#Review - Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer #YAlit #SyFy

Series: Crownchasers # 1
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: September 29, 2020
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / SyFy

A deadly competition for the throne will determine more than just the fate of the empire in this riveting duology opener, perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Aurora Rising, and Three Dark Crowns.

Alyssa Farshot has spent her whole life trying to outrun her family legacy, even leaving behind the kingship and her uncle, the emperor, for a life of exploring. But when her dying uncle announces a crownchase—a search for the royal seal, hidden in the empire, that will determine the empire’s next ruler—Alyssa is thrust into her greatest, most dangerous adventure yet.

This explosive first book in a duology by a talented debut author is jam-packed with tension and thrills that will hook readers from its first page.

Crownchasers is author Rebecca Coffindaffer's debut novel and a good start to a promising career. The story takes place in the year 4031. Protagonist Alyssa Farshot (Faroshti) is a member of the Explorers Society. She has traveled all over the empire as one of the best pilots the Society has. When her uncle, the Emperor of the United Sovereign Empire, dies, she becomes a reluctant contender in a deadly competition for the throne. For the first time in 700 years, contenders must find the royal seal hidden in one the empires system to win. 

She’s never scared to meet a challenge head-on, no matter how dangerous, which makes her race across the empire even more thrilling. 6 children from prime families & from different worlds (Setter Roy, Owyn Mega, Edgar Voles, Faye Orso, Nathalie Cayenne, and of course Alyssa) will race to find clues hidden in the universe to find the Imperial seal and claim the kingdom. But what should be a simple and friendly competition soon turns very deadly and one of the contestants may be intentionally fighting dirty. 

Though the crown chasers are technically forbidden from hurting each other, that doesn’t mean they can’t enlist others to hurt their competition for them. When one of Alyssa’s competitors is killed by a faceless assassin looking for a clue to the next destination, the crownchase becomes even more dangerous. Alyssa, who has no desire to become the next Empress, throws her support behind one of her best friends, Coy. Interesting enough, Alyssa's former girlfriend Faye is also competing which makes things even more twisted when they must face each other.  

Alyssa and her engineer, Hell Monkey, have great chemistry, but though they’ve been hooking up for a while, neither has initiated a conversation about their feelings. The crownchase brings them closer than ever. With 1,001 planets in the empire and all forms of alien, humanoid, and evolved human life living on them (Alyssa is part alien as you can tell by the cover) is always encountering fascinating new life-forms and experiencing new worlds. Alyssa's voice is what drew me into the novel before the story even ramped up. She's honest and fearless and sarcastic.  

She doesn't want the crown that she's forced into fighting for nor does she want it to fall into the hands of someone who would not treat it right. She has this wall built up around her, but it comes down little by little and we get these glimpses of someone who just does not want to get hurt. The ending of this book is a bit on the painful side to read. The only saving grace is that this is only a duology which means that the series will wrap up in the sequel coming out in the Fall of 2021. 

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