Empire of Bones is a perfect opening to a very creative science fiction series. It starts with two dynamic characters. First, we have Commander Jared Mertz of the Terran Fleet as he’s heading out on an exploration mission. He’s the bastard son of the emperor though he’s reluctant to take advantage of his heritage. Then add his half-sister, Princess Kelsey Bandar who has grown up with a negative view of her brother. She has a desire to do more, be more, and gets that chance when the emperor assigns her as a junior ambassador on her brother’s ship just before they head out on the possibly long term exploration mission.Terry Mixon has done a masterful job of creating characters and a story to draw you in and keep you turning pages right to the end. Princess Kelsey is a very strong willed woman and she does not take a back seat to her male counterparts. She’s front and center throughout the novel. Kudos to Terry for creating such a well-written female character.His style is very easy to follow, never over your head. The novel is fast-paced so that there were no points where it seemed to drag. Empire of Bones is a fun read with adventure, excitement, characters you can be drawn to, and enough peril to make you worry about them. Once you read the first book, you won’t be able to keep yourself from buying the next.