I have had this book on my tbr and when I got approved for it the other day, I made it my first read of 2025 and unfortunately this was just a mess. The tarot card was just a great concept but everything was so messy and disjointed and the protagonist did not read like an adult woman. So disappointed.

I had to DNF this. It just wasn’t for me. The premise with the tarot cards sounded so unique and intriguing but this aspect of the story didn’t connect for me. I strongly disliked the FMC and unfortunately just, couldn’t push through. Such a bummer because again, the premise sounded so cool.

For my first book of 2025 I choose to read The Empress by Kristin Cast which is a new romantasy that comes out January 7th. This is the story of Hannah who goes for a tarot reading and ends up with magick that takes her to another realm. There she stumbles around and almost gets killed several times, but is saved each time by Kane, a broody protector of the realm. After all of the excitement she just wants to get home so she hatches a plan that requires a fake marriage and infiltrating the palace. This story is fast paced and the world building of Towerfall is beautifully done. Definitely a book you should add to your 2025 tbr!

it definitely wasn't awful. it wasn't as good as i expected tho. read as very YA or even middle grade in terms of character development, and i found the plot a bit generic. still, it's serviceable. 3.5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Unfortunately this is a no for me. I love books surrounding the occult and different aspects of it, such as tarot and was so intrigued by this premise of the arcana cards being real. I don't feel this fits into the advertised romantasy style, it's more of a romance in a fantasy world and has classic elements of being a rom-com. I had high hopes when she was transported to another realm but ultimately the characters and world building fell flat. The side characters were not at all compelling and didn't add anything to the story. the tone of the story was feminist but misogynistic somehow and had very odd overtones for the conventionally expected gender roles.

Hannah is having a rough go of it - work isn't going well, her boyfriend was just caught cheating on her, and her NYC apartment is a glorified closet. When she finds a tarot card in the snow, she finds herself sucked into the world of Towerfall, an alternate realm in which magic is real and those who wield it are seen as enemies to the crown. Hannah is saved by Kane, who just happens to be someone who can control magic, and so begins a tale of mistaken identity, emotional turmoil, and finally finding out where you fit in.

While I loved the idea of this story, I do not feel that it was executed as well as it could have been. The decisions that Hannah made were consistently in contrast to her own good and Kane's fascination with her never felt justified. I loved the world of Towerfall, but I feel that it would have been done more justice with a stronger female lead.

3.5 rounded.

Thank you to Kristin Cast, NetGalley, and Sourcebooks for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

After an awful day at work and a terrible exchange with a guy she thought she was exclusive with, Hannah is nearing a breakdown. Her situation goes from bad to life-threatening when the tarot card she picks up in the snow suddenly transports her to a different realm, full of medieval archetypes and forbidden magic. Her only chance to return home is hidden within the palace of the Kingdom of Pentacles, alongside outcast Kane, who is handsome and secretive, and her fake-husband for their plot.

This was sort of like a romcom set in a historical romance with a trace of fantasy. I love tarot and while the name and description lead one to believe the Arcana will be an active part of this book, I felt like it was severely lacking. The characters were fun, and the ideas were novel, but I had a hard time buying some character motivations and choices.

Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book! The Empress publishes January 7, 2025.

A start to a new romance series starring the most annoying Gen-Z-er ever. Hannah has had the worst day ever when she gets sucked into the realm of Towerfall and learns that she has to save it from imploding. Of course there's a handsome brooding hero but the true message here is that Hannah can save herself.
Hannah and Kane Blackthorne, requisite brooding dark hero, fall in love and must figure out a way to save the realm of Towerfall. But does Hannah actually belong there or back in Chicago in the "real" world? Also, can we stop adding a K to the end of magic? It's really pretentious.
Their story was finalized rather tidily so I assume this series is going to star other characters in the next novel. I do hope they are not as irritating as this protagonist.

*Special thanks to NetGally and Bloom Books for this digital e-arc.*

I am sure this book will find the right reader, but it just wasn’t for me. The main character, Hannah, feels so shallow and annoyed the heck out of me through the entire book. I also really didn’t like the whole “good girl” spicy routine—ick. This reads like a Harlequin novel dressed up as a romantasy, but the world building and character development isn’t there.

DNF at 42%
This was ok but I wasn’t invested. I think the marketing for this one had a lot to do with this book not meeting expectations. I had One Dark Window vibes from the description but this book was very light and romcommy. Also the tarot influence the description gives is almost non existent. At 40% only one reading and one card really has anything to do with the plot.

I think this book will be loved when in the hands of the right reader. I really enjoyed Hannah's sass and banter with Kane, but ultimately decided not to finish the book. The "good girl" sexual relationship budding between Hannah and Kane was just not for me. I did feel that Hannah's character was a bit unrelatable as she went from very nervous in the pitch meeting to not listening to Kane when he was trying to keep her from harm where I feel like this defiance was at ends with the anxious part of her. I was really hoping to enjoy the rest of the book, but unfortunately I don't see myself picking it back up anytime soon.

Hannah is in a rut. Her work and personal life are not going as planned. After a self help book inspires her visit to a tarot reader, Hannah is unintentionally swept into another realm where magik is real, a kingdom is in peril, and a mysterious hot guy may or may not be her brooding knight in well-fitted trousers.

This is ultimately a novel that is about a woman who is a bit lost in life finding her inner strength and value. The way she finds that path felt to me at times a bit rocky, manufactured and hokey. I do expect a bit of that in these types of romances, but this time it was a bit too much. Overall a great premise to the novel and a fun setting, I just didn’t connect with the protagonist. 2 stars.

Review based on a digital Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by Sourcebooks Bloom Books and NetGalley. Thank you!

This seems like a great, fluffier option for those who want something that gives Outlander vibes but with much more of a focus on the fantasy and magic side of things!

While Kane and Hannah do seem to fall for each other rather quickly, it works for the story and it feels quite realistic when Hannah (whose life has been pretty unlucky and on the struggle bus in our world) takes AGES to accept that her fate in Towerfall is where she's meant to be (plus her culture references are a great laugh!).

I'm excited to see where the series goes from here!

This was definitely a 'read for the vibes' book, and I had a good time with it if I don't think about it too hard. I liked that that fantasy world was based around tarot, and I'm definitely intrigued enough to read more in this setting. The FMC, Hannah, definitely experienced a lot of growth throughout the novel, and I think we all know someone who rambles when their nervous, and that's 100% Hannah. I did end up really enjoying her character even if I was mentally screaming at her just to shut up for her own sake in the beginning. Kane was the perfect hot, broody fantasy book boyfriend. I kind of pictured him like Zorro?? idk something about the cloak and the horse put that mental image in my head. He was a consummate
tease, and I loved the flirty banter. I read this one in two sittings, and overall would recommend for portal fantasy lovers not looking for something too deep.

Can we just take a moment to admire this gorgeous cover! THE EMPRESS is a Romantasy read that takes place in a mirror world with a medieval vibed setting and features characters based on tarot cards. There’s political plotting, spice, and magic.

𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦-𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘧𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘬—𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭. 𝘛𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭.

The Empresss was a light and overall engaging read for me. The MMC is all things dark and morally grey, and he has a bit of a sassy mouth on him too. 🤭
I had a harder time connecting with the FMC who felt more like a YA character. The world of Towerfall was fascinating with all the tarot references and touches of magic, but I would have liked to see more development to it. The intrigue, danger, and spice kept me turning the pages.

➻ 𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐁𝐑 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
Romantasy
Tarot Inspired Magic
Mirror Worlds
Curse Breaking
Fake Marriage
Light World Building
Morally Grey MMC
Spice

This book was so unique and fun to read!

First of all, I love the take on tarot magick in “The Empress”. It was a refreshing view on magick in the genre and I feel like that really helped pique my interest in the book. It was neat to see how the tarot magick played a role in the world of Towerfall and also in the real world the FMC, Hannah, comes from.

Overall, the writing of this book was well done. I found myself getting lost in the descriptions of the world and the people, which made it easy to see the clear differences in the realms that Hannah was experiencing. There was plenty of banter and moments that made me giggle and blush 😏, as well as wonderful descriptions and many interesting characters. Shadow is probably the best character, tbh.

The array of characters was lovely. Some were very humorous, others very lovable. Ahem, Kane. 😏. Honestly Hannah was the only character I struggled to like and find redeeming qualities in. She spent most of the book in denial about herself and her role in Towerfall. She felt extremely shallow and had very little depth. But, she is relatable in the sense that she seems to be just surviving the world. Cuz same girl. We all hanging by a thead 🫠😂

As for the flow of the story, it was a little hard to keep up with. It felt rushed, especially in the end, and I went from really loving this book to kind of just being disappointed. Which is why I gave it 3 stars. It had so much potential and interest and then so much happened at the end and it felt like it was a race to the close.

I would love to get more of Towerfall in the future and hope that Kristin plans to return to this world. There is so much potential and many more adventures to be had!

The dedication really set the tone for this book, and let me know right away that I was going to like it. From page one the story was — wonderfully — absurd. It didn’t take itself to seriously and was genuinely funny, making for such a fun read. It sort of reminded me of the vines of Assistant to the Villain with a modern portal fantasy twist.

As a tarot lover, I adored the way that the magic of tarot was used. It was so original and creative while still holding true to the art of tarot.

The Empress by Kristin Cast has a unique world and seductive. I unfortunately did not connect with the FMC, which hindered my reading experience. I enjoyed Kristin's writing style and generally enjoyed it.

This was a fun read! The fantasy, romance, and suspense threads of the plot were well balanced and the characters well developed.

Unfortunately this was a dnf at 33%. I really wanted to like the book. I thought the cover was stunning and I thought that the premise sounded really interesting but unfortunately I could not get through it. I just did not like the main character and how much she complained about not having her phone. In the short bit I read it was brought up so many times. I feel like yes we as a society use our phones a lot but most people would be fine without it, especially if they knew that they were in an alternate universe world where it wouldn't work anyway. I also just could not get myself to like the romance. Kane is a very stereotypical dark and brooding male lead that we keep getting now but he also just kept saying these one liners to Hannah that just made me cringe. They were supposed to be sexy and Hannah was feeling them but I thought they were boring and were making the development of the twos relationship move way too fast.