I received this ARC via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
3.4 stars

Vice-Captain Hazen promoted to her position after guarding Her Highness, the Most Glorious Born on the 13th Day of Spring, Crown Princess Banyell Geren is called back by the Princess to guard her again during a period of unrest. The story is about their unrequited love, buried because of their positions which as romance novels goes is exposed and consummated by the end of the story. The story takes place on a planet which descended into corruption and tyranny by a vicious King (the Crown Princess' father). Told from the point of view of Vice-Captain Hazen, also known as Lady Vissier, she unfolds layers of past history through flashbacks rife with guilt, longing, and death. Hazen is hard emotionally and self-judgmental. Although drawn to the Crown Princess, she doesn't seem to understand her very well. The story is short, so most of the action unfolds in the first few chapters after the characters and world are introduced.
I enjoyed the story arc, but I like endearing characters. Hazen certainly was not, and because she didn't understand Geren until near the end of the book, neither does her readers.
As far as science fiction / fantasy genre, the story may have benefited from more world building early on in the book. .

This novella made my day. I’ve literally read it in one sitting.

Skye Kilaen’s ‘Glorious Day’ follows Elsenna as she navigates her job as a Vice-Captain Hazen, helping the rebels planning to overthrow the current King and her feelings for a princess who she hasn’t spoken to in a long time. Her regret for things she had to do as a guard and strong feelings for a person she doesn’t think she deserves are driving her actions throughout ‘Glorious Day’.

We follow Vice-Captain Hazen as she has to face princess again, all while the tension in the nation increases. Elsenna doesn’t expect to leave this fight alive. She’s strong and devoted to those who she cares about it and I liked following the narrative from her point of view.

While ‘Glorious Day’ is a quick read, it’s full of content - a fast-paced narrative filled with the action centred both around the politics in the futuristic-like world as well as the romance between the two main characters, Elsenna and the princess.

I appreciated the content warnings for the book, although most of the violence has taken place off-page. Moreover, Skye Kilaen’s book has such great representation. From a guard-princess relationship that follows two strong female characters to characters with a disability. The princess herself is blind, but while some around her try to use that to control her, she is not limited by her disability. Similarly, Elsenna has to deal with her injuries at the end of the story, but again that doesn’t necessarily hold her back.

At moments the story felt a little rushed, with so many events contained in a relatively short novella, but overall, I really enjoyed Skye Kilaen’s ‘Glorious Day’ and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining quick read with interesting characters.

I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from Skye Kilaen.

Glorious Day is an enjoyable, quick novella that you can definitely read in an afternoon. Now, although it is a quick read, that does not diminish the fact that it is packed full of content and action! When I first began reading this novella, I was anticipating it to be set in a more renaissance time period based on the synopsis, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was more modern/futuristic. It definitely focused on the political aspects that were occurring around the kingdom with the people wanting to destroy the monarchy which resulted in many war crimes, riots and protests.

The main characters were well developed, and I was definitely intrigued by the bodyguard being in love with the Princess aspect. I think it was a unique view point as I haven't read too many similar plot lines. In terms of their romance, it wasn't too romantic or as focused on it as I was expecting. I don't think that is necessarily a good or bad thing, I just wanted to point that out in case someone was looking for a less romance based book.

The only negative I have is that at times it felt rushed or not fully connected. I think this may be more due to the fact that it was treated as a Novella and not as a full novel. I believe the writer could easily turn it into a full novel or even series with a bit more background information and more in depth scenes. Overall, would definitely recommend and hope to one day see more in this series!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary eARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this opportunity!

•ENGLISH/ESPAÑOL•

~ ENGLISH ~

The ARC for this novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

OMG the book was too exciting! Normally I don't get carried away by the synopsis of a book unless I know (from recommendations) that it is incredible but this time the synopsis and the cover completely caught me and I must say that I am very satisfied with what I read~.

You have to meet Elsenna! She is strong, committed, responsible, she is that heroine with a broken heart who will do great things and change your life.

The story, of course, centers on Elsenna who is part of the royal guard. Elsenna knows that things are very difficult these days. In the castle there is a cruel and horrible king who orders the deaths of the citizens without thinking twice, in the streets there are three different groups of rebels ready to overthrow him, and there is she, part of the rebels, a traitor to the crown. And a girl in love and lost.

Elsenna didn't mean to fall in love with the princess, but she did. Two years ago, when she was her personal guard, she kissed her in the palace garden but was unable to stay with her. The next day, she was promoted and taken to work away from there, away from her beloved princess, and forced to forget her and move on. It didn't work, but the rebel movement did enough to distract her, until the princess herself asks to see her at the palace and reassigns her to her personal guard. Now Elsenna must decide whether helping the rebels to overthrow the current king is the right decision, knowing that this could lead the princess to death, or whether his love for her is more important than the freedom of all her people.

The story has so much potential! I loved the plot, the way it was presented, the chapters are super short but full of relevant information and I loved the plot twists too much. They blow your head off!
There is one in particular that I found 100% perplexing (and which I won't mention because spoiler) but that left me in total shock, wanting to know more!

I read this book in one day so I can say that it is very fast to read, it is very interesting and very dynamic.
The plot was very well handled and although on some occasions I thought things were solved very quickly or easily, it did not make me enjoy it less~.
Of course, with that plot I am sure that the story could have been extended to three books, it would have been epic and incredible, but still I really enjoyed the story.

On the other hand, there are the characters that I LOVED with all my heart.
I seriously admire the princess very much, pretending to know nothing and being less clever or less interested in the current situation of her people is extremely difficult but she managed to survive and that is an enormous achievement. Especially since each one who tried to know more about her people or the situation with the rebels put herself in danger.
I really liked that they did not put her as a girl who knows everything or was trained in everything. She is very natural, she knows what she likes, she is aware of her limitations and she knows when to make a move and when not to. I really liked her.

And Elsenna... God, that girl is AMAZING.
He managed to reach a high position in the royal guard, keeping the princess safe in the time that he was his personal guard, he faced adversaries stronger and more capable than her, she is a character that I can consider a heroine.
I loved her too much, and although I would have liked the book to be extended more to know more about Elsenna and Day, the truth is that I am very satisfied with these two characters.
Yes I think it must have been a trilogy (because the plot is VERY interesting and draws a lot of attention) but it is a very quick book to read, with short, fast and action-packed chapters. You can easily finish it in an afternoon and feel satisfied with the result~.

~ESPAÑOL~

El ARC de esta novela fue proporcionado por la editorial a través de NetGalley a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Dios mío, el libro estuvo demasiado emocionante! Normalmente no me dejo llevar tanto por la sinopsis de un libro a menos que sepa (por recomendaciones) que es increíble pero en esta ocasión la sinopsis y la portada me atraparon completamente y debo decir que estoy muy satisfecha con lo que leí~.

¡Tienen que conocer a Elsenna! Ella es fuerte, comprometida, responsable, es esa heroína con el corazón lastimado que hará grandes cosas y cambiará tu vida.

La historia, por supuesto, se centra en Elsenna que es parte de la guardia real y tiene un puesto sumamente importante en ella. Elsenna sabe que en estos tiempos las cosas están muy difíciles. En el castillo hay un rey cruel y horrible que ordena las muertes de los ciudadanos sin pensarlo dos veces, en las calles hay tres grupos diferentes de rebeldes listos para derrocarlo, y está ella, parte de los rebeldes, una traidora a la corona. Y una chica enamorada y perdida.

Elsenna no pretendía enamorarse de la princesa, pero lo hizo. Hace dos años, cuando ella era su guardia personal, la besó en el jardín del palacio pero no pudo quedarse con ella. Al día siguiente fue ascendida y llevada a trabajar lejos de ahí, lejos de su amada princesa, y forzada a olvidarla y seguir adelante. No funcionó, pero el movimiento rebelde hacía lo suficiente para distraerla, hasta que la misma princesa pide verla en el palacio y la vuelve a asignar a su guardia personal. Ahora Elsenna debe decidir si ayudar a los rebeldes a derrocar al actual rey es la decisión correcta, sabiendo que con eso podría llevar a la princesa a la muerte, o si su amor por ella es más importante que la libertad de todo su pueblo.

La historia tiene muchísimo potencial! Me encantó el plot, la forma en que se presentó, los capítulos super cortos pero llenos de información relevante y adoré demasiado los plot twist. ¡Te vuelan la cabeza!
Hay uno en particular que me pareció desconcertante al 100% (y que no mencionaré por spoiler) pero que me dejó en shock total, queriendo saber más!

Este libro lo leí en un día así que puedo decir que es muy rápido de leer, es muy interesante y muy dinámico.
El plot fue muy bien manejado y aunque en algunas ocasiones pensé que las cosas se solucionaron muy rápido o fácil, no me hizo disfrutarlo menos~.
Eso sí, con ese plot twits estoy segurísima de que la historia podría haberse extendido a tres libros, habría sido épico e increíble, pero aún así disfruté muchísimo de la historia.

Por otro lado están los personajes que a algunos AMÉ con todo mi corazón.
En serio admiro muchísimo a la princesa, el fingir no saber nada y ser menos lista o estar menos interesada en la situación actual de su pueblo es sumamente difícil pero ella logró sobrevivir y ese es un enorme logro. Especialmente porque cada que intentaba saber más sobre su pueblo o la situación con los rebeldes se ponía en peligro.
Me gustó muchísimo que no la pusieran como una chica que lo sabe todo o que fue entrenada en todo. Ella es muy natural, sabe lo que le gusta, está consciente de sus limitaciones y sabe cuándo hacer un movimiento y cuándo no. Me gustó muchísimo su personaje.

Y Elsenna... Dios, esa chica es INCREÍBLE.
Logró llegar a un puesto alto en la guardia real, mantener a salvo a la princesa en el tiempo que fue su guardia personal, se enfrentó a adversarios más fuertes y capacitados que ella, es un personaje que puedo considerar una heroína.
Me encantó demasiado, y aunque hubiera querido que el libro se extendiera más para conocer más de Elsenna y Day, la verdad es que estoy muy satisfecha con estos dos personajes.
Si pienso que debió ser una trilogía (porque el plot está MUY interesante y llama muchísimo la atención) pero es un libro muy rápido de leer, con capítulos cortos, rápidos y llenos de acción. Fácil pueden terminarlo en una tarde y sentirse satisfechas con el resultado~.

Glorious Day is an enjoyable, nothing-to-lose single sitting kind of novella. Nevertheless, do not mistake it as breezy and content-free. It's all-too-current, in the face of police/government resistance to protest. I thought the author made a great choice to set it in a future-seeming world. Stories of this kind are more often found in a (Medievalish) fantasy setting, but the issues at the heart of the action have not been laid to rest in the past, and will plague future civilization without careful attention.

Likely you'll see this book with a romance tag. I used to be one of those people who looked down on that tag, (and I urge you not to be that guy), but now I try ignore useless genre reservations. Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of the overly sap-o-rific, and if that worries you, that's not a concern in this book. It's genuine and sweet, but also pragmatic and palatable.

Where this novella really shines is in its representation. The princess is blind, but not handicapped by it. A character has to adjust after losing several fingers. Nonbinary gender pronouns are found, not as if they are something otherly, but just matter of factly, as it should be out there in the real world, as normal as he/him and she/her. And I almost forgot to mention that the main love interest is F/F -- there's just a lot inclusivity.

I will say, this might have been even better as a full novel. In many places, the back story could be developed further, with the civil unrest, different members of the court/guard, etc. At the same time, I give the author credit for trying to do as much as she does in the space of novella, and not coming out with a complete mess. I was left wanting in a few places, but such is a novella.

In conclusion, this is a good title if you're looking for a short foray into Indie publishing, which once you know where to look, tends to be ahead of the curve compared to major publishers on disability and LGBTQIA+ issues.

This was a short but fun read. The Princess was different, the bodyguard intriguing and I enjoyed the mix of a monarchy set in a SciFi environment. At some point one character gets hurt a lot and I feel that part was either too much or not addressed enough, because it is a loaded scenario (you know, war crimes) for an otherwise cute romance. The contrast is too stark for me and doesn't really fit together. It just set me off a bit. Still I recommend this book because it is good anyway. Esenna is such a cool character and the end was beautiful. I'll definitely keep an eye out for more books by this author.

***Thanks to NetGalley and NinestarPress who provided me with an ARC of this book.***

I finished this novella in less than 24 hours, and I think that says it all. The story was rich and I couldn’t get enough of it. It had so many great elements: romance, world building, revolution, humor, hurt/comfort. Literally everything you could find in a 600 page book compressed into a novella.

Kilaen surprised me with her writing. Her development of the story was so good and even though it was short, I was satisfied. Her flow and tone is very nicely done. It’s easy to read and yes there are several short chapters (short chapters for the win!!).

This is a great read you if you’re looking for a f/f story in space (cause who doesn’t love lesbians/wlw in space)?

“Glorious Day” is the perfect gateway into indie/non mainstream books. It has all the quirks of the mainstream but it’s quick. It keeps you on your toes. Which is something that I see a lot of authors lose their readers over when it comes to large novels sometimes. This story had the perfect build up, mutual pinning, and action.

I’m giving “Glorious Day” 4 stars. It was truly an amazing novella, and I can’t wait for the world to experience this lovely story.