Lord of the Empty Isles by Jules Arbeaux

Book Review

Eloise Hopkins

Remy Canta arrives home to discover that Tirani is not alone. She was not expecintg any more customers today, but now Remy must wait until she has completed her weaving. Unlike Remy, who can only feel them, Tirani can see tethers, the bonds that hold people together. She can see how they are bound, and how strong the connection is.

Remy’s only bond is rotting since the death of his brother. Cameron Canta revealed his killer too late, and Remy burns with hatred for Idrian Delaciel, Lord of the Empty Isles. Once Remy’s hero, Delaciel is now his prey, and with an illegally obtained sample of his blood, Remy can complete the withering that will lead him to his brother’s murderer, and to the revenge he so desperately desires.

Another visitor arrives. This one Remy cannot hang around for. The Chancellor himself has come to visit. Remy does not know what that can mean, but nothing will deter him now that he has the final ingredient. It is time to use his skills to avenge his brother, and Remy will let nothing, and no one, stand in his way.

Lord of the Empty Isles is Remy’s tale of revenge, but he will discover that the ritual he has planned for so long will not quite work out the way he expected, and he will eventually learn that there was much more to his brother’s murder than he realised. With Tirani at his side, he tracks down Delaciel, and the story unfurls slowly to reveal just how tied together their fates are.

This book is somewhat hard to categorise. Arbeaux brings us elements of space opera, in a post-apocalyptic world controlled by the rich. It reads almost as a blend of science fiction and fantasy, certainly Tirani’s weaving and Remy’s withering feel like fantasy magics. Regardless of the boxes we try to put it into, the story gives us the perfect balance between world-building and emotional tension, as we learn the true depth of the Chancellor’s control, and discover what the Empty Isles are really empty of. Quite simply: unique and recommended.