Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Empress of Time

Such a wonderful duology! I highly recommend to all my fantasy readers out there. It helped me learn more about Japanese mythology, dug to the root of belonging and love, had a great morally grey character, gave us betrayal and redemption, and had some epic battle scenes as well. I wasn’t as into this book as the first one but it was still really good! Just slower storytelling, though the writing was still beautiful and vivid and well, gory.

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asipofcozy's review

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Didn't think that I would have ended up giving Empress of Time a 4 star yet here we are. I really enjoyed the complexity of our main character and her battle with her inner darkness and demons. For once we have a main character that is not good. She is selfish in her choices and her choices resolved around one being - her brother.

Now granted, just like the first book I am still not a fan of Neven. While the author did a great job of character development for Ren. Neven is still left naive. Don't get me wrong, loved the sisiter - brother relationship we get very rarely in literature. Yet, Neven still is blinded by his sisters pain and the constant racism she receives. He blindly believes his love will be enough (which partially is true) and that Red should be a better person because of it. He doesn't understand or try to understand her pain, what she has gone through as a poc, and it still shows in this book.

However, my dislike of Neven didn't take away my love of the how much Japanese culture we get packed into 300 pages. I loved every bit of it...and the plot of course :D.

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thenovelbookshelf's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Enshrouded in Japanese mythology, this conclusion to The Keeper of Night sees Ren truly find who she is and who she becomes.

Since becoming the Japanese Goddess of Death, Ren takes it upon herself to find her brother by being something that Neven won't hate as much.

Meanwhile, the Shinigami that are supposed to serve Ren oppose her and are no good when Ivy, Ren's adversary, decides to sail to Japan for revenge.

Together with Hiro's brother, Tsukuyomi, the Moon God, Ren must battle her way to stay alive and show why she is rightly the Goddess of Death.

The mood of The Empress of Time shifts from chaotic and almost helpless to dark as we journey with Ren to try and stop Ivy without Ren turning into Deaths former ruler's.
The world building that was created is so fantastical and full of characters, which almost feels like this should be longer than a duology.

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sasisaskia's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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