Blood and Empire is the first installment of a brand new high political fantasy series that truly delivers.

If your style of fantasy is Game of Thrones and Wheel of Time, with lots of political intrigue with an interesting magic system, Blood and Empire is going to be the new series for you.

I just completed book one, and I found myself incredibly enjoying all the POVs of Julian, Bethany, Kendrick, and Zhuana (her being my favorite) throughout book one's journey. While I really hoped we would get more action than we initially got, Book One is definitely doing its part in setting the scene for everything to come to a head in the next installment. There were moments that I felt some of the POVs lacked in certain chapters; Zhuana’s continuously felt strong for me. Each of these individual characters had a unique voice that I appreciated, because it can be easy to lose someone in the constant shuffle of characters coming and going from the board, but Maxwell effortlessly creates a space for each to exist.

Blood and Empire is filled with a rich backstory that you would hope to find in your next high fantasy read. Everything felt flushed out with the magic system used between the Diviners being one of the most unique I’ve read in some time, and one I enjoyed learning about.

The only reason this isn’t a complete five-star read for me is simply because certain chapters would fall a little flat for me. Where I would become intrigued and excited for what was coming next, and would it go to another chapter or POV, and it just didn’t feel compelling enough for the story. The ending of this first book was a great cliffhanger, which wasn’t much of one, but it simply just made you excited to truly start the next book, which I hope to do soon!

Thank you to Netgalley and Everlast for this advanced readers copy!!

James Maxwell (https://jamesmaxwell.com) is the author of more than a dozen novels. Blood and Empire was published last March and is the first book in his Gateway Saga series. It is the 22nd title I’ve completed reading in 2025.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to minor scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as PG.

Zhuana Arianus becomes queen of Veldria at seventeen when her father dies after a riding accident. She is forced to flee as the Druadan lay the groundwork to take the throne even before the king has passed.

Years later, the rumored Blackness, a strange plague, is approaching. All retreat before it. Queen Zhuana must lead her people from their city and escape. It becomes a long, difficult road for them all, including sixteen-year-old Prince Garric. They head towards the Everlast, the capital of the Empire.

Young seamstress Bethany Sylvana dreams of becoming a diviner, one of the select few able to navigate the mysterious gateways that bind the Empire together. However, she lacks both the necessary wealth and education. Thanks to Charlton, a cleric she has become friends with, she has a chance. Following his guidance and books he has loaned her, she prepares herself for the School of Divination exams. The only other only has her mother, and her mother is in failing health.

Then Bethany meets Charlton, a cleric, who offers her books and guidance, and she glimpses a life she had thought unreachable. Her problems grow, however, when her ambitions draw attention and her father re-enters her life, confronting her with a past she still needs to come to terms with.

Emperor Rigel Regus Livius had fathered Bethany, but only she and her mother knew of this secret. Now, he surprisingly reaches out to her and arranges for her to be granted entry to the School of Divination, even though she had marginally failed the entrance exam.

As invasion threatens the Empire, intrigue and betrayal plague the Emperor’s court. Bethany struggles to learn the skills needed to become a diviner. She must also be aware of the currents of distrust and the many plots that flood the capital.

Lord Kendrick Conway is a knight and is well known as the savior of Curran Castle. Many want him to take a more active role there, but he hates the busy capital. Bethany, having passed all of the trials, is chosen to become the House Diviner for the Conways. This appointment attaches her to one of the most powerful families in the Empire.

Will she be able to help save the Empire? Will she survive the many plots?

I enjoyed the 8+ hours I spent reading this 351-page fantasy. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

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"Blood and Empire" delivers a gripping blend of high-stakes political intrigue and intense military action. James Maxwell crafts a richly detailed world with complex characters and a fast-paced plot that keeps you hooked. While some plot elements feel familiar, the strong character development and immersive storytelling make it a compelling read for fans of epic sci-fi and space opera. Definitely worth diving into for those who love layered conflicts and moral ambiguity.

I had a really hard time getting into this book. I think it was a bit too descriptive, though I did like the premise.

The writing and way of forming this world is great. I just think it unfortunately was not for me at this time. I DNFed at 40%.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for digital access to this book for this review. Blood and Empire kicks off the series with high stakes, solid worldbuilding, and a surprisingly emotional core. James Maxwell drops you into a world shaped by power, shifting loyalties, and uneasy alliances, and the pace never really lets up—in a good way. The plot is tightly woven, and there’s a nice balance of action, strategy, and character work throughout.

I especially appreciated that the characters felt complex right out of the gate. There’s clear setup for growth, but they’re not just placeholders waiting for the story to happen—they’re already making hard choices, and the consequences feel real.

My only minor critique is that at times I wanted the story to breathe a bit more. Some scenes could have used a little more space to land emotionally. But overall, this is a sharp, well-written opening that hooked me from the beginning. I’m definitely in for book two.

Amazing start to a series. I love the epic high fantasy with politics mixed in. The world building is fantastic, the characters felt fleshed out, multiple POV, and the writing is descriptive. It was like watching a movie because I was reading so quickly.

This is a great solid book from James. The best thing about this book is you know what you're getting. There are always puzzles hidden within the book for you to figure out.

Bethany goes from her simple roots to what appears to one of the most powerful characters in the book. There are threads of power and war which run alongside each other beautifully.

This is a book that keeps you up way past your bed time!

Can't wait for the next one!

3.5 🌟

The cover is gorgeous, that’s what initially hooked me. I like the writing for the most part, though the 4 different POVs threw me off. I was thinking we’d primarily get Bethany’s story, and we did, but it was a little rough for me to be jumping between all the mains, even though they all end up connecting.

The world build-up was decent, at least in regards to how the gateways work around the land. It was a good build up to a continuation of the series, however, I don’t think I’ll be moving forward. While the world and conflicts were cool, and the Diviner magic was intriguing, I just don’t feel invested in these characters. I will attempt James Maxwell’s other books though!

Thank you NetGalley and Everlast Books for the eARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Everlast Books for this eCopy to review

From the moment I stepped into the world of Blood and Empire, I was completely enthralled. James Maxwell delivers a sweeping epic fantasy filled with ambition, sacrifice, and the fight against destiny.

The story follows Bethany, a young seamstress who dreams of becoming a diviner—one of the select few able to navigate the mysterious gateways that unite the empire. But without wealth or education, and raised solely by her mother, her aspirations seem impossible. When she meets Charlton, a cleric who offers her books and guidance, she glimpses a future she never thought attainable. However, her ambitions soon draw dangerous attention, and when her estranged father reappears, she is forced to confront a past she has long tried to forget. As invasion threatens the empire and betrayal spreads through its highest circles, Bethany must master both powerful forces and herself to confront the darkness within her own bloodline—and save the empire from itself.

Maxwell’s storytelling is rich and immersive, weaving together intricate world-building, political intrigue, and compelling characters. The magic system is fascinating, and Bethany’s journey is both inspiring and heart breaking. The pacing keeps the tension high, making it impossible to put the book down.

Blood and Empire is a gripping, beautifully crafted fantasy that sets the stage for an unforgettable saga. If you love epic fantasy with strong heroines, deep lore, and high-stakes adventure, this book is an absolute must-read.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed most of the book! The characters were very developed and there was some very good action scenes. However, it did not suck me into the world like many other books have. The world building could’ve been more descriptive but overall, I liked it!

Blood and Empire is a powerful start to The Gateway Saga, balancing sweeping world building with deeply human emotion. It’s perfect for readers who love complex heroines, intricate plots, and fantasy that doesn’t shy away from tough choices and darker truths.

Blood and Empire promised war, betrayal, and epic fantasy vibes and kinda just… plodded.

I went in expecting action, political scheming, maybe a morally grey character or two. What I got was a slow burn without the burn, flat characters, and a lot of info-dumping that made my eyes glaze over more than once.

The pacing was off, the dialogue felt a bit stiff, and I never really clicked with any of the characters (which is a problem when you’re supposed to care if they live or die). There were some decent moments and the world had potential, but it got buried under all the filler.

Basically: I finished it, but I wouldn’t fight anyone for book two.

2 stars not the empire I was hoping to bleed for.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5

This was a well written and entertaining book that I'm sure will improve more with the second book set to come out this year as well. The pacing was done well with good action scenes and character development. It does start off rather slow at first, but it does pick up later on. Some parts of the story did feel slightly incomplete, but I have a feeling we will learn more about those parts in the upcoming book.

I enjoyed this. Not the most well written one book but the simple writing kept my attention on the plot. The really annoying thing was the shift in characters happened at too abrupt spots. Just when you wanted to find out what happened next, the narrative shifted. I usually dislike books like that but the story kept me interested enough.
The pacing slows down in the middle, but it was needed for world building and seemed unavoidable.
I ll defintiely read the next book in the series but if the jarring switches of POV( switches on a cliffhanger) happen i might not read the third in the series. A cautious 3.75 rounded up to 4

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for access to this ARC 📚.

🔥Quick Fire Review🔥

Genre/Themes: 🏛️⚔️🧙🏻‍♂️🔮⌛️📜
Tropes: World-Ending Threats, Countdown to Destruction, Magical Academy, Oblivious to Love, Socially Inferior, Ancient Settings, Secret Heir, Knights, Complex Political Systems, Female Warriors, Supernatural Abilities, Wise Old Mentor, War Between Kingdoms
Positives ✅ : overall good use of multi-POVs, engaging plot aspects, interesting world building
Room for Improvement 🔎 : characterisation somewhat lacking, after-thought romance sub-plot, some slow parts
Rating: 🌕🌕🌕

✍🏻Full Review - RISK OF SPOILERS 🛑

While this story had all the elements for something I’d really be in to, and objectively there are good things about this book, I can’t say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think this was mostly down to the characters and the writing style. Some parts felt like a bit of a drag, and while I’m sure the continuation of the story would be interesting I can’t say I’d rush out to read part two.

Characterisation:
The story follows four POVs. Bethany, a seamstress’ daughter who dreams of becoming a sorcerer called a Diviner, somebody who can teleport through ‘gateways’ across their planet by manipulating the cosmos. Zhuana, a queen of a far southern city who must rule following her father’s death, much to the disappointment of some of the nobles. Julian, the prince of the Eternal City, who is desperate to be named heir to his father but is deeply unpopular following his manslaughter of a noble’s son. And Kendrick, a respected but semi-retired warrior who is deeply involved in maintaining alliances between two legions due to his marriage.
My favourite POV was by far Bethany, but as was the common theme across all of these main characters, I didn’t find her particularly likeable. She is very intelligent, but struggles socially. She is fiercely loyal to her mother, but is also lying to her by secretly working for her father, the leader of the Eternal City. When it comes to him, she is a pushover. Most likely desperate for his validation, especially as he consistently reinforces her feelings of imposter syndrome. While reading her journey through the academy was interesting, she as a character didn’t grab my interest in the same way. Her dialogue was basically the same style as most of the other characters, sometimes stilted and unnatural and full of exposition - again a common theme across the board - and she didn’t have a sense of humour to make me like her. Her ‘romance’ with Xander was a complete afterthought and had no build up whatsoever, adding nothing to the story or developing either of them as characters. Her friendships with Xander and Carina were vague and superficial, and both of them were pretty one-dimensional supporting characters. Her relationship with Charlton was the most heartwarming of the book, with Charlton being a patriarchal figure for her. He was kind, encouraging and gentle. But… that was kind of it. We never learn why Charlton was so drawn to helping Bethany and her mother. Bethany’s mother was very much the same. Kind and warm, but not distinguishable enough for me to feel sad about her declining health or to feel scared about her being in peril.
Zhuana was, again, kinda boring. She is having to lead a whole civilisation to a new life following an attempted siege by a foreign invader, but later learns they are escaping something far bigger than all of them. She has to do this while knowing that one of her advisors, Maren Dresk, who tried to become heir instead of her after her father’s death, is constantly trying to undermine her authority in the hope of a successful coup. Zhuana always starts off trying to avoid violence where she can, but as soon as Dresk starts to manipulate the noble’s opinions and encourage violence she too takes this stance to regain a sense of authority, to make it look like she was the one who came up with these ideas all along. She was supposed to be ‘terrifying’ according to Julian, but again she just came across as a pushover to me.
Julian is another character desperate for the approval of others, but is yet another character wrapped around somebody’s finger. In his case it is his wife, Samara. Samara is by far the most intriguing character in the book, essentially being the mastermind behind all of Julian’s actions and secretly the puppet-master of the imperial court and its legions. She came across as scarier than Zhuana ever did, with her ability to smooth talk her way out of everything. Julian however just came across as impulsive, obsessive and power-hungry. Another unlikeable character.
Kendrick’s POV was the least interesting by a country mile, and I’m not convinced he even needed one. He’s supposed to be the wise, mature, patriarchal figure who is pretty grumpy about having to be involved in any politics. But all he really does is scold his kids, play both sides between his legion the Blacks and his wife’s legion the Blues and organise a festival to bring together all of the eligible knights or warriors in the land. I had to flick through the book again to remember his name, he was that unremarkable.

World-Building:
The world seemed to take a lot of its influence from the Ancient civilisations we know well, such as the Romans, the Egyptians and the Incans. The magical elements of the story, the Diviners, were interesting. I really liked the combination of physics and astronomy, and giving it a magical twist. The Academy was the part I enjoyed the most, but I felt the Diviner tutors and their abilities, the specialties that they taught, weren’t explored very much. The Diviner’s existence is shrouded in secrecy after the gateways were found abandoned by a previous civilisation, who left barely a trace of ever living in the Kingdom. I felt that because Bethany was a drop-out from organised education, and lived amongst the lower classes, we didn’t get to see the lifestyle of people like Xander or Carina who spent their childhoods being prepped for the academy. The magical elements of Zhuana’s people was explored less, namely Alric’s alchemy and his ability to make their warriors feel so little pain that they could continue fighting after being halved at the waist. I’d have enjoyed more of this, especially since Zhuana relies so heavily on Alric and his healing. The darkness and the black, scaled monsters plaguing the southern territories also appears to be a dark magic or supernatural aspect that again wasn’t explained very much in the sense that it wasn’t clear if magic like this has existed before. Is divination the only known magic in the world, or are there other types? The political aspects of the story were again very reminiscent of Rome, especially with the leaders who are essentially imperators with very Roman sounding names, the presence of factions, gladiators and an assembly. The architecture in the city sounded very similar to the forum, too. But I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that surrounding lands were of all different terrains, geographies and cultures to add variety into the world building.

Prose\Plot:
On the whole I thought the plot was engaging, and very clever in how all three POVs intricately linked together. I did find Kendrick’s POV quite boring though, and found myself skim reading it. The author’s prose reminded me of other epic fantasy writers I have read such as Brandon Sanderson or Anthony Ryan, in that there is rich and detailed descriptions for world building but characterisation and dialogue are much weaker. Too often I was told what a character’s personality was like rather than being shown. The parallel with Anthony Ryan was most obvious for me in that certain chapters dragged because of the over-explaining of architecture and settings, in a way that was actually detrimental rather than helpful and made it harder for me to visualise scenes in my head rather than make them more vivid. Overall I think this was a decent fantasy book but not unique enough to leave a lasting impression on me.

This book is the first in a new trilogy series and tells the story of three characters and storylines. The story begins with Zhuana, who loses her father the king at a young age and must find her way as the new leader of her kingdom while a darkness spreads across the land. The story also follows Bethany, a modest clothier's daughter who dreams of being a diviner, a skillfully trained wielder of time and space as she fights for her chance to live out her dream. We also follow Julian, son of the king of Everlast, during a time of political upheaval and unrest. Each character dreams of a greater future for themselves and those they care about. This first book sets the foundation as these characters move toward these dreams and the implications of their successes and failures.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and the foundation that was laid. I wouldn't say it was gripping as the cover states, but maybe that is to come. The pacing was good, the writing was good and the characters were both interesting and unique in different ways. I really enjoyed the characters Zhuana and Bethany - both intelligent, capable women, interesting women.

Some areas I thought could be better, were in the depth of the characters and their emotions. Their experiences felt surface level and because the story felt lower to me on the excitement scale, I found myself searching for something more intense I could grab onto. Again, this could be because it was the first book of the series, but I still missed it. I also struggled with the representation of women at times. For the most part, they were captured intelligently and well-rounded, but there were instances where it seemed the female characters were being sexualized disproportionately to the men which bothered me and felt unrealistic. There was a reference to sweat dripping down Zhuana's breasts at one point that was so unnecessary. And Samara is regularly objectified outside of scenes involving any intimacy (which would ideally involve intimacy and feelings relating to both characters). This was not the norm but it took me out of the story each time. The budding relationship in the story suffered most from this in that the female character wasn't depicted as having any sort of feelings toward the male character but yet there were indications of their relationship evolving. I think this could be improved to enhance the emotional impact and connectedness between the reader and the characters. I also noted a few typos throughout the story.

Thank you very much for the arc.

I enjoyed this book as the story had a brilliant plot and a good pace to it however I was not invested enough to connect with the characters within the story.
I would however continue to read the series as I did enjoy the idea of this

Blood and Empire by James Maxwell is an epic fantasy that introduces a unique magic system, blending intellect and mysticism. The story is told through multiple perspectives, with a strong focus on Bethany, a determined young woman trying to rise in a magical society. The world-building and political intrigue are engaging, and the complex power struggles keep things interesting. However, some characters and relationships feel a bit rushed or underdeveloped. The pacing is slow in the beginning, and a few plot points remain unresolved, making it feel more like a setup for the series rather than a complete story. Still, if you enjoy slow-burn fantasy with a rich world and intriguing potential, Blood and Empire is definitely worth the read.

Another great book from this author. The way in which the story developed alongside the plot. I was instantly intrigued with how this book progressed. There was many twists and turns that occurred within this book, it had got to point that I was constantly intrigued and wanted to keep reading as I didn’t want to put the book down. This was a very clever gripping story that with how the book ended I am intrigued to continue the series.