The writing in this one felt a little bit juvenile which made it hard for me to get into this story. I was also very uncomfortable with the first few chapters which definitely made my enjoyment a lot lower.

I originally requested this book because it was coming up as our February discussion for a book club I am a member of. When I read the description, it seemed interesting enough: I love romantasy, I haven't read one where the tarot is involved, and it had a pretty cover (that always gets me). That being said, it just unfortunately was not for me. It felt a little too rushed and it lacked the world building I was looking for. I also wish that the description matched the tone of the book a little better. If its a rom-com and that was shared with me going in, I may have had different expectations. Ultimately, I did not finish the book, but I do believe that it is because of my own personal preferences. Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, The Empress by Kristin Cast just didn’t work for me. I was incredibly excited to read it, especially because I was a huge fan of the House of Night series when I was a teenager, as well as the Divine series. Those books really left an impression on me back then, so I had high hopes for The Empress given Kristin Cast’s established writing style. However, this book just didn’t land the way I expected it to.

One of my main issues with the book was the main female character. I found her to be almost childlike in a way that made it hard for me to connect with her. Her actions and dialogue often came across as immature, which was particularly jarring in a book that was intended for a more mature audience. The way she behaved and expressed herself felt more fitting for a younger character, which made it difficult for me to take her seriously.

Another point that I found frustrating was the writing itself. At times, the prose felt overly simplistic, almost juvenile, which made me question whether I was reading a YA novel rather than an adult one. There were moments when the FMC's dialogue and internal thoughts felt more suited to a younger audience, which only heightened the sense of disconnect I felt. I began to wonder if I was misjudging the book, as the language and tone often didn’t align with the expectations I had for an adult fantasy.

I managed to get through the first 8 chapters, but by that point, I couldn’t continue. The combination of a childish FMC and writing that didn’t seem to match an adult fantasy left me feeling frustrated and disconnected. Unfortunately, The Empress didn’t meet my expectations.

I really loved this book. A new favorite author, adult, romance, fantasy, interesting blurb and a beautiful cover. The world-building was lush, the fmc's life is not going well at the moment and she finds herself out of the modern world and into a fantasy world after seeing a tarot card. She meets this warrior who kidnaps her to save her and help her heal. They are instantly attracted to each other she agrees to pretend to be married to him so she can escape the modern world. The best part about this world is the magic system and the interconnecting realms and Doppelgängers. I would have loved to see more delving into the magic and read more of the magick in this world. I really enjoyed the characters as they were introduced, especially the side characters and their mirrors

I had a hard time with this book. The premise is fantastic and hooked me from the start. It felt very similar to Long Live Evil in idea but I was curious to see how Cast would place her own spin on the idea.

I was a bit disappointed honestly, Hannah as a character was hard to handle. Her decisions were rash and unreasonable. There were a number of times where she would lash out and make decisions that should have gotten her killed - it’s surprising they didn’t! It felt like instead of having her grow into her own, she goes from unlikable to slightly more likable?

The romance was very insta-love as well, Kane was fine, but I didn’t really buy their full relationship and the drama they went through was due to Hannah being rash.

I liked the premise and the world building was interesting, but everything on the character front fell flat. Even the side characters were not immune from miscommunication drama!

Overall, if you’re looking for a spicier version of Long Live Evil, you might enjoy this one.

Sadly, not for me.

This style of worldbuilding was not for me, and I just never ended up liking the main character. Things did pique my interest a little bit more towards the end, but it wasn't enough to redeem the story.

The romance (or spice) kind of grossed me out.

I see that the description is comparing this to books by Scarlett St. Clair, and I dnf'd the only Scarlett St. Clair book I've ever tried to read, so this is probably good for fans of that style, but that is not me.

I've loved Kristin Cast since devouring Marked in high school. I am so happy to see more of her works, and I hope she ventures more into the adult space in the future.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and honest it shall be.

I’m giving this book more than one star because I loved the tarot world idea. The idea was good, the execution not so much. The plot had a ridiculous amount of holes, and the characters got frisky in the weirdest of moments and timings in a dangerous context - and while that’s normally fun in a book like this, in this one it was just confusing and distracting.

I could recognize attempts to make this story somewhat like Outlander, but it was heavy handed. I did not find the writing compelling and the romantic tension didn’t build well. I finished it so I could give it a fair chance and a fair review, but I was really disappointed because I wanted to like it.

There’s a few moments when the plot twist did not make sense to me at all, and it was very confusing to understand what the author implied was obvious. Also, the language used was strange - the main character travels from the present and uses colloquialisms from our day and age and somehow the people around her don’t ask questions to understand what those words mean almost at all. There’s an acknowledgement she speaks a little funny but that’s about it.

All the other books I’ve had the luck to read for free through NetGalley have been awesome but this one was by far the worst. Would not recommend.

What a disappointment. The premise had so much to live up to and I wanted more of the mystery/adventure but was given a teenage (yes I know she isn’t a teenager) love story with someone who isn’t confident at all and frustrates me through the whole book. It was like watching a horror movie when the teens continue to make obvious mistakes and ignore the truth in front of them. Eesh.

For a book classified as adult, it read incredibly immature. Yet, the romance is very instalove/lust and very adult. It makes the reading experience frustrating because, due to the content, I can't say it's YA but I hesitate to recommend it as an adult romantasy. I was excited to read a romantasy based on tarot, as a tarot reader and lover myself. This just feels like a story I'd have enjoyed more if a friend was telling me about it rather than a book I'd have enjoyed reading myself.

This book had such an interesting premise but it felt like the plot kept getting lost and forgotten in favor of touring gardens and having tea with a friend and Hannah lusting after Kane.

They were supposed to be trying to fix what was wrong but they never seemed to be working towards that goal.

I felt like Hannah was one of the most unlikeable FMCs I've met. What could have been a great growth arc about someone who lacks confidence really coming into her own felt more like a teen with an attitude. She didn't try to understand or really want to play the part. Instead she went from weak and clutching her self help book to being snappy and brash, and then back to weak. Meanwhile, Kane seemed to exist as some sort of thirst trap knight for her. He didn't empower her in anyway, didn't help her grow, just wanted her to don the pretty dresses and play the role of the wife. Somehow they fall in love when they really don't spend that much time together, don't talk, and when they are together he's either telling her not to trust anyone or they are just lusting after each other. And not to yuck what others like, but the pomegranate thing was just no. The intimate scenes seemed to be there just to make the book spicy and not really to grow their relationship.

And the way she saves everyone? How was that special? I was waiting for her to get some magic or some other ability. Instead we get a cat fight with the mean girl and lots of yelling.

This could have been so good. But it felt like the author was assigned a plot but wanted to write a different story.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I thought the concept was really interesting and I see so much potential for a huge, shared world. This book felt very much like if Alice in Wonderland was mashed up with the STARZ version of The 10th Kingdom…not quite as spicy and bloody as you’d see on HBO, but definitely not something you’d see on network tv.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into this book. I’ve never read anything by Kristin Cast (though I’ve heard of her) so I wasn’t sure what her writing style was like. To be totally honest, it was the cover that drew me in first then the book blurb. I’m fascinated by tarot and I do enjoy a good portal fantasy, even better when it’s a romantasy. Bonus points for taking place in Chicago, as I lived there for 4 years and it’s always nice to read about a place you’re familiar with…I’m just glad I wasn’t actually dealing with those cold ass Chicago winter days/nights.

So, I initially thought this was a standalone book…which actually lowered my opinion of the material. I felt like there was a lot of information missing and couldn’t figure out how we were going to get a well rounded, fully fleshed out story with a satisfying conclusion in such a short amount of time. Once I found out that there will be more stories in this world my opinion changed. I still feel like portions of the book could have been explained better and fleshed out much more, especially at the beginning but knowing we have the chance for more world building and more explanation of the tarot-based world made my opinion rise.

I enjoyed the dynamic between Hannah and Kane. They had that fun, sarcastic flirty banter that a lot of romantasy books do so well. There wasn’t anything ground breaking or too original about them, but if you enjoy that type of dynamic, you’ll be a happy camper.

This was definitely more on the lighter side of things minus the first part of the book. I definitely felt for Hannah. Like I said earlier. I did like this book, but I felt like it could have been expanded upon and fleshed out a lot more, especially in the beginning. Maybe I missed it, but I don’t remember why Hannah was basically “the chosen one” to save the kingdom in the first place. Was ever explained?

I loved this book. The characters were so much fun to follow and the world building was wonderful. The cover is gorgeous and caught my eye instantly and so I was so happy I got it because it was a fun read

I enjoyed reading The Empress. The spin on Tarot Cards was intriguing to me and the two main characters I found to be rather fun to read.
It’s a different story which I really enjoyed but somehow I expected more.
I definitely recommend reading if you like romance, fantasy, and delving into a different world.

This is billed as an adult novel however it reads like a YA novel. The female lead character is very juvenile in her behavior throughout the 3/4 of this book. I had a hard time finishing it. The ending was much better and actually saved the book for me but getting there was difficult. The male lead character is better written than the female but isn't as developed as the female.

I loved the concept of this book. A fantasy world based on the tarot deck is a fantastic idea. I would love to know more about the other kingdoms. The travel from modern day to a different realm is unique. This series has a chance if they rebrand them as YA if I had different expectations of this book I still may not have liked the female lead but I would have understood her behavior more.

Like the MMC, our FMC wasn’t my favorite. The story has a very interesting premise, would have loved to see/know more about the tarot card history and the world the FMC entered.

Overall this was a flirty fun and quick read. A great modern fantasy with plenty of tarot references. Great for a palette cleanser between heavier fantasy reads.

The Empress is a hilarious and heartwarming story of adventure, friendship, and love where you least expect it. I requested this book from NetGalley based on the premise of tarot and life intertwining in a real and active way. It did not disappoint.

Hannah feels like she cannot get anything right and is always playing second fiddle to others - at work, in relationships, everything. She decides to follow the advice of a self help book, which leads her to a mystical shop and a tarot reading that goes incredibly wrong. Or is it incredibly right? After finding her boyfriend (who "didn't realize" they were committed) she proceeds to run from her problems. Straight into another dimension. What follows is a series of events wherein Hannah begins to realize that maybe, just maybe, who is she is, is exactly who she is meant to be.

Hannah is a difficult character to like initially. But at the same time, she is SO real. And when we expect our fictional characters to be perfect, that can be hard to read. In so many ways, she reminded me of a younger me - insecure, unsure, and jumping into things headfirst to hid that insecurity and uncertainty. I actually set the book down about 25% of the way in, thinking there was no way I could finish it. But I hate DNF'ing an ARC and then trying to give it a fair review, so I pushed through, and I'm glad I did.

It took me a minute to get into this book, partly because of Hannah, but I have also been a in book slump/funk lately and by the end I was pulled out of that and thoroughly enjoying myself. This story mixes some steamy romance (2-3 open door scenes) with beautiful friendships, compassion, and self-discovery.

World Building: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ (4.5) - I would have loved to have seen more explanation of the magic system, but it wasn't entirely central to the plot and it didn't *need* more explaining. I just wanted more!

Character Development: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I loved the development of both the main and the side characters in this story. Seeing each person truly find themselves was a fun part of the journey

Predictability (lack of): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5 - You knew it was leading to an HEA. How you got there, however, was an adventure!

Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - a little rocky at times, but overall well executed.

Spice: 🌶️🌶️ (1.5-2) 2-3 Open door scenes, one pretty explicitly detailed. These fit into the story nicely and did not pull you out of the plot. There were also a few references to open relationships and some BDSM references that made sense in context.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5) - This was a fun book to read overall and I would love to see more in this world!

TW/CW: Death, murder, attempted murder, attempted public execution, poverty, bullying, a few references to open relationships, some BDSM references, as well as instance of sexual harassment.

The Empress by PC Cast is the first book in a new series called Towerfall. This book definitely felt like a lot of world building and at times, felt hard to follow. I do like the thought behind the story and think the next book could be quite good now that the context has been set. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Hannah’s life is a mess—cheating boyfriend, failed work pitch, and a tarot card that transports her into a medieval world where magic is real and she’s accused of witchcraft. Enter Kane, a brooding ex-knight who reluctantly helps her navigate this dangerous new reality.

The tarot concept hooked me instantly, and the mix of modern humor and fantasy was so unique. Hannah’s relatable awkwardness and Kane’s protective, grumpy vibe made their dynamic so fun. The world-building was immersive, and the fake marriage and forced proximity tropes added great tension.

If you love a modern twist on fantasy with plenty of heart, don’t miss this one! Can’t wait for the sequel.

Thanks NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books.