The Alliance 3. Astara Royalty

As the fourth installment in this series, The Alliance is reminiscent of a typical world being invaded by aliens. However, we see plenty of alien species from the series, as well as a few easter eggs from the previous books. 

Overall, it is my recommendation to continue this series, as it is brilliantly written and the characters are beloved. 

I read it out of order as it’s a part of a series but it was the first story of @Yeoldebard I had a pleasure of reading fully from start to finish. 
First of all, it’s a perfectly fine standalone, although people reading from the first part will already have some info about the world (or rather universe) and they will find some lovely Easter eggs and cross references buried in the chapters, even reading it without being acquainted with the previous three stories of the series is definitely worth it. 
Where do I even start? 
Maybe I should start from the world building because this is the first thing that catches attention. There are so many amazing details of numerous distinct planets and space stations - even though the descriptions are rather on the ascetic side (which I personally love), we can really taste the world in small details thrown here and there - often as characters develop opinions of what’s around them. For me personally the way all those little things are weaved into the story without requiring long overdrawn descriptions is already enough value in itself to read this masterpiece or any other work by this author. 
Next, we have characters, each having a distinct personality, their own problems and weak points, flaws in thinking. They react to things differently and their struggles are very easy to relate to on emotional or intellectual level despite it being a science fiction story about various aliens, with the main character being a king. The story doesn’t take much time in their world but we can clearly see character development, but it is not exaggerated, considering the time frame.
Then we have the main dish - the story itself - engaging, not too fast paced, but also not boring - the kind where we can savour things dialogue by dialogue and event by event with characters’ arcs closely tied to the main problem related to their homeland. There are some interesting plot twists throughout as well - I am rarely surprised while reading - but the Alliance surprised me more than once. 
However, I think what really makes this story so good is the balance - we have a bit of tragedy but also some awesome humour and some happy times. We have some steamy bits but also some adorable and cute scenes. We have big scale politics and war but also friendships and very personal kind of problems. And I really love the way it all fits together, making the overall flavour of this story a really enjoyable experience. ❤️