Another 5 star review - Orphan of Empire by S. A. Melia

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  5 star review for Orphan of Empire by S A Melia

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  Orphan of Empire by S A Melia Review

Reviewed by  Manik Chaturmutha for Readers' Favorite

Orphan of Empire by S. A. Melia opens with a blades tournament

and moves almost immediately into a full alien boarding battle, and

that early momentum carries through the whole book. The worldbuilding is where the novel shines: the Dome Militant's rituals, the

poison medallions, and the sharp divide between Domeside

grandeur and fashion-house attics are fully realized, and a

Cinderella-style current runs underneath, with Guy dragged from

poverty into a glittering world he never chose. Nice literary touches

surface too: Annabel's rebirth ceremony unfolds beneath an image

of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac while a choirboy sings the Agnus

Dei, and an embroidered cushion showing a crowned black swan

over two bowing white swans doubles as a coded family crest. Guy

and Annabel's rivalry-turned-camaraderie gives real heart, the

combat is visceral, and Lazar Kacarevic's illustrations add

atmosphere. Fans of YA space opera with a Cinderella-meetsEnder's Game flavor will find plenty to love here.