I was so excited to read this because I think the tarot premise is unique and interesting. Unfortunately it was a bit of a flop for me. I think other people will enjoy this but it wasn’t for me.

My Rating: 2 stars

CW: sex and violence, sexism, other women are bad trope.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounded AMAZING and I used to read the Marked books when I was really in my YA Vampire phase. I read Into the Mist by PC Cast and thought that any foray into reading their separate books would be great.

But the first few pages had the lines “her breasts like offerings” and “I said to his cock” and “harness your power” all in ONE scene.

I also am SO SICK of antagonists for a women main character being other women. I HATE the mean girl shit and the “other woman being a bitch” shit. I get that it happens, I do, but it’d be nice for authors, especially women, to show some girls supporting girls. If you’re going to make fantasy, you might as well use that suspension of disbelief to do something fresh.
Hannah, the main character screams NLOG from the jump, she’s upset, fairly, her life does suck, and then she’s transported into the world of Arcana. Which is an INSANELY inventive plot. But it just doesn’t deliver. When a plot is like this, it needs a good character, good characters, plural, to keep it up. And it doesn’t do that.

The main male character is one of those that gives a weird and kind of infantilizing nickname to the FMC, with such a unique plot, Kristin Cast could’ve done a really good job of diverging from the usual tropes, she doesn’t. And if you like that sort of thing, then maybe that’s a plus for you. I think it’s pretty classic romantasy with a cool premise, just none of it is for me.
Like I’ve been saying, the plot is REALLY cool. Towerfall is this alternate world (there are mentions of “mirror selves”). It is made of several different kingdoms, each protected by a different group of cards (the MMC is the protector of the Kingdom of the Pentacles), all under the control of the Empress.

The romance is typical of new adult romantasy, borderline toxic, all her exes are cartoonishly bad people so he’s great by comparison even though he’s a walking red flag. He’s controlling, demeaning, doesn’t really treat her like an equal, the author portrays him as pro-women but it’s very surface level, she’s very much the same, she doesn’t seem to put a lot into her relationships with other women but she’s almost this caricature of the “klutz turned badass.”

The author’s dialogue is also full of what she seems to think are Gen Z buzz words, including “catch feelings” and characters being in their “__ era” according to other characters. It just comes off cringy and try-hard.
I think this book could’ve done really well with a MUCH gayer plot. Hannah could’ve had her rivalry with Stephanie, then met and fallen in love with her mirror self, and done a twist on the enemies-to-lovers trope, or something similar with Jade/Marion. But no, Cast chose the boring option!

Yet another scene makes a weird comparison to breasts (what is with the breasts?!?) this time calling them “pomegranates” the MMC then proceeds to simulate sex with the pomegranate. Hannah is taking a bath, the MMC intrudes, while she’s BATHING, she drops a pomegranate in the water, tells him as much, and he says “looks like you have two pomegranates right there.

??????!!!!????

Ultimately this book was just so cliched and predicable. It could’ve done so much and it fell flat.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC ebook.

*The Empress* follows the journey of Hannah, a woman in her late twenties or early thirties (this is a guess as it's not made clear) who feels like she's lost everything—her career is in a slump, her "relationship" ends abruptly the same day her career bombs, and her self-worth is at an all-time low. In a desperate attempt to find herself, she visits a tarot card shop on a whim and is unexpectedly transported to Towerfall after drawing a mysterious card. There, she meets Kane, a gruff, bossy, "hunk" of a man hiding within a castle. Hannah's horrible terrible no good day takes a sudden turn for the worse—she's in castle, there's a hot guy, she’s stabbed--accused of witchcraft (when trying to get away), and then escapes death with Kane’s help.

From there, the story continues to stretch the realms of possiblity when Hannah is determined to get back to the castle. While in the forest, they come upon a carriage which quickly turns into a botched rescue mission for the true Lord and Lady Ashwood. After their deaths, the two use it to their advantage to get back into the castle. Now, Hannah must pretend to be his wife and they share one bed (a great trope, hard to mess up...and YET)! Unfortunately, the chemistry between Hannah and Kane is forced, the banter is not even boring, it's TIRED. The will-they-won’t-they dynamic quickly became more like---could we just get this over with actually? At one point, particularly during Chapter 16, the interaction with a maid felt deeply uncomfortable and disconnected from the plot's tone. A recurring phrase, "Good Girl," was used to an excessive degree, which detracted further from the story's intimacy.

What had delicious potential (i.e. a romance I was ready to gobble, devour, ETC) because of the exciting things promised: time travel, magic, grumpy man/sworn protector....just fell so flat. Hannah’s character is whiny and inconsistent from the start, and her emotional turmoil becomes exhausting rather than compelling. Kane, on the other hand, lacks depth despite being presented as the protector of the kingdom and later the king. There’s a lack of significant character development on both sides, which made it difficult to invest in their story.

The best aspect of *The Empress* was its stunning cover art, which certainly drew me in. However, the rest of the book didn’t live up to the potential I had hoped for. While I may not be eager to continue with the series, part of me, like Hannah, might still be a bit of a glutton for punishment.

Overall, *The Empress* didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The forced chemistry, inconsistent characters, and awkward pacing overshadowed the promise of a thrilling fantasy. Fans of this genre may still enjoy it, but I found it to be a disappointing read. Maybe if this is your first romantasy to ever read-you may like it.

I wanted to like this book so bad, and I was highly intrigued with the premise at the very beginning. I was very locked in to the story, but it felt so immature. The spicy scenes were so rushed it felt like I was just reading a bunch of popular phrases. The insta love with no build up for isn't my thing.

I was so excited for this book, and the premise sounded like it was something I would love, but I was disappointed by almost everything. First, it was touted as a romantasy, but there were hardly any fantasy elements. I needed more worldbuilding, exploration of magick, and delving into the political conflict. Second, the pacing of the love story was off. It was very insta-lovey, with almost no chemistry or buildup. And finally, the modern slang and way that Hannah acted felt juvenile and jarring set against a fantasy backdrop.
👑
My rating: ⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️
👑
Read if you like:
▫️modern girl in a fantasy world
▫️fake marriage
▫️broody hero
▫️cute nickname “Fawn”
▫️Tarot like cards and magick
👑
Thank you to Bloom Books, Kristin Cast, and NetGalley for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

⭐️: 2
DNF’d at 18%. I was excited for this book to come out, but it did not make the cut. For one, I didn’t realize that the story would begin in our world in modern times. That was a tad surprising. I also couldn’t make a connection to the FMC. It’s hard reading a book when you’re not invested in some aspect of it.

I really wanted to enjoy this book that I received an advance copy of, because the premise was good and the set up seemed promising. (Especially as a huge House of Night fan). However, it just didn't flow well. Some of the scenes and plot points were not easy to follow.

The FMC came across as annoyingly immature versus bold and efficient, which I feel is what the author may have been going for. There were some continuity flaws in regards to her character building as well. For example, how did she go from being so scared and anxious to so brash and brazen so quickly?

Tbh, I only made it through about a third of the book. Sadly.

It is a wonderful fantasy world with a bit of smut, political intrigue, and a lot of self growth.
While the description speaks of tarot, it actually has little to do with the plot of the book, so those unfamiliar with tarot cards can still enjoy the story.
I enjoy the friendships and character growth shown in the story. It reads a bit ya but has a few smutty scenes.

I thought the premise for this first in a new romantasy series sounded really interesting - a woman gets transported in time to a whole new fantasy world where she has to pretend to be married to a morally grey alpha male. The way the author weaves tarot cards into the world and plot was inspired and definitely my favorite part but if i'm honest this didn't quite live up to my expectations and was just an okay read for me. I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series but maybe....It could have just been a me or a mood thing. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Hannah is a mousy loser. She is smart but she is not capable of handling adult life. After a devastating loss at work, she finds herself transported to an alternate universe with kings and queens and court intrigue. She has to navigate a world where magic is real and the bad guy will stop at nothing to have power.

Hannah is an annoying loser at the beginning of the book. The author tries to develop her but I felt like I was reading a teenager’s story of how they could be grand and amazing “only if”. The author makes Hannah’s special skill reading people and knowing what they want. It’s not as useful as it could have been. Once Hannah makes the decision about which universe she wants to live in, she makes some truly obnoxious decisions without any thought to the consequences to others. Kane is perfect. He is gorgeous. He is sweet. He is smart. He is loyal. He is also boring. It takes a woman from a different universe to help him protect his best friend from the bad guy which makes no sense. I was left at the end not really caring how the story ended.

SPOILER: Kane sneaks into the castle by wearing a “disguise”. It’s like the Superman “glasses on, glasses off” situation. It’s just silly.

I went into this book without any expectations. I wanted to experience the world building without any biases. This book has ideas. It is also full of annoying things. It is simplistic and silly. I think what it lacks is really good editing.

I use a couple of measurements to determine how I feel about a book. If I find myself finding other things to do other than reading, that’s a problem. If I find myself complaining to my family and friends while I’m still reading the book, that’s a problem. This book was a problem.

This book will appeal to plenty of readers but I am not one of them. I won’t read anything else from this author in the future.

thank you to netgalley, author kristen cast, and sourcebooks bloom books for this epub in exchange for a review.

in some ways, this movie reminded me of charmed.

in most others, i was really struggling to get through this one at times. the base of the world building is there but something feels hollow and missing something.

there is spice but it’s written very strange for me and didn’t really move the story or exist as a point of build up in the relationship. it was just ok, which is how i felt about this book.

I loved the idea of a modern woman entering into a mystical fantasy world inspired by tarot cards. Unfortunately, the storytelling, characters, and writing weren’t fully developed for me, leaving me not able to connect and invest emotionally in the story. But if you’re looking for a lighter fantasy with steamy romance, check this read out!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I didn’t jive with this book. The FMC wasn’t my cup of tea which is disappointing because I was looking forward to this one.

DNF @ 19%

I just couldnt get into this one. It felt very ya but with smut (I assume, I didn’t get that far but based on the part I did read it seems likely). Hannah wasn’t very likeable, she seemed very “woe is me” and just complained the whole time.
The pacing was also kind of weird. If felt both fast and slow, like there’s were moving very quickly but nothing was actually happening. I wanted more information about the world and the conflict but the book just glossed over everything.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the ARC!

Ok, this was so good. I loved that Hannah just fell out of her normal life into this crazy realm, and she just rolled with it. She's stubborn, sassy, and such a fun character to watch.

Kane is the brooding Prince whose been exiled and is working to save his kingdom in any way he can. Once the two of them start working together, they may have a hope of accomplishing what they need to.

Guided by The Empress, Hannah and Kane do their best to navigate court intrigue, tension in the palace, and their own emerging feelings for one another. Will they be able to find themselves, each other, and a solution for the kingdom that keeps everyone alive?

I struggled with this book. I read this ARC back in November and it's taken me this long (January) to be able to put my thoughts into words because I really really wanted to like it. The concept was very intriguing to me and the idea of a romantasy set in a world revolving around Tarot seemed unique and really fun. Unfortunately, the execution of this idea was just not well done. The whole story was very much just the author telling what happened and how people were feeling, rather than really building a world for the audience, which really doesn't work, in a romantasy especially. The love story wasn't very well built up and ended up being kind of an insta love/lust, even though it didn't feel like what the author intended from the story. The FMC was also kind of annoying/immature, and the plot barely related to Tarot in any real way aside from using the names of some of the cards and suits.

That being said, the plot was pretty fun and I did enjoy the story of it. I think with a strong editor this could have been fleshed out better and something really fun could have been made, but as it stands, the writing and development still needed more work in my opinion. I would love to see improvement on some of these things in the rest of the series, and would actually read the next book to see if any of these things have been improved upon.

That being said, if you're looking for a fun storyline, and find standard romantasy books too tedious; but, instead just want to know what happens with some smut thrown in, this is the story for you!

Rating: 2.5⭐ (Rounded up)

I so badly wanted to love this book. The world-building was beautiful and I was a big fan of Kirstin’s as a teen but, unfortunately, this book didn’t do it for me. It had such a great concept but the execution left me wanton. I found Hannah’s character to be unlikable, especially with her Insta-Lust. I don’t know... if I’m thrusted into a new realm, stabbed for being a “witch” then wake up in the small cottage with the same man I saw after falling through a portal to a medieval realm, I wouldn't be swooning but she seemed to have no issue. I found the plot extremely predictable. There’s so much that went unexplained or barely addressed and then other things that were heavily over-explained.

The whole scene at the end had me going “Wait... what? That’s it?”

I've been thinking a lot about how to talk about The Empress. I liked reading it, but I felt it could have been even better.

The idea behind the tarot cards was intriguing, but it wasn’t fully explored and didn’t really seem to matter much in the story. The characters felt pretty one-dimensional and didn't grow in a believable way. While the banter between them was enjoyable, it wasn't enough to make me believe they could fall in love in just a few days. They had no substantial conversations to inspire more than lust. I appreciated the friendships in the book. She makes friends and focuses on growing them and herself. More attention was put to them than the MMC. The focus on strategy, relationships, and how people see each other was a refreshing change from the usual stories about strength and bravery. However, the plot felt a bit disjointed. The main character claims she can blend in, but her modern language felt jarring.

Honestly, I think this is a decent start for a new author, which was confusing because the author is actually established. I might recommend it if you're a fan of this author, but I wouldn’t say it’s a must-read for everyone. I’m still open to reading the next book, hoping that the story and characters will grow more, as the humour and friendships were definitely enjoyable.

I'm sorry for how brutal I'm about to get.
I really, truly wanted to like this one. The blurb made it sound like a romantic adventure full of intrigue and magic. Unfortunately, the story is derivative and boring. It reads like the first draft of some fanfiction that needs good editing. The big moments are rushed while the connecting plotlines all feel incomplete and all the reveals are obvious long before they arrive.
Kane is an excellent mysterious leading man until you realize that the mystery never gets resolved. He has few lines beyond talking pretty to Hannah or trying to explain why he's keeping secrets. It feels like there is zero character growth for him.
Hannah does have character growth, but I found her predictability boring. Her story follows a set plotline that I've read before, which makes it difficult to get excited or worried about what's happening to her.
Overall, I might have just come into it with too high expectations that made it a chore to get through once they were dashed, but I did not enjoy this book.

I absolutely loved the prequel novel to the Towerfall series, so I was really excited to read The Empress! I love the concept for this series so much! All of the books will be based on the tarot, and The Empress takes place in the Kingdom of Pentacles.

Hannah was existing not living her life. She lost a promotion at work and discovers her boyfriend is unfaithful. She ends up being transported to Towerfall where she meets Kane. Kane agrees to help Hannah get back home in exchange for her help saving his kingdom.

Coming to Towerfall forced Hannah out of her shell and helped her become the person that she’s always wanted to be. Kane was dark broody and had so many secrets. I love the attraction and banter between Hannah and Kane. She tried so hard not to fall for him. I also really loved the friendship between Hannah and her hilarious friend Marion.

The series itself has a really cool vibe. It feels like a mix of romtantasy but also a bit historical. Towerfall has magick, but lacks most modern amenities especially related to technology.

While Hannah and Kane do get their HEA at the end of this book, I’m excited to explore more of the other Kingdoms!