Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott – Review

Published: July 7, 2020

Publisher: Tor Books

Series: The Sun Chronicles #1

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 528 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 3.0/5.0

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

GENDER-SWAPPED ALEXANDER THE GREAT ON AN INTERSTELLAR SCALE

Princess Sun has finally come of age.

Growing up in the shadow of her mother, Eirene, has been no easy task. The legendary queen-marshal did what everyone thought impossible: expel the invaders and build Chaonia into a magnificent republic, one to be respected—and feared.

But the cutthroat ambassador corps and conniving noble houses have never ceased to scheme—and they have plans that need Sun to be removed as heir, or better yet, dead.

To survive, the princess must rely on her wits and companions: her biggest rival, her secret lover, and a dangerous prisoner of war.

Take the brilliance and cunning courage of Princess Leia—add in a dazzling futuristic setting where pop culture and propaganda are one and the same—and hold on tight:

This is the space opera you’ve been waiting for.

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I was looking forward to this book for so long! Gender-bent Alexander the Great in SPACE! One of my favorite sci-fi tropes (not sure if really a trope) is when a classical civilization like Rome or Greece is brought into the stars. Space warfare! Unconquerable Sun certainly has all of that but somehow failed to truly impress and left me with a lackluster reading experience.

Princess Sun has just recently returned from a great triumph over the enemy, however her mother Queen-Marshall Eirene is not overjoyed. She instead sends Sun and her companions on what amounts to being a publicity tour around the empire. An assassination attempt that results in the death of one of her dearest companions begins the drama. Persephone Lee is the other main POV in this story and is significantly more interesting and likable than Sun. She is from a House that is known for their subterfuge and treachery and Sun distrusts her from the start. Perse (as she likes to be called) has been yanked out of her happy life as an unknown in the military academy she ran away to and has no idea what Sun or the Lee House are plotting. She’s rather unwillingly drawn into the madness and is trying her best to keep herself, Sun, and her companions alive.

I could honestly have not cared less about Sun. She elicited no emotion from me whatsoever and I would have preferred the book be entirely about Persephone. I didn’t connect with the majority of the characters, and thus felt the impact of the events much less than I would have otherwise. I did not vibe with this book. It wasn’t bad, just definitely not the book for me. The story was complex and the writing descriptive (if lacking in the ability to make me feel for the characters) so I can’t give this book too low a rating. For me this was a solid 3 stars – extremely middle of the pack and I’ll likely pass on the remainder of the series unless some seriously rave reviews change my mind.