Empire

January 5, 2015
Connolly and Ridyard provide a strong but somewhat disjointed second volume for the Chronicles of the Invaders epic SF trilogy, picking up where Conquest left off. Human Paul Kerr and Illyri Syl Hellais are separated after their illicit cross-species love affair is discovered; he’s assigned to the military Brigades far from Earth, while she’s sent to study as a novice in the ancient stronghold of the enigmatic Nairene Sisterhood. While Paul and his comrades try to stay alive, Syl digs deep into the corrupt Sisterhood’s secrets. As their parallel stories progress, they both discover that the Illyri is an empire on the verge of civil war. Now Paul and Syl must somehow reunite in order to save everything they know and love. The romance between the protagonists is downplayed in favor of their individual plot lines, which focus more on military action, political intrigue, and futuristic exploration. This slow-moving middle installment does push the larger story forward significantly, setting things up nicely for the final book. Agent: Clare Wallace, Darley Anderson Agency.

February 15, 2015

After the events of Conquest, Syl Hellais has been exiled from Earth and sent to the convent of the Nairene Sisterhood with her best friend, Ani. Still determined to find out what evil has infiltrated Illyri society, Syl doesn't fit in with the mean girls who dominate her fellow novices and decides to hide her own abilities. Meanwhile, her human sweetheart, Paul Kerr, has also been banished from Earth and conscripted into the brigade where he is meant to help the Illyri military, but he, too, is working to bring down the culture that enslaved his home world. VERDICT Less angsty and even faster paced than the first volume, this sequel separates the two star-crossed lovers and explores different aspects of the Illyri conquest. This series is improving as it goes along, although there are still many plot points awaiting further development.

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