The Star-Crossed Empire, by Maya Darjani
12 Jan 2025The Book
Synopsis:
Get swept away into a lush and romantic space opera that transcends time, untangles court intrigue, and spans the entire Galactic Whorl.
A Republic soldier
A reluctant Emperor
When love and duty collide, who wins?
Layla is a patriotic soldier of the Altainan Republic. And patriots don’t ally themselves with rival empires. But when she reencounters the handsome imperial noble she fell in love with years before, she falls again. Hard. And she she’s going to marry that man. Duty be damned.
Unfortunately, he’s also the new Valharan Emperor.
And their planets are about to go to war.
As tensions rise between the two worlds, Layla’s attempts at neutrality go awry. She finds herself unsafe and threatened, a foreigner no matter where she lands. Eventually, instability in their isolated galactic community leaves it ripe for invasion. Layla has to overcome her dual loyalty and end this war for once and for all–before the Whorl goes up in flames, and she loses the man she loves.
My Review
The Star-Crossed Empire is a romantic space opera novel, written by Maja Darjani. An excellent character driven story with a strong FMC, a good dose of court intrigue and divided loyalties, which excellently weaves multiple timelines to create a plot that ends being really intense emotionally.
Layla Kamil, patriotic soldier of the Altainan Republic, met and fell in love with Ignatius, several years ago during a mission; however, being a noble from a different empire, it was deemed as a bad idea, so each one continued their own way. Years after, with Layla being part of a diplomatic mission, their paths crossed again; Ignatius is now the recent crowned Emperor but the feelings haven't gone away. Even if it's weird in a political sense, both married, and Layla became the Empress, in a situation that will put her between the sword and the wall, especially as their countries might go to war, forcing Layla to pick a side despite her loyalty might be divided.
A story which is woven around Layla, our strong female main character; former soldier and diplomatic, is now in a difficult position as the Empress because of her marriage with Ignatius (or Nat, as she calls him); not only that, but she will deal with the complications of having to get a position in the complex imperial politics as somebody that is seen as a foreigner. Through a dual timeline system, we will also be spectators of how she fell in love with Nat, and her own vision about loyalty and patriotism, something that might conflict with her love for Nat and her new position; and as the consequences of war are too step and put in danger those that she loves, avoiding it will be her main goal while still cultivating her relationship with Nat.
An intimate story, that even at some points could be called cozy, especially when we deep dive into the romantic details; despite that, there's a big world in which the consequences of interplanetary war would be big. There's a big contrast between Layla's world and her new residency as Empress. The prose is sharp and precise, making the pages naturally flow.
The Star-Crossed Empire is another excellent novel by Maya Darjani; pick this one if you prefer a more romantic focus on your stories, even if there's still the space opera behind it. A book that shows Darjani as an author with many registries, and especially, a master of using multiple timelines to weave great stories.
