Empire, by John Connolly & Jennifer Ridyard

I picked this book up at the library not knowing it is the middle book in a trilogy; the next volume is due in 2016. At first I was unsure I'd keep reading: the opening chapters seemed unpolished. Immaturely written. But I kept going, and am pleased that I did because the story hooked me.

How to summarize: Syl and Paul are the good guys, separated friends. Earth's been captured by the Illyri species who themselves are controlled by another species with dark plans for the planet. And among the Illyri there are political factions working at cross purposes.

This ended up a really interesting read and I look forward to the next volume. On the other hand, I'm not going to bother reading the first as it would feel like a prequel to me now, and although the story was excellent, the writing just wasn't enough to draw me to more.

Empire: Book 2, The Chronicles of the Invaders