Reviews

Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson

btwnwords's review

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

let_the_potato_rest's review

adventurous funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

5.0

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for offering me an arc of this delight for an honest review.

I don’t know how I’m going to survive until the next book.
This was everything I’ve been wanting in novel and more and now I’m thoroughly obsessed with Ellie and Adam. 
The mummy meets female Indiana jones. 
The wit, the banter, the pacing, the story, characters, this was the best thing I’ve read in such a long time I think any book is going to top this for me this year.
Thoroughly enjoyed this and now I’m going to become my entire personality while I shout from the rooftops my adoration for this book.

rubyshoes's review

adventurous funny relaxing tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

jessbyers's review

4.75

this was so freakin good!! everything i wanted from something wilder but didn’t get. also the history!! ugh im unreasonably excited for the next book

ashley_apairofreaders's review

5.0

A healthy dose of Romancing the Stone, Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror, The Mummy, and the reimagined Tomb Raider all mixed together, Empire of Shadows gives the perfect mixture of history, fantasy, and adventure.

Benson does a wonderful job of drawing the reader into a world of mystery through her FMC's POV. I loved Eleanor's take-charge attitude, her suffragette spirit, and her desire to learn more about the past. She was such a fun character to follow, especially once she meets Adam Bates. Adam was the perfect foil -- a happy-go-lucky adventurer that does an humorous job of ruffling Ellie's feather's on their adventure together.

I loved the plot that mixed the history of Maya with touches of fantasy. Having discovered a map to mysterious ancient city, Eleanor travels around the world to discover it before her foes do. It is clear that Benson did her research to craft this story, which I truly appreciated it. The plot moves along pretty quickly as Adam and Ellie have to keep one step ahead of their enemies, who are on the trail of an ancient site. Ellie and Adam's escapades are tinged with misadventure moments (his poor boat) and humor. I loved watching the connection between Ellie and Adam grow throughout the book (the cave wall has seen some things...iykyk).

Book Two -- Tomb of the Sun King -- is already on my preorder list. This is one series I cannot wait to continue. If you are a fan of books like What the River Knows and Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries, then check out this one. You will not regret it.

jamiesinclair's review

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

meganagain's review

adventurous challenging dark informative lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

anjali_bookstersisters's review

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

bysarahalexander's review

adventurous funny mysterious medium-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? No

3.0

caitann's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-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? No

5.0

5 ROLLED UP SHIRTSLEEVES OUT OF 5

This was wildly refreshing and I LOVED EVERY PAGE. For reasons other than Adam’s muscular forearms! Mostly. 75% other reasons, 25% forearms. All right, 60/40. Okay, let’s be real, it’s half and half. 💪

Jokes aside, this ATE on a new level. I could go on forever but for simplicity’s sake, here is a list of everything I loved SO MUCH about it:

pure brilliant unencumbered adventure
archeology fic at its peak
expedition fantasy (is this a thing? let’s make it a thing)
genuinely one for the Mummy girlies
sincerely researched
tactful awareness and discussion of colonialism
Ellie, a heroine accurate to her time period yet still well ahead of her time in ideas, courage, heart
ADAM
ADAM
ADAM!!!!
“romantasy” these days has become so rote but THIS - defies the overdone vibe of the genre so effortlessly I would never want to shelve it as romantasy cause it’s just that much better
case in point: cave kiss for the AGES
did I mention Adam??!!