Review: Crownchasers

Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alyssa Farshot is living her best life, exploring the galaxy with her engineer Hell Monkey, for the Explorers' Society. Then her uncle, the emperor dies, but instead of naming a successor he instigates the centuries old tradition of a crown chae in which each of the imperial families nominates a candidate to enter a galactic scavenger hunt - the winner takes the crown. The one rule - anyone who kills another contestant is disqualified.

Alyssa doesn't want the crown, in fact early on she partners with another contestant, Nathalia Coy with the intention of making Nathalia the new empress. Then things take a sinister turn, there are unknown aliens interfering with the chase, and Alyssa is fighting for more than just bragging rights.

At its heart this is just a NA/YA sci-fi space opera romp, sort of like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in space. Others have drawn comparisons with The Hunger Games and Aurora Rising, both of which are valid comparisons. But it also has some interesting undertones, the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters, heck interspecies love, the themes of colonisation and privilege - the way that the Imperial families have their crown chase with no thought for the inhabitants of the planets they visit. Subtle, but discernible - the reader isn't hit over the head but these things are just left like breadcrumbs.

Just a warning, this is a duology, while I wouldn't say there's a cliffhanger, this is definitely part one. Can't wait for part two!

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