophele and Remin don't end up happy and safe, I will riot. Not really, but it would make me question the whole point of this story of either end up not alive. But I do not think that is how it will end.
While the other books in this series were more or less cozy, in this book for obvious reasons, the court politics were up. I was so proud of how much Ophele grew in this book, and I really hope she uses her new skills to get away from her conniving father. While I have my suspicions about the Empress, as I already mentioned I do not trust the Emperor either. I want the two Princesses to team up to get rid of them both. Ophele can go back to her home and Selene can take over the Empire. That's what I want to happen.
I am eager to read the next and final book in this series. And I look forward to reading anything Cave writes in the future. The way she crafts a story and characters is superb. So many books promise court politics and romance, but so few actually deliver.
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