How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse (The Thorne Chronicles #1)

In this meandering space opera series launch, a teenage princess blessed by fairies may be the only one who can prevent an ambitious politician from seizing control of two warring interplanetary civilizations. Rory Thorne, the first girl born to her family in 10 generations, received the traditional fairy blessings, such as kindness and harp-playing; she was also cursed to “know truth when you hear it, no matter how well concealed.” All of these traits serve the princess well when, at age 16, she’s betrothed to Tadeshi Prince Ivar and sent to live on the void-station Urse until their wedding, which will end the war between the Thorne Consortium and the Free Worlds of Tadesh. On Urse, surrounded by potential enemies, Rory becomes entangled in the deadly schemes of Tadeshi politician Vernor Moss and must seize control of her own destiny before she becomes his most valuable pawn. Eason (Ally) makes the fairy tale elements work well in their far-future setting, but slow pacing robs the tale of much of its immediacy, as does its framing as an in-universe history complete with infodumps and a self-aware authorial voice. It’s entertaining but falls short of its potential. Agent: Lisa Rodgers, JABberwocky Literary. (Oct.)