Like others have said. This one is just ok. It was hard to stick with it. Took me about 2 weeks of forcing myself to pick it up to read to get through it. I always love Kristen Cast as a teenager. I feel like this feel short.

I was very excited to hear about a new Kristin Cast book with tarot based magic, after being a long time fan of both Kristin and P.C. Cast’s books. (I’m also still coming off the high of reading One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns, which was marketed similarly.) As a teen, I loved their books, such as the House of Night series and as an adult, P.C.’s Tales of a New World. I loved the worlds they built.

Nobody wanted to love this new series more than me, but I left feeling icky and more than disappointed. This felt like being part of an audience that grew up, and tried to maintain love for an author, whose stories didn’t mature with us.

To begin, I do feel I was the target audience. At a glance, I should’ve loved this. However, from page one you get a heavy dose of “New Age Spirituality” that prevented me from really feeling the “fantasy” aspect promised. The story felt problematic right out of the gate.

In the opening scenes of the book you have “sex magick” taking place in a metaphysical shop, that the fmc witnesses and can’t pry herself from watching, that set a predatory tone for the story. Consent, who? Those who have studied cults and cult recruitment tactics, are far too familiar with these types of rituals. You have a desperate and vulnerable fmc, willing to try anything to help herself and turn her life around…enter new age spirituality, and people willing to give her the answers. Ick.

If the story turned itself around in the second half, I wouldn’t know, because I couldn’t make it that far. I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stand the main character or the tones used to set the story.

The writing style didn't work for me 100%, but the world the author created was very interesting, and I'll likely check out the next instalment. The world was interesting, but I don't consider the world/world building to be complicated, so if you've been wanting to try romantasy but are intimidated by that, I think this would be a good book to dip your toe in with.

Let me start by saying the idea of using tarot cards as a plot device really excited me. I was giving Escaflowne vibes and that is one of my favorite amines. Yet, I really struggled with this story. It started out with the typical my life sucks and everything is going wrong because I don't have a backbone. I'm like okay we got to start somewhere.... Then we get to randomly talk about sex magic for no reason but other then to mention sex in my opinion. Then the main character gets to the fantasy world and suddenly this knight and shining armor decides he is going to protect this random girl no questions asked. The banter was okay but felt a little childish to me. These characters are supposed to be in their twenties but they were having conversations like a teenager. Then when they decide they are into each other, I feel like I'm in a modern day erotica book. Which just took me out of the fantasy world completely. I didn't feel the tension that these characters were feeling because it just felt like they suddenly were banging and then falling in love from banging. Maybe I'm bias because I wanted there to be more with this amazing idea of using tarot but I was left feeling like this was a hallmark movie for romantic fantasy. I finished the story thinking I didn't feel the need to read the next book in the series.

Such an intricate case of world building. I felt like there were a lot of things that stuck out as gratifying for an observant reader which made me happy

This was a really well done novel, it had that element that I was looking for from Kristin Cast and the type of book this was. The plot worked well overall and was engaged with what was happening with the world, the characters worked well overall and was hooked from the first page and was glad it worked. I always enjoyed getting to read books from Kristin Cast and enjoyed the tarot elements in this.

I absolutely loved this book! I am a huge fan of her House of Night series so I was thrilled to come across this.

While I really appreciate getting an ARC of this I could not push through anymore. I stopped at page 123 (about 30-40%).
I tried, I really did.

I couldn’t get over the FMC and lack of world building for me. The FMC was just really whiny and….i don’t even know how to describe her. She complained or second guessed everything. Then tried to act like she made big bold decisions on the regular. She is in another realm but doesn’t actually believe it…and puts herself in danger just because she thinks she can handle it excuse me miss you couldn’t handle a presentation in your world but can handle a full on quest in another realm?

**Thank you NetGalley for this e-ARC**

This is a solid 3* read for me. It is hard to exactly depict what made it a 3* and not a 4* read, but I will try my best to explain.

I am a huge fan of the “falling through time/into another dimension based on the past” trope, and The Empress started out really well and solid within this. The FMC was genuinely confused, aghast, and panicked as one would be if they fell through time. Somewhere along the way I felt like the FMC just…stopped caring about the fact she was back in time, and her lack of self-preservation and cultural acuity bothered me. It’s like her headstrong ways were just so out of place that they didn’t give me the “heck yes, strong female vibe” feel and instead left me annoyed.

I loved aspects of the plot, fell for the MMC and his backstory, but the FMC just ended up putting too much of a wrench in the timeline for me to love the novel fully.

In saying this, the ending was satisfactory, so all in all, 3 stars, possibly eeking into 3.5 territory.

I really wanted to like this book, but I could not finish it. I don't provide starred ratings for books I don't finish on Goodreads.

Even though it was marketed as an adult book, the main character read as very juvenile. Although I only made it about 25% of the way into the book, I had hoped that tarot would play more of a role in the worldbuilding and characters' motivations, but it seemed like the author had a very basic understanding of tarot that was used as a very flimsy framework for the plot.

In addition, the pacing was both glacial and warp speed, with the MFC and MC falling into bed with little prompting and some problematic dynamics that I couldn't come back from.

I've read some of this author's other works, and it very much falls in line with her typical style; if you're a fan of her other work, you'd likely enjoy this. However, I should have listened to my gut that this wouldn't be for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloom Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Hannah, a struggling young marketing professional finds herself in need of an urgent escape from her disappointing life and is transported to an alternate realm by a magical Tarot card.

Hannah lands in Towerfall and right into the middle of political unrest as well as the arms of a dazzlingly handsome warrior, Kane. Though banished from the kingdom, Kane suspects treachery is afoot and has vowed to protect the kingdom from those who wish it harm. Hannah and Kane must work together to save the kingdom and find a way to return Hannah to her own realm.

The premise of this book was promising and intriguing but, unfortunately, it fell flat for me. Though marketed as an adult book with relatively spicy scenes the work reads as incredibly juvenile. The FMC, Hannah, is blithering, self-sabotaging, and generally unlikable for most of the book. Her grating personality made her relationship with the MMC, Kane, seem completely frivolous and entirely sexual in nature. There was no well planned slow burn, just bizarrely placed sexual innuendo and flirtation that was ultimately just off-putting. I did appreciate the greater theme of generosity and philanthropic deeds overcoming wanton avarice but it was too little too late to save the book for me.

The Empress by Kristin Cast

I feel like the premise of this book was very interesting – a mixture of Caraval with romantasy but for adult readers? Sign me up! However, once you actually get into the story and the characters – it reads as if they were teenagers in high school, mixed with adult content – it does not bode well for the author. There were many pop culture references that left my cringing as I turned the page – it was very difficult to relate to the main character as a result. This book read like it was written to hit a checklist of tropes and I believe that is where the author lost me. The romance, which felt like the whole point of the book, lacked in every way, shape and form. If anything, the romance could have saved this book for me, however because of the rushed writing and insta love trope – this novel fell so flat for me. I am curious to read the author’s earlier works.

Anyways, thank you to the author for letting me read this book and introducing me to the Kristin Cast world.

This was fantastic and just what I needed to pick me out of a reading slump. It brought all the elements I need in a good fantasy and kept me turning the page. Kristin was a new to me author, and now I desperately need more.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the free ARC ebook.
I first read Kristin Cast's work in high school when I read her House of Night series that she wrote with her mom. I loved them! I was really excited to read this one when I got it. This one was a thrilling book with the perfect blend of fantasy, adventure and strong female leadership. She did well with the world building and I loved that the heroine/main character showed growth throughout. I really enjoyed reading this one!

super interesting premise and i always enjoy a book that includes different realms or worlds. the characters were unique and i liked that there was the concept of doubles in each world. definitely more romance than fantasy which wasn’t what i was expecting!

a good palette cleanser read that’s easy to follow and has lots of ups and downs. kane and hannah definitely have an insta love which i don’t usually love but it fit well in the fast paced story!

thank you so much to netgalley and bloom for this early copy!!

What an amazing read for the beginning of 2025. I am literally speechless. I have been such a big fan of Kristin's books since she cowrote House of Night series with her mom, and this book just speak volumes too. It had everything, magic, strong FMC and MMC, tension, traveling between different worlds. Pure perfection. I love how she wrote the main character Hannah, she is so bold. Also, Kane, omg he is such a great and swooning MMC. I loved the relationship that he had with Hannah from the beginning to the end of the book. One thing that I loved the most is the strength that Hannah had and she fought for what she believed in.

Going into this book I will be completely transparent I had pretty low expectations. While I am honored to be approved and willing applied for this book I have been pretty disappointed by the books Kristin has come out with since the ending of House of Night. The promise of a Romantasy mixed with the world of tarot is an intriguing lure I’m left with the same issue. Kristin has a knack for hilarious dialogue but just doesn’t build a world well and the characters just fall flat. Meeting Hannah, a down on her luck and just a miserable girl who just can’t catch a break magically being the key to saving the world of Towerfall just isn’t it. When she meets Kane. A basic paint by the numbers dark gruffy mysterious man
Just falls into the background of the Romantasy genre as uninspiring and just sad.
I will be honest, I was going to force myself to finish this book but just decided to focus on other books I would rather be reading.
I am thankful for the acceptance of the copy but just don’t see the point in wasting time on a book that just ain’t connecting.
Stopped at 60% Will give it a 2⭐️ just cause the dialogue had me giggling or it would have been a star.
Thanks for the folks at NetGalley and Bloom Books for a copy of this book. My review is a honest reflection of my feelings towards this book.

I really wanted to like this, but it is not my cup of tea. I found the FMC immature and hard to relate to. I didn't enjoy the insta-love and wished there was more relationship building between the two characters.

I could not get through this book. I thought I would love it with its tarot inspiration, its fake relationship trope, and a rough and tough bad boy MMC. But I could not. Hannah was annoying to me and unrealistic. Who wakes up in an unknown and dangerous world and within the first like 4 days (2 of which she was unconscious) is already concerned about getting a boyfriend? I felt like the "romantic tension" happen too quickly and made no sense. The story also was so slow. Half way in the book and she had only gotten sucked into a new world, met and drooled over the MMC, and made her way into the main town. I had so much hope for this one, but unfortunately not for me.

I tried so hard to read the Empress/get into this book, but I had to DNF it at about 25% because I couldn't deal with the main character, I was bored with the story, and I really disliked the writing style. I think if you're a fan of Kristin Cast's writing, you'll like this one. If I'm able to get the audiobook, I might try it again because I love the idea of tarot cards pulling you into another world, but I just couldn't do the ebook version.