When the Bough Breaks (The Empire's Corps #3) ★★★☆☆

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Title: When the Bough Breaks
Series: The Empire's Corps #3
Author: Christopher Nuttal
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 422
Format: Digital Edition

Synopsis:

The End of Empire.

Belinda Lawson, a Marine Pathfinder (amped up and maxed out with the latest tech), loses her team when the planet Han's rebellion is crushed. The Terran Marines are being pulled away from Earth on one pretext or another and the Marine Commander on Earth puts Belinda as an slightly undercover Marine bodyguard for the crown prince Roland. Roland has been indulged his whole life and deliberately overfed, overdrugged and oversexed by the Grand Senate, thus making him the perfect puppet. Belinda changes all of that and begins the process of turning Roland into a man.

This follows various storylines showing the destruction of the terran empire and the destruction of Earth. One Grand Senator is making a powerplay to become the next Emperor and centuries of neglect and abuse finally catch up with everyone.

We follow the Grand Senator, Belinda and Roland and then several students at the University. Through their eyes we see as everything unravels, like the bursting of a rotten, maggot infested piece of fruit. It happens quickly, suddenly and violently.

My Thoughts:

Now we know that Captain Stalker and the Marines on Avalon will not be getting ANY help from Earth.

I enjoyed this story a lot more than I thought I would. Besides Belinda and Roland, every character we follow is killed at some point in one way or another. I pretty much suspected that going in and was prepared to be completely blahh'd over it. Thankfully, it didn't happen to me and I was able to enjoy the story.

I was glad to hear the story about the Empire falling apart. If we'd just stuck with Stalker and the group on Avalon we wouldn't know WHAT had happened and there would always be that little niggling hope that “maybe someone from Earth will save us”. Now, we know that isn't the case.

I think this was closer to a 4star book in terms of enjoyment. However, there were quite a few grammar slash spelling errors. Most of them were misused words, not incorrectly spelled words. Irreverent was used when Irrelevant was meant. It happened at least 3 times (not that particular word but that particular issue) and just goes to show that you need to PAY someone to rip your book to shreds and point out everything wrong with it BEFORE you put it out there.

Wordsmithing is not something that has a “good enough” line. Taping up a Yard Sale sign crooked is good enough. But using the wrong word isn't good enough. It is flat out wrong and shows a lack of familiarity with basic English. I felt like I was a beta reader and that just isn't acceptable for a book that has been put out there, indie or not.

★★★☆☆

• The Empire's Corps (Book 1)
• No Worse Enemy (Book 2)