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So, the universe that this book is set in has around 1,000 planets, and it's ruled by one emperor. There are seven prime families—kind of like the most powerful, elite families in the empire. When the emperor dies, he leaves no heir to take the throne. Instead of choosing someone, he announces a competition.
Each of the seven prime families must send one candidate, and they all have to race to find a legendary crown piece. The one who finds it first becomes the next emperor. This event is called the Crown Chase, and it hasn’t happened in over 700 years. So naturally, it becomes a big deal across the universe.
What makes it more interesting? The emperor chooses his own niece as one of the candidates. But she’s not into politics or power—she never wanted to be empress at all.
This setup reminded me of The Hunger Games, with its high-stakes competition broadcasted across the galaxy, adding a layer of media frenzy to the already intense race.
So, our female protagonist, Alisa, is a fun girl who doesn’t take life too seriously. She’s happy just flying around and exploring planets in her spaceship, Vagabond Quick. She doesn’t really care about the big competition, so she decides to help her friend win it instead. That’s the plan.
I really like Alyssa as a narrator. She's witty, funny and really smart. Although the sarcasm sometimes feel a little forced like it's coming from the author and not the character, if you know what I mean. But it's not something I really mind, just an observation.
Her character arc is compelling; she starts off as a reluctant participant but gradually confronts the responsibilities she has long avoided, adding depth to her journey.
Another character that really needs to be mentioned is Hellmonkey. It’s a very weird name, and I don’t know the story behind it. But he is a great character. He is funny. He mainly works as an engineer for Alisa’s ship. They're very close since they've done plenty of explorations together. They've been together physically, but it's casual. Although it's hinted that there may be more serious feelings involved.
Their relationship adds a layer of complexity to the narrative, blending camaraderie with underlying romantic tension, which enriches the story without overshadowing the main plot.
The challenges in the book felt pretty straightforward, but also oddly vague. We’re told there’s a task, it gets solved somehow, and that’s about it—there isn’t much explanation about how things actually work. I found it hard to understand what the challenges really were or how the outcomes were decided. The only thing that was clear was that the winner got a head start in the race.
This lack of detailed world-building in the challenges made it difficult to fully grasp the stakes and mechanics of the competition, which could have added more tension and engagement to the story.
One character I found particularly frustrating was Edgar Voles. He’s one of the seven Crown Chase candidates, and the story occasionally shifts to his point of view. Unlike the others, though, he doesn’t take part in any of the challenges. Instead, he sits back, watches everything unfold, and uses spyware to gather information. Then, right near the end, he swoops in as if he’s been playing the game all along. It felt a little unfair—while the rest of the candidates were out there doing the hard work from the beginning, he just popped up after most of the effort was already done. I get that it’s part of the story’s strategy, but as a reader, it didn’t sit well with me.
Additionally, the shifts to Edgar's perspective felt underdeveloped, lacking the depth needed to understand his motivations and actions, which could have provided a more balanced view of the competition.
One of my favorite moments in the book was when all the candidates joined forces to face a major obstacle together. It really stood out because, even though they had grown up as friends, time, politics, and the pressure of being from different prime families had pulled them apart. But in that moment, they put all that aside and worked as a team. You could still feel the old bond between them, and the way they joked around and supported each other was both fun and heartwarming.
This scene highlighted the underlying theme of unity and the importance of personal connections over political ambitions, adding emotional depth to the narrative.
The book does a commendable job in representing LGBTQ+ characters and relationships, portraying them as normal and integral parts of the universe without making them the focal point of the story. This normalization is refreshing and adds to the inclusivity of the narrative.
While Crownchasers offers an exciting premise and a charismatic protagonist, it falls short in areas like detailed world-building and character development for some of the supporting cast. The fast-paced narrative is engaging, but a deeper exploration of the universe and its intricacies could have elevated the story further.
I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.
Except for the first image, all other images are created using AI.
