A review by adamskiboy528491
Empress & Aniya by Candice Carty-Williams

3.0

Empress and Aniya by Candice Carty-Williams is a surprisingly short and innocent piece of fiction I’ve read so far. Only under 150 pages, and it hits you straight the heart. This was a quick, enjoyable, and fun read rather than YA and felt more like a short story or an anthology entry.

The magical realism element came entirely out of the blue for me, which I didn’t mind - coming into this story blind ultimately made it better. This short book covers some important issues of class, poverty and standing up for what’s right, but it does so with a light touch and doesn’t feel preachy. It’s an enjoyable teen friendship tale that I felt was pitched at the right mid-teenage bracket.