#Rhoda Belleza

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[nevinslibrary]

Weird & Wonderful Wednesday

Rhee is a crown princess and the sole survivor of her dynasty who just barely isn’t assassinated. She then finds herself on the run with the pilot who saved her. Trying to get her throne back. Then there’s Aly, he’s been accused of the attack on Rhee and he too finds himself on the run, trying to prove his innocence. And, they’re going up against evils that aren’t just threatening them, but also the entire galaxy.

This was a heckuva ride. I really liked both the characters (*cough* but sorta liked Aly just a little better, shhh don’t tell Rhee…). It is also a duology, and, so, I am really looked forward to reading the second in this series. A really fun read.

You may like this book If you Liked: Avalon by Mindee Arnett, The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid, or Impostors by Scott Westerfeld

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza

[memoriasdelecturas]

Amo con tal ferocidad que me siento morir cuando el objeto de mi amor revela con una frase que puede hurtarse a mí. Se escapa, y yo me quedo intentando coger un hilo que aparece y desaparece entre las hojas de las copas de los árboles. No comprendo las frases.»«Si hubiera nacido», dijo Bernard, «sin saber que una palabra sigue a otra, hubiera podido ser, quién sabe, quizá cualquier cosa. Pero como sea que no ocurrió así y que descubro secuencias en todas partes, me es imposible soportar la presión de la soledad. Cuando no veo palabras retorciéndose a mi alrededor como anillos de humo, estoy en tinieblas y nada soy. Cuando estoy solo, caigo en un letargo, y me digo entristecido, mientras hago caer las cenizas por entre las barras de la parrilla, que la señora Moffat vendrá. Vendrá y lo limpiará todo. Cuando Louis está solo, ve con pasmosa intensidad y puede escribir palabras que nos sobrevivan a todos. A Rhoda le gusta estar sola. Nos teme porque aniquilamos su conciencia de ser, que tan clara es en soledad; mira, mira cómo agarra el tenedor, su arma contra nosotros. Pero yo solamente alcanzo la existencia cuando el fontanero o el tratante en caballos o quien sea dice algo que me ilumina. Y entonces, qué hermoso es el humo de mi frase alzándose y descendiendo, balanceándose y descendiendo, sobre rojas langostas y amarilla fruta, envolviéndolo todo en el manto de una sola belleza.”

Virginia Woolf | Las olas

[everythingyaattlls]

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month! We have lots of great young adult books by AAPI authors in our collection for you to check out. Stay tuned for new posts this month highlighting more authors!

Authors: Renée Ahdieh, Samira Ahmed, Janella Angeles, Rhoda Belleza, Akemi Dawn Bowman, Gloria Chao, Sonia Charaipotra, Traci Chee, Kat Cho, Mary H. K. Choi, Roshani Chokshi

[madlovenovelist]

'Empress of a Thousand Skies' really surprised me! This book deserves more hype. And this quote - so true about growing up and discovering the true nature of humanity. It can be disappointing, but that doesn't mean we can't influence change for the better.

[asreadbydana]

December 2019

📚 Books Read

1. Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★

2. Vicious by V.E. Schwab ★★★★☆ ½

3. Blood of a Thousand Stars by Rhoda Belleza ★★★☆☆ 🎧

4. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes ★★★☆☆ ½ 🎧

5. Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson ★★★☆☆ 🎧

6. Legendary by Stephanie Garber ★★★☆☆ 🎧

7. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★  

8. Sadie by Courtney Summers ★★★★☆ ½ 🎧

italics = reread

[just0nemorepage]

Empress of a Thousand Skies || Rhoda Belleza || Empress of a Thousand Skies #1 || 314 pages -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 3 Genres: Young Adult / Science Fiction / Space

Synopsis: Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta'an wants vengeance.

The only surviving heir to an ancient Kalusian dynasty, Rhee has spent her life training to destroy the people who killed her family. Now, on the eve of her coronation, the time has finally come for Rhee to claim her throne - and her revenge.

Alyosha is a Wraetan who has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. Despite his popularity, Aly struggles with anti-Wraetan prejudices and the pressure of being perfect in the public eye.

Their paths collide with one brutal act of violence: Rhee is attacked, barely escaping with her life. Aly is blamed for her presumed murder.

The princess and her accused killer are forced to go into hiding - even as a war between planets is waged in Rhee's name. But soon, Rhee and Aly discover that the assassination attempt is just one part of a sinister plot. Bound together by an evil that only they can stop, the two fugitives must join forces to save the galaxy.

Publication Date: February 2017. / Average Rating: 3.40. / Number of Ratings: 6720~.

[glasstownentertainment]

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn1NPtklKj7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[penguinteen]

10 Fierce Ladies Who Prove That Women are the Ultimate Warriors

Here at Penguin Teen, we are constantly inspired by all of the badass ladies that we love to read about. From the deserts of Miraji to the arenas of ancient Rome; the streets of futuristic America to the skies of outer space, we have a whole host of fierce women to choose from when we want to feel inspired, empowered, and ready to tackle whatever’s ahead of us. Read on for some of our faves!

Shazi from The Wrath and the Dawn

When the young Caliph of her land has Shazi’s best friend executed, she’ll stop at nothing to seek revenge – but she’s also capable of opening her heart when things aren’t what they seem.

Lady Helen from The Dark Days Club series

When one of Lady Helen’s housemaid’s disappears, she takes it upon herself to delve deep into the shadows of Regency London. Between the demons that linger there and the infamous Lord Carlston, it’s going to take a great deal of grit to succeed.

Adelina from The Young Elites

Though her methods might sometimes be questionable, super-powerful Adelina is one of the most fascinating heroines we’ve ever met. Her passion and her fury have no bounds.

To see our full list, click here! 

[rominagarber]

Love this 📸 of #yascifi books—I highly recommend Maura Milan’s upcoming IGNITE THE STARS, which I loved so much I blurbed! You guys already know Rhoda Belleza’s EMPRESS duology is one of my faves, and @alexadonne’s BRIGHTLY BURNING just came out this month & is at the top of my #tbr!

[btwnseaandsun]

Currently Reading

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza

The only surviving heir to an ancient Kalusian dynasty, Rhee has spent her life training to destroy the people who killed her family. Now, on the eve of her coronation, the time has finally come for Rhee to claim her throne - and her revenge.

Alyosha is a Wraetan who has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. Despite his popularity, Aly struggles with anti-Wraetan prejudices and the pressure of being perfect int eh public eye.

Their paths collide with one brutal act of violence: Rhee is attached, barely escaping with her life. Aly is blamed for her presumed murder.

The princess and her accused killer are forced to go into hiding - even as a war between planets is waged in Rhee’s name. But soon, Rhee and Aly discover that the assassination attempt is just one part of a sinister plot. Bound together by an evil that only they can stop, the two fugitives must join forces to save the galaxy.

[danaandthebooks]

Empress of a Thousand Skies

[sapphicunicorn]

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza (young adult/science fiction)

The only surviving heir to an ancient Kalusian dynasty, Rhee has spent her life training to destroy the people who killed her family. Now, on the eve of her coronation, the time has finally come for Rhee to claim her throne - and her revenge.

Alyosha is a Wraetan who has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. Despite his popularity, Aly struggles with anti-Wraetan prejudices and the pressure of being perfect in the public eye.

Their paths collide with one brutal act of violence: Rhee is attacked, barely escaping with her life. Aly is blamed for her presumed murder.

The princess and her accused killer are forced to go into hiding - even as a war between planets is waged in Rhee’s name. But soon, Rhee and Aly discover that the assassination attempt is just one part of a sinister plot. Bound together by an evil that only they can stop, the two fugitives must join forces to save the galaxy.

This is not my first space opera. I know, and enjoy, space operas. My sci-fi collection includes, mostly, space operas. The long journeys, the revelations of a character’s past, the warfare–I love space operas. But this? Just another young adult novel. And a boring one, at that.

It’s Rhee’s sixteenth birthday and she’s supposed to be headed back to her home planet to take the throne, except she doesn’t want to go. She has to see some boy who she grew up with and be an inconvenience to everyone around her. Welcome to Rhee’s entire character. When she does get on her way, she’s attacked … and saved by a random boy who just happened to show up on her ship. In space.

I’ll be upfront about this. There are a thousand different guys in this book. You will not remember a single one. I thought maybe this was going to become a reverse harem situation, maybe the romance would appear in a way that avoided the YA tropes. But the romance subplot is between Aloysha and a different character, and it’s incredibly forced, and oh yeah the blurb lied because Alyosha never meets up with Rhee.

Anyway, Alyosha is a soldier and some sort of reality star because every military operation broadcasts from inside their ships, right? He’s your typical brainiac shy boy with a robotic sidekick. This is the boy, through the magic of TV editing, who is pinned for the murder of Princess Rhiannon. Did the book mention he has dark skin? Because he has dark skin. All Wraetans have dark skin and are seen as “the bad guys.” So Alyosha is on the run for a crime he didn’t commit, and Rhee never meets him once, nor do they join forces, despite the blurb saying so.

The pace is ridiculous. It’s either break-neck or dragging, with no in between. The dual POV keeps us skipping from place to place. Things happen off screen–a lot. The main plot moves and is resolved OFF SCREEN. We’re told what happened in between, get a little bit of world building, a little bit of exposition, and then we’re onto the next thing. Most scenes are just arguing with Rhee because she literally wants to inconvenience everyone around her at all times.

Rhee can’t hold onto a single thought, constantly flip-flopping in her decisions and bringing up the boy from the beginning. We met him once for a quick interaction. He was her whole world, apparently. We don’t know him. Despite Rhee’s constant pining, we don’t get to know him. He doesn’t even play a role outside that quick interaction.

Alyosha, on the other hand, just has no personality at all. That’s it. That’s his whole side of the story. There’s not a single plot point or interaction of note to share. The supporting cast? Just the same. There’s no personality, no literal character to these characters.

In the end, this book did not deserve hardcover. Without the size 16 double-spaced font, it would be novella length. And maybe it should have been that way. I feel like this was some kind of rushed side story, an extra the author would release later to offer more background, to a different book.

[jolieeason]

WWW Wednesday: September 30th 2020

WWW Wednesday: September 30th 2020

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

Personal:

Miss R had her 7th birthday yesterday. We celebrated with just immediate family and a pretty cool unicorn cake. She had a ball at her party and loved that she got unicorn…

[madlovenovelist]

Book Review – ‘Empress of a Thousand Skies’ (#1 Empress of a Thousand Skies) by Rhoda Belleza

Book Review – ‘Empress of a Thousand Skies’ (#1 Empress of a Thousand Skies) by Rhoda Belleza

A light sci-fi fantasy that took me on a wild ride.

Genre: Y/A, Science Fiction

No. of pages: 314

Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta’an wants vengeance.

The only surviving heir to an ancient Kalusian dynasty, Rhee has spent her life training to destroy the people who killed her family. Now, on the eve of her coronation, the time has finally come for Rhee to claim her throne – and her revenge.

Alyosha is…