The Empress by Kristin Cast is a book that dives into a world of magic, power struggles, and unexpected twists. We follow Hannah as she navigates complex relationships and battles with her inner strength. Struggling with work and personal relationship she’s feels as though she is always at the bottom. That is until she ends up falling into another world via a tarot card. The world building was decent but sometimes felt that the pacing was off. Characters felt some what relatable, but pretty predictable. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read for fans of young adult fantasy looking for an intriguing story.

I had very high hopes for this book. I love the cover. I loved the description. I loved the world that was built. This book had so much potential, but it just wasn’t executed very well. The magic system was not well thought out. The use of the tarot cards seemed to just be a gimmick and wasn’t used very well. There were tons of plot holes. Nothing about the plot made any sense. The book was both fast paced and slow. The relationship needed to be more fleshed out. The relationship felt very rushed.

The writing itself is good. More time just needed to be spent on thinking out the plot, the relationships, and on character development.

I initially requested this book because I grew up reading P.C. Cast’s books. But this book fell very flat for me when it came to the story. I wanted a lot more in terms of romance and depth. It all felt very very rushed and was honestly immature. I’m not sure if I will continue the series.

The Empress by Kristin Cast is a fun romantasy based on the tarot. Hannah is sent back in time after facing issues with her job and relationship in the present day. There she meets Kane, the warrior who protects her, as she is the one fated to save their world. In a fake marriage, they go stay at the castle while Hannah tries to figure out how to get home and also save Towerfall. However, as she begins to fall for Kane, will she actually want to leave?

I thought this was a fun story with an interesting premise. I felt the characters could have been developed a bit more, but it was a creative story that kept me engaged until the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for access to an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to read this book, and it was an overall enjoyable story. I did have a good time.

The romance sadly did feel rather rushed and very heavy on the smut, which I usually don't mind but it just felt a little too forced and out of place for me. I enjoy when there is some build up to it and this felt rather rushed.

I gave it 3.5 overall because I did enjoy the book, but could have done without the sped up and unrealistic romance plot.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

3/5 stars

I SUPER enjoyed this book. I thought it was well researched and a lot of fun. I am quite interested in the tarot but can’t say that I know tons about it so those of you who know a lot may not love it quite as much.

Heavy on the spice and SUPER heavy on dirty talk.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for this ARC

Kristen Cast is a sweetheart when I had the privledge to meet her in person. She gave the pitch for the book and i immediately wanted to read it. She described as outlander but with tarot cards for magic. All of this rang true.

I loved the main male character. He was both broody and snarky. And even though the attraction was a bit rushed I still enjoyed his back and forth with the FMC.

I think where it may have fallen flat me was in the pacing of the book and how the female protagonist did not seem her age. I think she was just trying to describe her as quirky but the character seemed more immature than anything.

The pacing was a little odd in that it jumped into the story almost a little too soon. I had no idea who this woman was or what she necessarily really wanted. The world building was a little slow too. I wasn’t sure what was going on for quite sometime.

Overall, this was an OK read and I enjoyed parts of it and would recommend it to the right reader

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishing company for the opportunity to read this arc!
Things I really enjoyed in this book was the arranged marriage trope, the banter and the relationships. I also really liked the world and the Tarot aspects that were thrown in, it made it a unique part of the story.

Things I thought were a little weaker were the overall plot, when there was action it was good but it really dragged at certain parts. It didn't flow as well as I wanted it to. I also felt like there was not a lot of character development for Hannah, she kept making the dumbest decisions and it got really irritating. Although this is an adult book, it definitely reads more YA with the FMC.

I loved the premise of this book and the Tarot card aspect but I think it overall fell a little flat and was not executed as well as it could have been.

Don’t waste your time with this one. The FMC is whiny, one dimensional, and I couldn’t stand her. The MMC was also flat, and your typical “tall, dark and handsome” but it didn’t work with this one. Their romance was not believable AT ALL. I can tell the writer TRIED to make this enemies to lovers but….no. This wasn’t enemies to lovers. It had a promising start and a fart of a finish. If you want a “Outlander” type story…just read Outlander

The Empress had a lot of potential. It felt like it was multiple little parts that were just strong together quickly. The romance felt a little too fast and just in there to make the “smut” fandom happy. They had only known each other for three days before Hannah was in love and thinking of leaving her life for him. During the read, I felt like i was getting pieces and parts of the book, but definitely was some plot holes.

This is another book that I am not in agreement with the GoodReads review on. I am not sure why this is getting such low reviews! I first requested this book because 1. That cover is GORGEOUS 2. Kristin Cast's House of Night series was my pre-ACOTAR fantasy integration 3. Um, this plot sounded super cool! The book didn't let me down! Overall, this was a really cool premise and world I really enjoyed her modern beliefs being dropped into a renaissance era-esque time and seeing how that played out. The beginning was a bit slow given the world building but once the book picked up I couldn't put it down.

I'm so glad I took a chance and requested this from NetGalley based on the beautiful cover!

I originally requested this book because when I read the description I was immediately intrigued. I love the Fantasy Romance genre and have been reading it for years, While I have read books that I believe would fall into the paranormal fantasy genre that involve more "witchy" vibes like tarot, I haven't read one where it seems as though tarot is a major plot device. Based on the description I just thought it had so much potential. That being said, this story is unfortunately not for me. I felt as though it was somewhat a bit rushed rushed and the lack of world building or setting the stage for the story made it difficult for the book to keep my attention. That coupled with me personally finding the overall personality of the Female main character frustrating I ultimately, I did not finish the book. I believe that this decision to not continue with the book is because of my own personal preferences and expectations. Because I did not finish this book I will not be sharing an overall review on reader sites in effort to not turn other readers who may truly enjoy this book. Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

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.