A laughing, crying, gut-punch of a ride... 10/10, totally worth the book hangover.
   — L.M. Sagas, author of Cascade Failure

A fantastic debut for fans of found family, queerplatonic relationships, and deeply human characters who are allowed to be monstrous: vulnerable and violent at once.
   — Essa Hansen, author of Nophek Gloss

Once you start reading, you won’t be able to put it down.
   — Hana Lee, Author of Road to Ruin

I sobbed, I laughed, I screamed.
   — Frances White, author of Voyage of the Damned

Guaranteed to break your heart and simultaneously mend it... an un-put-downable magical space adventure with a lovable found family cast as morally complex and clever as they are chaotic!
   — Rosie Talbot, author of Sixteen Souls

Deliciously, devastatingly entertaining.
   — Leanne Schwartz, author of A Prayer for Vengeance

Arbeaux has a voice so crisp and compassionate that you can't help but fall in love. Lord of the Empty Isles is an absolute delight.
   — Sunya Mara, author of The Darkening

A heartwarming - gut-wrenching - and thrilling adventure.
   ― Kate Dylan, author of Mindbreaker

If you love space pirates and heists, intricately-woven magic systems and found family, and most of all, books that make you laugh on one page and cry the next, you cannot miss picking up Lord of the Empty Isles.
   ― Christy Healy, author of Unbound

I am an emotional wreck after finishing this.
   ― Five-star Goodreads Review

Lord of the Empty Isles by Jules Arbeaux is a fast-paced yet thoughtful debut... perfect for those who love reading deeply human imaginings of future societies.
   ― Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, author of The Principle of Moments

Set in a vividly realized universe shaped by environmental devastation and soul-bonds, Lord of the Empty Isles brims with big, fascinating ideas... Amidst all the magic and space-faring adventure is a stunning, thoughtful treatise on grief and love in all its forms. A wonderfully cathartic experience.
   ― Julie Leong, author of The Teller of Small Fortunes

Head (Ruminant): Bearers of these intellectual bonds long to discover or innovate together.

Heart (Grasping): Instinctual and nurtured by nearness, these bonds indicate a hunger to connect.

Gut (Visceral): Primal, powerful, and passionate, these bonds are driven by a desire to consume.

Hands (Anchored): Those linked by these calm, sturdy bonds are eager to hold and to share.

Feet (Reckless): The dedicated bearers of reckless tethers long to serve and support.

Lovebound: Gold lovebonds, loyal and steady, indicate a mutual and abiding care.

Fatebound: Red fatebonds connect pairs who are profoundly similar and ideologically aligned.

Piecebound: Blue piecebonds join people with contrasting but complementary personalities.

Boundless: Green boundless tethers connect those who work in sync, even if they’re far apart.

Rotbound: Trauma, loss, or other stressors may cause bonds to decay. When the rot is so advanced that the tether’s original color is lost, these bonds are called rotbonds.

Hollowbound: Ash-gray hollowbonds indicate unrequited or one-sided connections. Though they may be slightly thicker at their point of origin, they quickly attenuate to thread-like thinness. If a mutual relationship develops, they may thicken and transform into another bond type.

Traveling: As a relationship evolves, a tether may begin to move to a different location. This is known as traveling.

Attenuation: As relationships change, bonds may thicken or thin. Such thinning is called attenuation. Resisting a tether’s natural attenuation and eventual disappearance after separation or loss can lead to rot.