The Smoke Hunter was my top read of 2023 so imagine my surprise and excitement when a new series featuring the same characters and world was announced! The timing was too perfect.

Like all reinventions, this did some things really well and some that I wish would've remained unchanged. Now, you have to be aware of the fact that I didn't just like TSH, I was a fanatic, meaning I remembered each and every detail so of course comparison was warranted and that's exactly what I did.

I'll start with good. TSH was rushed and left much to be answered. EoS took its time, stretched scenes, added lush detail (TSH is 26 chapters while EoS has 45) and gave more attention to the bad guys, took out jacobs' weird 'arabic' accent and dawson's crime story. Jacobs is still an enigma but there is much more on him. EiS is polished overall and I see the improvements, I do BUT..... it doesn't have my fave scenes 😭😭 the two tent ones, The Realization, ellie's short hair, the bat scene etc. they just can't be replaced im sorry. Some of the dialogue between Adam and Elie was so out or character. Ellie is mad at everyone and everything every two seconds. She lashes out and brings up her denied rights during the most random times like girl... you're being held at gunpoint. new ellie or ellie 2.0 ... you're not the OG. Adam was almost the same but one thing that did irk me was the shot at his himbofication. what was that that he can't read books ?!??! He is an educated man, thank you.

If it was up to me, I'd take Adam and Ellie from TSH and throw them in EoS. That would be most ideal. EoS did great on everything plot related. It resolved the chase to some degree and sprinkled in foreshadowing for the sequel quite nicely. It's the characters that suffered (and me.)

The Smoke Hunter was my top read of 2023 so imagine my surprise and excitement when a new series featuring the same characters and world was announced! The timing was too perfect.

Like all reinventions, this did some things really well and some that I wish would've remained unchanged. Now, you have to be aware of the fact that I didn't just like TSH, I was a fanatic, meaning I remembered each and every detail so of course comparison was warranted and that's exactly what I did.

I'll start with good. TSH was rushed and left much to be answered. EoS took its time, stretched scenes, added lush detail (TSH is 26 chapters while EoS has 45) and gave more attention to the bad guys, took out jacobs' weird 'arabic' accent and dawson's crime story. Jacobs is still an enigma but there is much more on him. EiS is polished overall and I see the improvements, I do BUT..... it doesn't have my fave scenes 😭😭 the two tent ones, The Realization, ellie's short hair, the bat scene etc. they just can't be replaced im sorry. Some of the dialogue between Adam and Elie was so out or character. Ellie is mad at everyone and everything every two seconds. She lashes out and brings up her denied rights during the most random times like girl... you're being held at gunpoint. new ellie or ellie 2.0 ... you're not the OG. Adam was almost the same but one thing that did irk me was the shot at his himbofication. what was that that he can't read books ?!??! He is an educated man, thank you.

If it was up to me, I'd take Adam and Ellie from TSH and throw them in EoS. That would be most ideal. EoS did great on everything plot related. It resolved the chase to some degree and sprinkled in foreshadowing for the sequel quite nicely. It's the characters that suffered (and me.)

This was sold to me as a historical fantasy with romance and Indiana Jones vibes and I was just... disappointed? I think this is a bit mismarketed because it was a great adventure story and the romance was great (with some great slow burn!) but there was so little fantasy in it and it was thrown in at the last second so it really felt like an afterthought.

It would have been better marketed as magical realism.

This is quite possibly my favourite read of the year thus far! Empire of Shadows was my first Jacquelyn Benson book and it did not disappoint. Benson merges the excitement of archeology and exploration while also depicting important historical events, including the suffragette movement and the effects of South American colonialism.

The main characters were lovable and interesting and the storyline gripping. The romance had me kicking my legs and giggling.

This book is the perfect amalgamation of The Mummy, Indiana Jones and Atlantis, with a female mmc who is eerily similar to Tarzan's Jane.

I highly highly recommend to anyone searching for a period, archaeological read with fantasy elements and a strong female lead! On finishing this book, I immediately ordered a physical copy and preordered the sequel!

This was a fun read!

I loved our FMC, Ellie, and our MMC, Adam.

It was fun seeing their adventures and how they were a team. They had great team work honestly.

Ellie was awesome as it is set in the past when women had no rights, she really fought hard for women’s right and it was awesome to read about.

Adam was great that he didn’t look down on her like the other men look down on Ellie and other women!

DNF at 24%

This book is everything I love on paper and in pictures (think Indiana Jones/The Mummy/National Treasure). The writing didn't keep me engaged throughout the book, sadly, and I couldn't complete the book to adequately review it on any other platform.

Empire of Shadows is the first book of the Gaslamp Fantasy series Raiders and The Arcana by Jacquelyn Benson that will keep you on the edge of your seats from cover to cover.
Ellie Mallory, the protagonist, is a young woman who struggles to follow her heart and her dreams in the male-dominated society of the 19th century. When she stumbles upon a mysterious map and artifact, her world is turned upside down. She finds herself in uncharted territory, with a pair of villains on her trail and Adam Bates, who is ardent and terribly hot ,by her side, ready to burn the world down for her sake.
A wondrous blend of archaeological adventure, romance, feminism and anti-colonialism sweeps the reader away. The mix of wit and romance is quite successful, the plot is intriguing and fast paced, and the prose had me giggling out loud most of the time. The main characters are adorable and since I particularly love Constance, Ellie's best friend, I can't wait to meet her again in the second book of the series.
As a devotee of both The Mummy and Indiana Jones, this book did the trick for me and I definitely recommend it to all fans of the genre.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the eARC of this delightful book.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Crimson Fox Publishing for hooking me up with this gem in exchange for an honest review. Jacquelyn Benson has woven something truly special here. You can feel the love and dedication poured into every word. The historical richness practically leaps off the page, and I found myself devouring it faster than my favorite snack. Seriously, I couldn't stop raving about it to anyone who would listen – even my husband got an earful! Ellie and Adam's journey is a rollercoaster of emotions. They hit highs, they hit lows, and just when you think they've got it all figured out, bam, curveball! But amidst the chaos, you can feel the chemistry crackling between them. It's that delicious slow burn that keeps you turning the pages, desperate to see where it leads. If you're into action-packed adventures with a fierce, brainy leading lady and a rugged, yet soft-hearted leading man, then mark this one down on your must-read list. Trust me, it's a ride you won't want to miss. And the best part? There's more to come! I'm already itching to dive into the rest of the series. This book ticks all the boxes: thrilling escapades, exotic locales, historical intrigue, and just a hint of magic. Plus, Ellie's no-nonsense attitude and Adam's charming demeanor make for a dynamic duo you'll root for 'til the end. In short, I loved every page of this adventure and I'm eagerly awaiting more from Jacquelyn Benson. Count me in for round two!

Unfortunately, I gave up reading this book and I regret it. I didn't find the characters deep enough and I wasn't carried away by th plot.
Sadly it's a DNF :(
Too YA for me

This is indeed a good book. The plot, the vibes, the atmosphere, and everything else are exceptionally well-written. I appreciate how it expanded my knowledge on various topics. The only reason I gave it 4 stars was that at times, it tended to make me feel drowsy. The narrative, both in the paragraphs and the story itself, felt a bit too dense, making it challenging to visualize everything clearly.

Empire of Shadows starts with our heroine Ella Mallory peacefully protesting women’s rights, when a little mishap of arrest gets in the way. This measly arrest leads to losing her job as an Archivist. Before getting sacked, she comes across the map of a lost city she doesn’t want to fall into the wrong hands. Ella has studied archaeology, but due to being a woman, isn’t accepted to work in her chosen field. Finding this map could be her only chance of ever following her dreams, which leads our leading lady to the jungles of British Honduras.

Upon arrival, Ella struggles to convince local guides to take her through the remote jungle interior, where no one has gone before. She eventually makes acquaintance with our leading male, Adam from America. Get ready for the banter y’all, because these two drove it out in spades. Adam convinces Ella to let him help her find the lost city while trying to keep ahead of the bad guys. What quickly ensues is a dangerous, hilarious, and sizzling adventure through the jungle. Strap in y’all, things are about to get wild for these two.

Facing the perils of the jungle, villainous scoundrels, ancient mythical artifacts, and snakes, arguing with each other through wit and banter, a fiery romance, and all the while still fighting for women’s suffrage, our leading characters have their hands full.

Ellie is our smart and purposeful heroine. She sticks up for her convictions but still has her moments of doubt that society has drilled into her. She fights that constitution both publicly and internally. She feels real in the sense that she’s not always perfect or has the perfect solution to her difficulties. Adam was the same. They both had normal human flaws that you don’t find in too many books. They felt and acted as anyone would. They didn’t always have the answers, which made the book that much more likable. They went through obstacles and responded in true human fashion. These characters truly were a joy to join in on their adventures.

Smartly written, yet easy-to-understand terms from an archaeological perspective. Jacquelyn shows an impressive knowledge of history and spins events eloquently, yet hilariously. This book is an adventure from page one and doesn’t let up. I’ll be counting down the days until their next adventure leads them to Egypt!

Loved the story, loved the plot!
Jacquelyn is an amazing writer and had me gripped!!

I look forward to more of her writing.


I’m sorry this review is late. It had been one of the first books I had been accepted for and didn’t realize I had to log into the website to leave my review.

Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson is the first book in the Raiders of the Arcana Series. This historical fantasy is the story of Ellie and Adam.
 
I absolutely love books with archaeology and history and the heroine Ellie shares that, but it’s not as easy to embrace because she lives in Victorian times. She is very self-reliant and curious, and she is one of the first women to study at a university. I loved her ambition, and she even travels halfway across the world to Honduras and middle America to find a lost city.
 
Adam works as assistant surveyor general for the colony and his job is so fascinating. A lot of people think of him being very weird, but he is happy being in the jungle and doing his job. He is such a loveable character.
 
Ellie and Adam‘s first meeting was amazing, hilarious and memorable. And their banter only continued throughout the story when Adam helps Ellie with her studies and in finding a lost city. This story is such a cozy and adventure filled story with a dash of romance and I really liked it.
 
Overall, Empire of Shadows is such a good historical fantasy novel and I’m looking forward to reading the next installment. 4 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

Ahhhh this was such a fun adventure! This is giving Tarzan vibes and the inner child in me is loving this! Also, I don't think I've read a book that was this unique in a while.

🏺🦇𝙴𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜🦇🏺

by @jbensonink !

this book was so fun to read and experience! a definite 5 star read for me 🥰
it was The Mummy meets What the River Knows meets Jungle Cruise (the film) amd was just an invigorating and captivating read.
we follow Evie after she makes a split second decision to travel to overseas and follow the clues she's found from a borrowed (stolen) artifact (definitively not a treasure map) - and how she has to battle through both the dangers and discrimination of: being a woman travelling alone in the 1800s, and of the opposing side who seeks to gain her map and steal the artifacts there for their own selfish gain.

it was an amazing book all round, I loved how rich the detail was surrounding the mayan culture, and the clear level of research that had been put into making sure all the cultures and peoples that would have been present in that place and time were as accurate and correct as possible. the relationship between Adam and Evie was entertaining as well, and I loved how he was respectful of her boundaries and stance as an independent woman while still looking out for her and trying to keep her safe.
I absolutely can't wait for book two and I'm keeping everything crossed I'll be able to score an arc for that as well!

○
thank you to @netgalley and @jbensonink for the e-arc of this book 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ebook copy of this!

I definitely didn't expect to like this book as much as I did by the end. It took me a bit to get into the story but once I did it was the only thing I could think of. As an aspiring archaeologist the plot and themes that were explored really spoke to me, even making me tear up more than once. I found the characters to be loveable the more I read. As for the romance, at first I was a bit scared, thinking the love interest was someone other than who it actually was but once he was really introduced his relationship with Ellie gripped me and didn't let me go until the end.
I'll definitely have to get my hands on the sequel once it's out!

Loved this book! As soon as I read the summary for this I was so interested. I love the main characters and the adventure in this is so fun. Everything about this book stood out to me and I can’t wait to read more from the author!

Thank you to the publisher, Crimson Fox Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Aspiring archaeologist Ellie Mallory is fired from her job at the archives for getting arrested while participating in a suffragist movement. On her way out, she acquires a map that seems to lead to an ancient city along with a medallion. This could be her chance to make her mark on history – and in this field where everyone agrees that respectable Victorian women have no business in. Before she can figure it all out, someone else is also after the map and is willing to go to any lengths to get it. In a race to find the lost city, Ellie finds herself in need of a guide to travel through the forests and the local surveyor, Adam Bates, agrees to take her there. But her pursuers are not far behind and are after more than treasure in those ruins, a dangerous and powerful artifact that would be deadly in the wrong hands.

While I moved more into the fantasy genre as I started reading middle-grade and YA, I’ve always loved adventure novels. I read What The River Knows just a couple of months ago and it got me interested in the genre again, so I’ve been on the lookout for more such books to add to my TBR. The cover of this book caught my eye when I was scrolling through NetGalley and the moment I looked through the blurb, I knew I had to read it.

In terms of plot and vibes, this was pretty much exactly what I expected it to. Think Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise, The Lost City and The Mummy all rolled into one with a dash of Victorian sensibilities (though the last one might be more apt for the sequel) and you’ll get this book.

Does it follow some tropes and cliches very typical of the genre? Yes, but it works, so I have no complaints there. The main story started right off the bat and didn’t really dally around explaining the characters and their situations for too long, something I really appreciate in this genre as I find it important to set the pace early on. I would give this book an A+ in terms of world building and atmosphere. The story moved very quickly from England to sailing through the jungles of Central America as Ellie sets out to find the city out of legend with the mysterious man after the map in close pursuit.

Despite my knowing next to nothing about Mesoamerican cultures or civilizations, this book provided more than enough context to understand what was going on without making it seem like a lecture. I’m a bit of a history buff, so I thoroughly enjoyed the last third of the book in particular with its lost cities and magical artifacts, and of course the death defying escapades amidst ancient ruins.

The pacing was excellent, not a dull moment to be found. While it does kind of follow a cookie cutter approach to the genre at times, the writing was engaging and I found myself completely hooked and ended up reading this in a single sitting.

The only thing I think could have been better is that the chapters at times were a bit longer than necessary and the book as a whole could have been a little shorter too. There was definitely enough material to keep the entire thing interesting, but there were some parts that could have been condensed.

Ellie and Adam were such fun characters and their banter was wonderful! Ellie’s academic knowledge was well balanced by Adam’s more practical survival skills throughout this story, and while neither fully trusted the other in the beginning, I really liked how they learned to work together and trust each other. It was also nice that the story took the time to give the reader both their backstories and it helped understand them a bit better. However, this book was definitely more plot centric so there isn’t much more to say in terms of character development.

Along with this duo’s next adventure, I’m looking forward to finding out what exactly the fall out of Ellie unexpected jaunt to the British Honduras is going to be back home and where their arc is going to lead.

The last handful of chapters were one huge rollercoaster with hidden tunnels and deadly traps galore. It was all very Indiana Jones-esque and a thoroughly thrilling conclusion to this book worthy of all the build up. It would have been nice if the ending had been a little more drawn out but this book seems to be setting the scene for the sequel to pick up right away.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am super excited for the next installment as it heads into one of my favorite adventure novel settings – Egypt. I will most definitely be picking up the sequel next year and I hope I get the chance to read an ARC because the wait is going to be a long one. If you’re in the mood for a fast-paced adventure, I would highly recommend Empire of Shadows!

What a fun book to read! A mysterious map to a lost city, a suffragette who has it, a villain who wants it, all embark on a chase to see who can arrive alive and retrieve the artifact. Ellie Malory, enlist the help of the surveyor general ( a handsome young rogue) to guide her into the jungles of British Honduras to find the city and keep the villain for obtaining a dangerous magical artifact that could be catastrophic in the wrong hands. The book is very well plotted and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as calamity after calamity befall the heroes.
I was skeptical at first that this might be a cheesy romance but it was not! It was a very entertaining treasure hunt.

2 Stars
I really wanted to love this book, the premise sounded so good so I was excited to read it but I had such a hard time getting into it. I didn't really like Ellie, I found her so annoying, and I didn't really feel the chemistry with her and Adam. There was a point where Ellie threw a tantrum and basically screwed her and Adam and it was hard to come back from there for me. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll continue this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Crimson Fox Publishing for the ARC!