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A review by anastasiax
The Empress by Kristin Cast
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
╭ ✦ •
│ ⊹ 𝟹.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐! ⊹
╰ ✦ •
I haven't read something from Kristin Cast since House of Night days (when I was in high school), so when I stumbled across ARC sign-ups I couldn’t resist!
I understand why this has a low rating at the moment, but it’s also just the first book in the series, serving primarily as a setup for the rest of the series, even though this did end in a HEA with an epilogue.
────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────
The Empress by Kristin Cast is a fantasy romance that transports readers from the real world to the magical realm of Towerfall, a place steeped in tarot magic and in need of a reluctant heroine. The story follows Hannah, a reluctant heroine, as she’s thrust from her ordinary life into the magical realm of Towerfall—a world in desperate need of saving. The premise of incorporating tarot lore into the story was both unique and intriguing, even for someone like me with little knowledge of tarot. It was fascinating to see how it tied into both Towerfall and Hannah’s real-world life.
The worldbuilding was imaginative, and the descriptions of Towerfall were immersive, drawing clear contrasts between the realms Hannah, the protagonist, experiences. The secondary characters added humor and heart to the story, with Shadow being a standout for me. And then there’s Kane, mysterious, protective, and undeniably compelling. I really liked Hannah and Kane. Their chemistry and dynamic was definitely one of the highlights of the book.
As much as I was enjoying it, the pacing and character development left me feeling conflicted. Hannah, while relatable in her struggle to simply survive, often felt immature. Her reluctance to embrace her role in Towerfall made it hard to connect with her, but I still found myself rooting for her! The pacing of the story was one of the strangest aspects and I don't even know how to describe it. It felt both fast-paced and slow at the same time, with a lot of filler that didn’t seem to drive the plot forward. By the time I was halfway through the book, nothing of real significance had happened. Also, I feel like a lot of the plot wasn't explained. Hannah is supposed to be someone who's supposed to save Towerfall but that plotline kind of fell off.
Hmmm, from 75% on it felt like it flew by in seconds; it felt like a race to tie up loose ends, leaving me craving more depth and exploration of Towerfall and its lore.
Overall, The Empress had a lot of potential, it was a solid and enjoyable read. I’d be interested to see more of Towerfall in the future, as the world and concept hold so much promise.
────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────
⊹ 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽 ⊹
❥Broody MMC
❥Fake Marriage
❥He ties her up
❥Tarot Card inspired
❥"Little Fawn"
❥Romantasy
❥Transported into a new world
────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────
⁀➷𝓹𝓻𝓮-𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀:
just got my arc! I'm so excited for this!!
Thank you for the ARC, Kristin♡
_________________________________
Blog ಇ StoryGraph ಇ Instagram ಇ Twitter ಇ Facebook
│ ⊹ 𝟹.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐! ⊹
╰ ✦ •
I haven't read something from Kristin Cast since House of Night days (when I was in high school), so when I stumbled across ARC sign-ups I couldn’t resist!
I understand why this has a low rating at the moment, but it’s also just the first book in the series, serving primarily as a setup for the rest of the series, even though this did end in a HEA with an epilogue.
────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────
The Empress by Kristin Cast is a fantasy romance that transports readers from the real world to the magical realm of Towerfall, a place steeped in tarot magic and in need of a reluctant heroine. The story follows Hannah, a reluctant heroine, as she’s thrust from her ordinary life into the magical realm of Towerfall—a world in desperate need of saving. The premise of incorporating tarot lore into the story was both unique and intriguing, even for someone like me with little knowledge of tarot. It was fascinating to see how it tied into both Towerfall and Hannah’s real-world life.
The worldbuilding was imaginative, and the descriptions of Towerfall were immersive, drawing clear contrasts between the realms Hannah, the protagonist, experiences. The secondary characters added humor and heart to the story, with Shadow being a standout for me. And then there’s Kane, mysterious, protective, and undeniably compelling. I really liked Hannah and Kane. Their chemistry and dynamic was definitely one of the highlights of the book.
As much as I was enjoying it, the pacing and character development left me feeling conflicted. Hannah, while relatable in her struggle to simply survive, often felt immature. Her reluctance to embrace her role in Towerfall made it hard to connect with her, but I still found myself rooting for her! The pacing of the story was one of the strangest aspects and I don't even know how to describe it. It felt both fast-paced and slow at the same time, with a lot of filler that didn’t seem to drive the plot forward. By the time I was halfway through the book, nothing of real significance had happened. Also, I feel like a lot of the plot wasn't explained. Hannah is supposed to be someone who's supposed to save Towerfall but that plotline kind of fell off.
Hmmm, from 75% on it felt like it flew by in seconds; it felt like a race to tie up loose ends, leaving me craving more depth and exploration of Towerfall and its lore.
Overall, The Empress had a lot of potential, it was a solid and enjoyable read. I’d be interested to see more of Towerfall in the future, as the world and concept hold so much promise.
────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────
⊹ 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽 ⊹
❥Broody MMC
❥Fake Marriage
❥He ties her up
❥Tarot Card inspired
❥"Little Fawn"
❥Romantasy
❥Transported into a new world
────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────
⁀➷𝓹𝓻𝓮-𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀:
just got my arc! I'm so excited for this!!
Thank you for the ARC, Kristin♡
_________________________________
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