Review of Rulers of the Galaxy

[Cathy Colleach]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Rulers of the Galaxy" by Tayma Tameem.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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3 out of 4
Caught up in the middle of an intergalactic invasion by the Imperial Forces, a wounded elfin woman struggles to survive. After losing her memory in a sonic blast can she find out the truth of who she is, and the real identity of the baby she finds in the rubble of the palace? To find out she sets out on a race against time, leaving the safety of hiding to voyage back into the midst of the battle for the planet Elemental. Along the way she meets friends and enemies and discoveries her deeply hidden talents, but who can she trust? Is anyone who they seem in this great action tale of bravery and adventure?

I really enjoyed this, after a shakey start it kept me going right to the end.
Any of the things I think could be improved in the telling of the tale I put down to poor advice from the editor.
For example the switching between story lines and timelines I think is unnecessary and undermines the rhythm of the overall reading experience. I think the author may be using this technique because she doesnt trust the story to stand alone eithout fussing it and trying to be too clever? It is a great story and the author should have more faith in herself. Hopefully the editor will advise the same next time. It made it difficult to read and I only just kept going after the third switch, a lot of readers would have just given up.
Also same reason, I know prologues are very fashionable at the moment but they are very very annoying to readers and should never be used in my opinion ever. Take for example Erin Hunters Into The Wild. The prologue is in a completely different tone and puts many many readers off the rest of what is a fabulous book. My advice is be warned and avoid prologues.
Also I personally find the kiddy jokes very eye-rolling and authors lose the chance to embed the book in a truly alternative reality as kiddy jokes are so mainstream American at the moment.
Finally I am curious to know if the swords in this space age setting are lightweight as the characters don't seem to have much trouble lugging them around...

Overall very enjoyable and the great twist at the end gives it the thumbs up from me
Cheers Cathy

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Rulers of the Galaxy
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