Series ✦ Penny’s Take
The Empyrean
Katherine Franklin · 2022
72/100
👍 Worth It
Weaponized emotions in space opera is a genuinely fresh concept, and Franklin makes it work by grounding it in a grieving mother and a soldier whose world forbids feelings entirely — two characters whose collision is immediately compelling. As an indie debut it lacks the marketing weight of a big-five launch, but the bones of the story are strong and the Kickstarter origin speaks to real reader enthusiasm. Space opera fans looking for something with an unusual emotional premise should give this a look.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety78
substance72
craft70
originality82
accuracy70
hype60
age-fit72
human-eye72
Penny’s verdict72
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