Ken Liu

Lost the library hold for a bit but managed to get it again and finished. Such a fantastic book. All the characters are written so well I found myself so invested in their relationships and felt so much emotion for some of their betrayals and the world building is fantastic. I was really pulled in. While I usually listen to audiobooks on the go from place to place, this book had me laying in bed just listening for hours. Themes of power, ambition, and the stark reality of revolution tie so well with ideas of friendship, loyalty and hope. The book ended really well and is satisfying as a standalone book but once I realized it was a series I couldn't hold my excitement. Overall would definitely reccomend for fans of the genre.… (more)

The Veiled Throne follows the Imperial children as they grow into adulthood. Timu has thrown in his lot with the invading Lyucu in the hopes that they can peacefully coexist, Thera travels to the Lyucu's homeland to incite rebellion and prevent further reinforcements, Phyro contends with his mother the Empress Regent over Dara's response to the invasion, and Fara is just trying to find her role in the world. The overarching theme, however, is cultural conflict--Timu struggles to find common ground between the cultures of the agricultural Dara and the nomadic Lyucu, Thera fails to convince the enslaved Agon to use Dara tactics in their rebellion, and Phyro and the Empress try to decide how suspiciously they should treat refugees of both races from the occupied territories. The second half of the book introduces Kinri, the son of a Lyucu thane who is exiled to Dara and makes a life there but still has loyalties to his homeland. The author does such a good job of presenting many different sides of the conflict to the point where I, as the reader, wasn't sure what I wanted the outcome to be. Kinri's story was particularly moving as he really exemplifies how both cultures could be seen by fresh eyes. I look forward to reading the conclusion of the story in the next book.… (more)