An incredible, gut-wrenching story full of hope and loss and love, LORD OF THE EMPTY ISLES was a masterpiece. The genre-bending was incredible and the world and magic that Arbeaux crafted was utter perfection. This book shattered me and put me back together stronger than before. I fell in love with Idrian, Remy, and the found family gathered around the both of them. It was also incredible to read such a gorgeous queerplatonic story with ace rep.

This was one of those books that was addicting. I read it straight through pretty much. It was fast-paced and tense and I was hooked almost immediately. It was incredibly emotional and I was on tenterhooks throughout.

The portrayal of relationships and bonds between people is fascinating and heartfelt. There is no main romance in this book and it didn't matter, the relationships and emotions between the main cast of characters are far more impactful than I feel a romantic relationship would have been. There is so much emotion in this book but it doesn't overwhelm the story.

The start of the novel was a tiny bit rocky, right of the bat I wasn't super keen about Remy but that changed fairly quickly and the writing itself was impossible to pull away from. This book is very focused on the characters and their dynamics with one another but it is by no means lacking in plot. A lot is going on in this novel and neither the plot nor the character development suffers because of the detail invested in the other. The action scenes are succinct and dynamically paced and very easy to understand and get through. The chapters alternated between slow and meandering and incredibly fast-paced and packed full of action and it worked incredibly well. The chapters were also fairly short which I believed helped with the face and ease of reading. The one thing I wish was developed slightly more is the world-building. Whilst we are told a lot about the world this story takes place in, I still feel like there's a lot left still to be said and I wish it were a little bit more expansive.

The set up of this story is grim and a little desolate, there are very little true 'joyful' moments in this but the ones that there are hit all the harder.

This was exactly the kind of sci fi I love and it was a beautiful, incredibly well-written debut and I'm excited to read more by this author in the future. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

I'm a simple person — when I see found family, queer-platonic relationships and The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet mentioned I'm interested, especially after seeing that stunning cover. And behold, the promises lasted.
The way this book handled relationships is so refreshing — there is no actual romance and it doesn't need it. This book perfectly shows that relationships don't need to be romantic to work. The connections between friends and family can be just as strong, if not stronger.
While I think the comparison with The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is rightfully made, they both contain ragtag crews, found family and a good dose of spaceships, but they have very different vibes. Lord of the Empty Isles is significantly more grim and dystopian than its comparison. There is a high focus on the less fortunate and what it costs to let them survive, making it a less cosy but very reflective read.

My main critique is that it lacked direction in the middle. The story became more episodic. Plot-wise it did make sense, they had errands to run and lives to save, but I'm personally less interested in seeing them go on a little field trip when they have a lethal curse going on.
But the well-written character interactions did get met through it and made it a great read overall.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodderscape for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

"Lord of the Empty Isles" is a sci-fi novel written by Jules Arbeaux, here at her debut.

A planet resurrected from the ashes of a climate disaster and controlled by a seemingly benevolent system. Three moons, once a refuge, turned into a terrible prison. A world characterized by magical bonds, which bind people together. Two sworn enemies unexpectedly bound by fate and a deadly curse. These are just some of the ingredients that make up "Lord of the Empty Isles," a compelling, heartwarming and engaging novel that completely won me over. An exciting book, full of feelings, which really warmed my heart. A tale of hatred, revenge, remorse and grief. A story of hope, forgiveness and friendship. A novel deeply focused on relationships between people, with a wonderfully touching found family and a magnificent enemies to queerplatonic relationship! I really loved everything about this book, from beginning to end, and can express nothing but kudos!

The story takes place on the planet of Verdine, resurrected from the ashes of a climatic cataclysm that killed many people and pushed the survivors to seek salvation on Alta, Fluora and Toxys, the moons around the planet. Verdine is now a thriving, verdant planet full of life, ruled by a Chancellor and subject to strict and oppressive rules. I was fascinated by this world building, simple but well-drawn, described in a vivid and evocative way. The magic system based on bonds then is incredible! In "Lord of the Empty Isles" people are bound to each other through bonds, of various colors and placed in different parts of the body, invisible to ordinary people. The color and position of the ties indicate their particular nature, their characteristics. Bonds can change, fade and even rot, which requires therapeutic treatment. There are two types of people who can use them: weavers, who can see and identify the bonds of others, except their own and those of the people they are bound to, and withers, who can cut the bonds, to the exclusion of their own, and cast a withering, a curse as deadly as it is illegal, leading to the slow and painful death of the target. Seriously, I have nothing but compliments about it!

The story proceeds fast and dynamic, full of action and events, accompanied by a brisk pace and short chapters. More frenetic scenes alternate with quieter ones, with sometimes funny and sometimes heartbreaking situations, in a perfect balance. The passionate narration affected me tremendously, reason for which I found myself laughing, smiling and crying out loud at alternating moments. I followed everything with great interest, without boredom or heaviness, arriving at the end fully satisfied.

Remy, protagonist with his only third person pov, won me over! Remy is a wither, parentless, deeply marked by the death of his older brother, who raised him and to whom he was very close. Remy lives consumed by grief, regrets, and the desire for revenge. In fact, his brother was struck by a withering, which killed him slowly and painfully, ordered by the interstellar pirate Idrian Delaciel. Remy wants to kill him with the same curse, he drags himself forward thanks to this purpose, until he gets the final ingredient: the blood of the criminal himself. Too bad that when he casts the spell, the unthinkable happens: he discovers that he is fatebound to his brother's killer, which makes him cursed in turn. Since the only way to slow the curse is to stay close, Remy sets out to find Idrian, setting events in motion. Remy is a complex and tormented character portrayed fantastically! I felt a lot of his suffering, his inner conflicts, and I loved his healing journey, his evolution.

And what can I say about the other characters?! I loved them all! From Tirani, weaver and Remy's best friend, to Idrian and his criminal crew. They are involving, complicated and well portrayed characters with whom I connected a lot. Tirani impressed me with her goodness, her dedication and her loyalty to Remy. Idrian and his gang captivated me with their being morally gray, forced into difficult choices and wrong actions, with which they have to live. In general, they are all broken characters, marked by losses or painful events, who find in their group, their friendship and their purpose, the strength to continue.  As mentioned above, the found family that develops in this book is wonderful! The way in which Remy at first reluctantly approaches Idrian and his crew, full of hatred and prejudice, and then slowly begins to open up touched me deeply. Seriously, the queerplatonic relationships in this book are pure emotion and I found myself sobbing repeatedly reading certain scenes!

All in all, "Lord of the Empty Isles" is a magnificent debut, characterized by a heartwarming story, incredible characters, and a spectacular found family! I can't wait to read more from the author!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm so sad I didn't like this one! I will say, my major issue was the way in which it was written. Something about the style of writing combined with the tense chosen, I just really, really couldn't get on with it. I don't know why, because I have read other books with the same tense choice which have been fine, but this one was not good for me personally.
Good things, I really liked the various relationships between the different characters and the story didn't feel particularly slow. The action scenes were good and went at a rapid pace, with a sense of urgency.
I did have a few other things I didn't like overly, one being that I felt the bonds were very overcomplicated for no reason. The different colours would have been fine, if not then also having the additional meanings of where they were joined and it all felt rather info-dumpy, whilst being a bit unclear.
Then a couple of other things, which are probably more of a personal irritation, but I hate when a character is referred to by multiple different names, even within the same paragraph. The character was called either Delacial or Idrian, changing from sentence to sentence, seemingly regardless of who was thinking or speaking about him, which was hard to keep track of, especially initially when he was introduced with a bunch of other new characters. I also don't like deliberate miscommunication/lack of communication, especially when it becomes irrelevant immediately as the deception is found out. In the same vein, I couldn't see any reason towards the start why the MC wouldn't be even given a tiny hint of where they were going or what to expect. I know it's to create tension and mystery for the reader, but I don't think it's very realistic in how people would actually behave. The treatment of the prisoners also seemed extremely excessive and I couldn't really see why it was to the degree it was.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

This was incredible. End of review, that’s all. Just incredible.

But to go into more detail: this book is a flawlessly woven a sci fi story that focussed on the bonds between people, and how they can change and grow, or die and rot.
I love the magic system surrounding the tethers; the concept that the connections you have with people can be seen and held. The way this book handles grief and healing is visceral, and I couldn’t tear myself away from it.

Yeah, the sci fi elements were great, and the plot was paced well, but really the characters are the stand out here. Remy, Idrian, Tirani and Yves will stay with me a long time after this book. Each of them feels very real to me, complex in their grief and hatred but most importantly the family they find in each other.

A sci-fi journey with a focus on platonic love and grief with some fantastic a-spec representation!

4.5 ⭐️

For me, a sci-fi book is a hit or miss and this was an absolutely hit. I had a hard time putting it down and I really just wanted to know more about the characters and find out where the plot was going.

I won't lie, I did have a bit of trouble understanding the magical bonds and how they worked and were linked to everyone (my bad). That aside, I did love the concept of the tethers. Everyone is connected in some way, romanctic or platonic, you name it and each one of these bonds can be linked to a different part of the body (and will resemble a different relationship).

The main character, Remy, is a complex character. He has his flaws, but I loved his character growth throughout the story. Now, don't even get me started about the rest of the characters because I loved every single one of them. Idrian and his crew were just *chef's kiss*. Even if they were a little messy and chaotic, they were still incredibly loyal to each other. ++ Who doesn't love a found family.

I also found this book extremely well written and I had no trouble figuring out where the story took place. I was able to picture everything so vividly and it almost felt like I was there with the characters.

I highly recommend this book to anyone (even the people that rarely read sci-fi). I had a lot of fun reading this and I just wish there was more. I can't wait to read more books from the author.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful story with a variety of key themes - from found family, queer relationships, the impact of politics and poverty, deception and betrayal but most of all - love. While it took me a few chapters to wrap my head around tethers and how they work, once I understood I was fully in and this story took me on a ride. This is a story about how nobody is perfect. That flawed people exist and change doesn't stop them being flawed. Remy is a complex character who is learning about how the world he thought he knew doesn't actually exist. Probably my favourite book of the year so far!

This is definitely a story I will be thinking about for a long time after.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodderscape for the Arc.

Wow! Jules Arbeaux has crafted a masterpiece with this book. The tether system is intriguing, and created with such depth and variety. The weavers and witherers add another dimension to every relati9nship in this book.

The plot keeps you on your toes, right up until the very end. Every time you think you've got it all figured out, another puzzle piece drops into place, and the image becomes clearer.

At its heart, this is a book about family, both blood and found, and what it really means to be a good person, no matter the individual cost.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and couldn't put it down.

casually made me sob and I said thank you:) the way this book explores grief and queer platonic friendships was so beautiful! we do not get enough cosy sci-fi novels, but this one just hit the spot!

*Thank you to Hodderscape and Netgalley for the eARC! This is my honest review*

I'm going to be honest, the first think that caught my mind was the cover. I loved to colours, the quietness of it but this that vibrant tone. Then the title intrigued me, and the blurb. I am not a science-fiction fan. At all. The technologies and themes tend to push me back. But here, it wasn't a something that bothered me at all. It felt a bit like fantasy, but with high tech and spaceship and artificial moons. I love it ! Really I wasn't expecting to fall this hard for the book. But oh gods did I love it. The tethers, in their various kinds, was such a well managed and interesting take. Genarelly, these kinds of bonds are limited to romantic relatioships, which was laways somehwat of a bother to me. Here, there is all kind of bonds, linked to different part of the body, for different relationships. How refreshing and well thought !
The exploration of grief, revenge, privilege and love was amazing. Queer platonic love! I need more of that. Found family too. Amazing.
The main character and narrator, Remy, is so relatable in his flaws, hurts, loves, and how he reacts as he learns about his world, other people and himself. I want to hug him. I want to hug Idrian too, so bad.
The pacing worked really well and is a important part of why I read nearly the whole book in a day. I generally dislike fast pacing because I feel like I am being rushed everywhere without time to breathe, but in this case, it was well manage enough to have these quieter moment to process what was happening, without really grounding to a stop. Really well done!
Jules Arbeaux offers us a heartwarming, eye tearing story of a found family set on protecting their ideals and each other, with growing bonds and learning how to let go, when the time comes.