I'd like to talk Penguin Teen for the opportunity to read an eARC of this upcoming release! Sadly, this one was a huge disappointment to me; I thought about DNFing it at around the 40% mark, and I honestly should have.

This was the worst world-building in a fantasy book that I've read in months. Now, I don't know if the people shelving this book as "high fantasy" have actually read it or if they're going off the misleading description. This is a weird, contemporary fantasy that takes places in the modern world... sort of. By that I mean there are cellphones, paparazzi, a mysterious state-controlled "newsfeed" that is frequently mentioned but never explained, helicopters, cars, boutiques filled with designer clothes, and guns. However, there is also a queen who is the ultimate ruler over an empire of 2 billion people (apparently she and/or her predecessors conquered many lands to create this empire, but shocker, everyone in the book is white). She throws balls and makes aspiring members of her Queensguard compete in the Queensgames, which are duels fought with swords. So yes, in order to be part of her modern-day army, who use guns, you need to prove your skills with a sword.

The elements that makes this seem like it might be a medieval fantasy setting are introduced in the first few pages and the modern elements come in later, which means you spend the first 20% of the book trying to figure out what the heck is happening here and what time period this story is set in. I can't tell you anything else about this empire because nothing else was explained. The magic system is the standard one with four elements - water, earth, fire, and air - and the only information we get about that is that earth magic can heal and fire magic sets things on fire.

I could forgive some of this poor world-building if the characters were interesting, but they were all annoying and exchanged a lot of stilted dialogue filled with "snarky" comebacks instead of actually communicating with each other. I was actually happy that Joss was interested in fashion and gossip instead of being "not like other girls" at the beginning of the book; unfortunately her only other personality traits were being a blabbermouth and a borderline alcoholic. The amount of times we were told that her greatest asset was her charming personality was astonishing, considering the fact that I'm hard-pressed to think of one character in this story who actually liked her. Besides the love interest, of course, a handsome rogue who spends the entire book being a total jerk to her until she falls for him. Seriously, these two had zero chemistry and the standard "distracted by the other person's mouth" scenes get old fast.

To sum it all up, the plot, relationships, characters, and magic system for this one were straight out of 2008. I also had high expectations for Morgan Rhodes, but you can save yourself some time and skip this duology.

I love the magic is evil trope and when paired with enemies to lovers, everything feels right.

Josslyn Drake, a privileged and snarky 17-year-old, knows three things about magic: it’s rare, illegal and always deadly. While attending the Queen's Gala, she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time as a thief attempts to steal a mysterious box. The botched robbery quickly turns Joss' life upside down, as she becomes infected with forbidden and dangerous magic. Worried she'll be executed for treason, Josslyn makes a deal with Blackheart criminal Jericho Nox, promising to give him the magic in exchange for extracting the magic from her body. As the two work together, Josslyn begins to discover the world isn't as black and white as she had been taught and begins to question what she thought she knew about magic, power, the empire, and even herself.

At the beginning I was enjoying the pace of the story, but as it progressed, I felt it moved very slowly. In other words, while I loved the concept, I struggled to really engage with the characters and their arcs. "Echoes and Empires" didn't go exactly in the direction I expected, despite being able to figure out some of the twists in advance; maybe I've gotten a little too used to the formatting of dystopian stories. I felt slightly let down. That said, I would still read the concluding book in the duology as I'm curious to see where the author takes it next.

<b>Quick Stats</b>
Age Rating: 13+
Over All: 2.5 stars
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 2/5
Setting: 2/5
Writing: 2.5/5

<i>Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.</i>

The idea behind this book was so fascinating.

An modern fantasy world, ruled by an empress, where technology and magic both exist—but magic is forbidden and punishable by death. A clueless spoiled socialite who ends up unwittingly embued with the memories of an evil warlock. A dark and broody, mildly murderous love interest who has to keep her safe, not because of <i>her</i> but because he needs the magic that is <i>in her</i>.
It sounds so damn good. And I wanted to like it so badly. The writing was not the worst, but it was very info-dump heavy. We learned about the world because Joss told us about the world via internal monologue, which often felt clunky because she lived in this world: why would she be internally monologuing about the history and mythology of the world in which she had lived her whole life?
I didn’t like Joss. Again, I wanted to, but her internal monologue was so clunky, and she often felt incredibly two dimensional. She was bratty and spoiled, and though she did experience character growth, it didn’t feel natural.
There were many plot twists and turns, but with the exception of one of them, I had already figured them out way in advance, which made them fall flat. Like, a character who would later play a part in a plot twist? I would guess exactly what the twist revolving around them would be from the moment they stepped onto the page, several chapters before the twist took place. And I’m objectively awful at guessing plot twists. It was just <i>so obvious</i>.
I wanted to like this book so badly. I don’t really know what else to say. The premise was interesting, it was a fast paced read, and I finished it in only a few hours, but part of that was because I tried to read it quickly so that I could just get it over with.
I did like the ending, and I’m vaguely intrigued by where the plot goes next, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be picking up the sequel.

Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes is the first book in a new duology. It follows Josslyn Drake, who gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong at the Queen’s Gala. She becomes infected by dangerous magic that allows her to experience memories of an evil warlock. Josslyn knows magic is a rare and deadly thing that is illegal, so she knows she needs help. Joss needs the magic removed before her soul is corrupted and she is killed. She is afraid that if she seeks help she will be killed for her magic. Wanted criminal Jericho offers her a deal: he will help her with extracting the magic and he will keep it for himself. Joss is desperate and takes the deal, even though she isn’t thrilled to be working with a criminal. But Joss soon grows closer to Jericho. She also sees more of the world outside her life in the city and she begins to question her beliefs about magic.

This book is a fun read. I always enjoy a world where magic is forbidden.

Arc received from Penguin Teen for an honest review.

1.5 stars

I will start with the only redeeming qualities of this book. It was very binge-able, I read through it in less than a day. Admittedly, I was skimming some parts. Also the concept was interesting.

But ultimately not well executed. There is a very loosely thought out magic system that made very little sense. It seemed to be based on elements and combinations of them but there was really no structure.

The main character, Josslyn, is described by her “friends” as a self absorbed narcissist and I completely agree. She’s truly obnoxious. Jericho, the love interest, was incessantly sarcastic (which I usually like in a love interest) in a way that was irritating and made him unlikable. It was extremely difficult to see what connection they could have because Joss went from seeing him as her enemy to loving him in like two pages.

Besides the fact that arcs are unedited to some extent, the writing was dull and uninspired. There was a really strange mix of casual and formal speech that didn’t blend together smoothly.

If you’re looking for a quick fantasy read and you like a moral, martyr kind of mc, you could like this book. Personally I’ll take my morally grey main characters over this any day.

4.5 rounded up to 5 stars:
ECHOES AND EMPIRES was an absolute delight of a book where we follow the indomitable Josslyn Drake as she struggles with a magic she never asked for and finds her fate intertwined with the roguish Jericho Nox, as well as the fate of the Empire and Queen she has been taught to revere. I LOVED Joss so much. She's bold, funny, loud and very fierce, one of those heroines who doesn't let people push her around and has an endearing irreverence about her. And Jericho is a perfect match and I really enjoyed seeing the two of them go toe to toe. The budding attraction between the two of them is to die for. There are a lot of intriguing plot twists the author employs in this book that would be super spoilery, so I won't go into those. I will say that they checked all of my boxes that I look for in a story I love and they were really clever turns of plot that I didn't see coming, so props to Rhodes for that because it isn't often I'm taken by surprise by a book. The worldbuilding has a more modern and dystopian feel for it (think like The Selection) but is very solidly a fantasy, so I also liked how this book really did subvert and transcend genres. ECHOES AND EMPIRES is a 2022 release you do not want to miss. TDon't just take my word for it, add it to your TBR and find out yourself!

*Arc provided by Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review*

5/5 stars!

Yay for awesome banter, great character growth and fantastic world building!

You know when you come across a book that is so incredible that you just need a moment. Like you put the book down and just stare off into space. Stewing in its amazingness. Thankful for the fact that this book came into your life? Yea. I had one of those moments while reading this.

In a world where magic is illegal, Josslyn Drake, the daughter of the former prime misnister, lives a sheltered and privileged life. That is until her world is turned upside down when she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and all of a sudden she is filled with forbidden magic. All her life she was taught that magic is an evil disease and that anyone who came in contact with it was then tainted and infected. Now she has to figure out a way to get rid of this magic before it corrupts her soul and kills her. To do that, she has to trust and put her life in the hands of Jericho Nox, a wanted criminal. As adventure ensues, they soon find themselves in a very sticky sutuation. As Joss gets further and further away from her sheltered bubble of fancy dresses and gala parties, she begins questioning everything she thought to be true.

I loved the charcters in this book. Josslyn is strong and doesn't take crap from anyone. Jericho with his sarcastic, chill, laidback demeaner, absolutely stole my heart.

I've read so many amazing books this year, but this one takes the cake. With twists and turns around every corner, this book will leave you in an utter state of OH. MY. GOD! Echoes and Empires is nothing short of SPECTACULAR and I cannot wait for it to be released so that I can I have people to gush and talk about this book with.

3.75/5 Cups of coffee from me. What a FUN read, I think I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed reading this. I wasn't always sure about our MC but I rather enjoy when I don't always like them; when you're not always meant to. Joss has everything in life, she's suffered the loss of her father, but she's beloved by all, lives with her best friend and still gets to attend the fancy events in the dresses she enjoys.

Then she crosses paths with Jericho, and nothing is ever the same.

I loved the pacing, it was quick and always keeping me on my toes, I read this SUPER fast and had no intention of doing so. I love the magic is forbidden trope and Rhodes does a good job with it. I also really liked that we could see things before Joss and were able to watch her react to information and the world around her as knowing observers. The side characters were well fleshed out and I could easily have read books about any and all of them.

Political intrigue was sprinkled heavily throughout and I loved that. I'm so for political intrigue and when comes to that AND forbidden magic AND things not always what they appear to be, well, it's an easy win for me.

The ending was on such a great note and I can't wait for the sequel already! Guess it'll be a bit of a wait for me, but it'll be well worth it.

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this in exchange for my honest opinion, longer review to come closer to pub date.

Thanks to Penguin Teen for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The first in a duology, Echoes and Empires follows Josselyn, daughter of the last prime minister. Infected with a forbidden type of magic, she has no choice but to team up with a criminal, Jericho, to help rid her of the magic.

I haven't read the Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes, so I can't say anything but her other work. While this seemed like a cool premise, I struggled to get into the story. I have been struggling with YA Fantasy a better part of this year, so it could be that I'm just not in the right headspace. Overall just an okay read.

"I wore read on the night I slammed headfirst into my destiny"

Morgan Rhodes is a well loved author and now I know why, I really want to read her Falling Kingdoms series soon.Echoes and Empires puts an interesting twist on the magical realism genre,it is set in a kingdom where Magic or practice of magic is seriously condemned by the queen and anyone who goes against the Queen's law is executed almost immediately. Narrated by Joselyn Drake, a 17 year old daughter of ex-prime minister and also a Queen’s favorite is a snarky and privileged character and has no issues with being perceived as shallow in order to have a life filled with Royal regalia.

She has a set plan for her future until the night of Queen's gala, where everything starts going wrong from the minute she stumbles upon a thief, albeit a very handsome thief goes by name Blackheart stealing a magical artifact from the Queen's forbidden exhibit.In an unfortunate accident that follows, the magic from the said artifact seeps straight into the immediate available source- Joss. She can sense that magic in her is corrupt and that it belongs to the most dangerous Warlock that has been on the run for a while from the Queen, to Joss's dismay the "magic" inside her is nothing but trapped memories called Echoes that belong to this powerful warlock.

With the fear of being discovered with corrupted magic within her and subsequently facing execution or imprisonment, Joss makes a reluctant deal with the thief Jericho after he promises to find someone who will be able to extract this magic from her. Jericho has an agenda of his own as he was hired to deliver these echoes to his master Valerie, a witch with dark magic and has the ability to control him. However, Jericho's plan goes horribly wrong and both of them end up at in an isolated prison run by the kingdom.Joss is desperate to get the magic out of her and to get out of the prison in order to go back to her normal life but she gets a much needed reality check at the Queen’s keep where she is forced to face several shocking revelations that will change the course of her actions putting her loyalties to test!

The book is action packed and has decent twists, however I saw most of the twists coming. I also had issues with the pacing because I felt it got little slower towards the middle and also because of the fact that the book is narrated in 1st person POV, at times Joss's inner monologue’s felt little redundant. Another reason that this book wasn't a 5 star for me is the chemistry/romance between Joss and Jericho, it was quite confusing and even towards the end I was not able to see where they stand as a couple. However the book ended on an interesting note and I need answers to many questions, so I will be looking forward to the next installment to see how the story takes a turn.

I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS BOOK!!! The plot was super fun and I really enjoyed the characters. I’m defiantly excited to see where this story goes.

The plot was a nice pace for a first book. Not to fact and not to slow. I was defiantly on the edge of my seat excited to turn the page and see what happens next. At first I felt the plot was a little predictable, but as the book went on I was surprised by a lot of the twist in turns. Even though I was surprised by things, I felt they were laid out nicely and made sense when looking back.

At times the main character Josslyn was annoying, and I defiantly wanted her to stop talking at times. But by the end of the book I was happy with how her character arc had played out and I’m looking forward to see how she does in future books. Jericho was defiantly my favorite character, but that is mainly because I love an angry, moody boy, who keeps secrets.

I think my biggest problem with this book is that a good portion of the magic system and world building was told to the main character. And that the middle of the book was a little flat and felt like there was a lot of filler.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, and defiantly want to read the second one as soon as possible. The story was really captivating and I’m a sucker for rivalries and enemies.

Josslyn Drake knows nothing of magic, save for the dangers of magicians who threaten the peace of her kingdom. So when she opens a mysterious box that binds the memories of a wicked sorcerer to her soul, she has no choice but to turn to notorious criminal Jericho Nox to free herself of the sorcerer's influence. Unfortunately, Jericho and the rest of the world have other plans for her.

This is Morgan Rhodes's long-awaited return to YA Fantasy, and it's a blast! Joss and Jericho have all the bite and enemies-to-lovers goodness of Cleo and Magnus from her Falling Kingdoms series, so if that's what you're here for, you won't be disappointed. The plot moves fast, with twists and turns and betrayals at every corner. I'm a little sad to know that this is set to be a duology, because I definitely think that there's room for a lot of fun worldbuilding. The fantasy world is a bit of a fusion of the modern world with technology but also elemental magic reminiscent of Falling Kingdoms. If you've read the Falling Kingdoms books, some things might stick out to you, so that's definitely a fun bonus.

A must-read for all Morgan Rhodes fans!

I absolutely loved Rhodes’s <I>Falling Kingdoms</i> series. When I got the chance to get an e-ARC of this book I was extremely excited. I was expecting something similar to the <I>Falling Kingdoms</i> series. I was surprised though to see photography and cars in this book! I was not expecting that, so I was a little bit nervous, because I hadn't expected that, and so I was a bit thrown off at first that this wasn’t more like high fantasy and is instead “urban” fantasy. Nevertheless, once I started reading, I had a hard time putting the book down once I got into it.

I enjoyed Rhodes’ writing in this book, but not as much as Falling Kingdoms. The tone had a more modern feeling – and that gave it a bit more oomph for me to be believable. I think that Rhodes’ is a great writer and her works are accessible, because she writes in a way that is easy to read. It's often a nice change from writing that is so convoluted you want to throw the book out of a window. I very much enjoyed that about this book.

What also worked for me was the pacing of the book. It was a dance of precision, of keeping the mystery going as well as the action at the same time. You have moments of “peace” and then you slip into an action heavy segment. This works for the book as the writing gives it momentum to keep going – and I had to keep turning pages!

The plot of this book is so intriguing. It is a bit of a mystery, so I loved to see how it was slowly unfolding and how Joss began to see what she thought was true, might not be as true as she thought it was. This ties in with the amazing romance plot. I am a huge sucker for enemies to lovers and that was what this book was. It was also filled with interesting relationships between the other characters.

Joss and Jericho were such great characters, and I loved following them on their adventure! I loved their banter with each other as well. It was amusing to say the least. And the romance was spot on for me.

AND THAT ENDING. That ending was amazing! I mean I was blown away by the ending. This book had been a firm four star read for me, and the last 10% upped it into the five star category for me. It was a stunning book and I am SO EXCITED to find out what happens next.

I loved this! I love what it represents and how it was executed.

Josslyn Drake, a gossip, a loudmouth, a shopaholic… I loved her! She is more than all that, though. She has a good heart that is wounded by the recent murder of her father, the former Prime Minister. The life she lives now may be a bit superficial, but it is made to be even more exciting when she gets caught in the middle of a robbery gone wrong and becomes infected by a magical box. She has the ability to enter the memories of a nefarious warlock, but it isn’t just the magic swirling around inside her. Her eyes have taken on a magical glow. Unfortunately, magic is incredibly illegal.

She needs to have this magic removed to prevent the corruption of her mortal soul and the only person she can turn to for help is Jericho Nox, the man who put her into this mess in the first place. She doesn’t want to work with the thieving criminal but she has no choice.

The two embark on an adventure to remove the magic and wind up getting closer to one another in the process. But Jericho has dark secrets he is keeping as well as a past that he isn’t proud of. The twists and reveals in this book were insane. I couldn’t put this one down and read it in one night. The fantastical quest they enter into is full of surprises and danger. And Jericho was absolutely everything!!

I cannot wait for the conclusion to this magical duology. I need more!!!!

I know so many people are already big fans of Morgan Rhodes and her Falling Kingdoms series and now I can see why and definitely will be adding Falling Kingdoms to my to be read pile!

Josslyn Drake is everything I’d want to be. Snarky, beautiful and lives like royalty thanks to being the queens favorite! But soon Drake’s life is flipped upside down and she must partner up with a criminal to remove the one thing that would make the Queen turn on her.. MAGIC. Fate has intervened and cursed Josslyn with the gift of magic and she must figure out a way to get rid of it before the whole kingdom finds out and turns against her.

Drake is nothing if not a strong and fierce female lead and definitely someone to look up to. Forced to look at her life differently, she pretty much takes it in stride and I just love that in a character. Also can we talk about yummy.. I mean Jericho?! He’s got that whole bad guy with deep dark secrets thing going for him and I’m a huge sucker haha.

Anyway, this book has awesome characters, magic, slow slow burn romance(?), sarcasm and a lot of shockers and I’m definitely really excited for the next book, especially because of where this one ended!

Ohhhh I loved this one! A snarky seventeen year old teams up with an enigmatic criminal to cure herself of forbidden magic, already obsessed! This is the first in a duo logy from Morgan Rhodes, author of the Falling Kingdom series (I haven't read but I want to) and this was really exceptional. I love magic in books, It's been ages since I've read anything with magic in it and it's reawakened my love for it Such an overall magical book t oread and experience and I can't wait for this to be out in the world so everyone can fall in love with Echoes and Empires!

This was a good book! Definitely had its ups and down but was entertaining now the less. Another good fantasy!

**Review will be published January 4th, 2022 on my blog/Instagram**

ENCHANTED.

This didn’t have the best start for me. I wasn’t vibing with the main character at all. But I also could recognize the option for some major growth and gave Josslyn the benefit of the doubt. It paid off!

Josslyn really grew on me. From high and mighty, stuck in her opinions and way to learning to listen and absorb new information to fit into a better narrative of the world around her. I liked how she found strength and called Jericho out when he needed it. Joss had so much thrown at her and many reveals that she handled well and now she’s a main character I can get behind.

I adored the beginnings of some enemies to lovers romance. The banter is top notch and I found myself smirking right alongside Jericho. The teamwork and a few quiet scenes. Yesss. The only thing missing were a few more kissing scenes. Though I imagine book two is going to bring the heat.

The plot gets kind of wild and even when I saw the reveals coming I still appreciated the set up and ingenuity. The world building is interesting and took me a minute to grasp. It’s a mix of urban fantasy + technologically advanced society + elemental magic I want more info on. A unique combination that I look forward to further exploration in the second book.

Lots of good stuff here. I just couldn’t put it down. I loved Rhodes Falling Kingdoms series and have been anxiously awaiting getting a chance to read this. Not one to miss!

Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy Romance
- Language: a little
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: physical, gun violence, magical altercations, blood depiction, torture, loss of loved ones

Yay! A new Morgan Rhodes book! I loved this! Super fast paced with an excellent cast of characters, setting and story. Jericho was such a great character! I really loved reading from Joss’ pov. I especially liked how the setting felt so modern but it still read like a fantasy. Such a unique spin on the “magic is evil” story. Very much looking forward to the next book!! I’m so happy Rhodes has a new series .

I feel so honored to have been gifted an ARC of this amazing book. I'm the BIGGEST fan of Falling Kingdoms and nearly died of happiness when I saw Morgan Rhodes was back at it again.

Echoes and Empires is book one in an upcoming duology. Told in first person POV, readers are immersed in the life and mind of Josslyn Drake, a snarky and privileged 17 year old girl. Josslyn was the daughter of the former queen's advisor, but unfortunately her father was shot and killed a year prior. Still trying to remain relevant, Joss attends the Queen's Gala where art pieces stolen by an infamous magical criminal have been recovered. In this empire, magic and people who preform magic, are viewed as evil and corrupt. The use of magic is forbidden and will lead to imprisonment or death.

However, things go drastically wrong when a thief attempts to steal a magical artifact, only for it to fall and open, releasing the golden magic straight into Josslyn. Knowing that she is now a target, Joss has to team up with the thief, the Blackheart, also known as Jericho, as they attempt to find someone to extract the magic from her so Jericho can continue on with his mission.

Unfortunately, nothing is as easy as it seems. The duo gets stopped and thrown into a Queen's prison, which is essentially land locked in time. There they have to work for the keep and figure out how to escape this unescapable prison. Not only that, they need to find out answers about the magic still in Josslyn. Time is running out and secrets are being uncovered. Josslyn's once posh life is turned upside down as she figures out that the life she once knew may all be a lie.

This book is intoxicating. Starting off with characters, Rhodes knows how to write a strong female lead who is slightly naïve to the world around her, but quickly adapts to her new reality. As for her males, Jericho is probably the love of my life. A mysterious bad boy who is witty and slightly a jerk at times? Uhm sign me up!

This hits all of my favorite tropes as well, the main one being enemies to lovers! This book is definitely a slow burn romance, but ugh so worth it. Plus it has a one bed situation!!! Y'all know this troupe is like the best thing ever. There's no instant love here, which I love as well.

The plot is amazing and perfectly paced. Usually in book one, the author will spend a lot of time building up the world so the story line moves rather slow at first. I did not feel like this book did that. There never was an abundance of information and everything about this world was told throughout the story. I loved when we got towards the end and the memories began to totally deconstruct the life of Josslyn and answer questions I had from the beginning. Ugh, it was just so perfectly written!

I loved this book and I hate that I'm going to have to wait forever for the next. Please do yourself a favor and add this to your tbr.