Empire — Michael R. Hicks

Empire is the first book of the In Her Name: Redemption trilogy, and is the coming-of-age story of Reza Gard, a young boy of the Human Confederation who is swept up in the century-long war against the alien Kreelan Empire. Nightmarish female warriors with blue skin, fangs, and razor sharp talons, the Kreelans have technology that is millennia beyond that of the Confederation, yet they seek out close combat with sword and claw, fighting and dying to honor their god-like Empress.

Captured and enslaved, Reza must live like his enemies in a grand experiment to see if humans have souls, and if one may be the key to unlocking an ages old curse upon the Kreelan race. Enduring the brutal conditions of Kreelan life, Reza and a young warrior named Esah-Zhurah find themselves bound together by fate and a prophecy foretold millennia before they were born.

If you're new to the In Her Name series, here is the author's recommended reading order:

1. The Last War Trilogy

• First Contact
• Legend Of The Sword
• Dead Soul

2. The Redemption Trilogy

• Empire
• Confederation
• Final Battle

3. The First Empress Trilogy

• From Chaos Born
• Forged In Flame
• Mistress Of The Ages

Note that The Last War and Redemption have also been published as trilogy collections.