3.5/5 Stars!

A fitting conclusion to the Keeper of Night Duology, Empress of Time is filled to the brim with more dark lore and lush prose.

The Empress of Time has a very similar feeling as The Keeper of Night, which could be either a positive or a negative depending on your perspective. While I loved jumping back into the world of the Keeper of Night, at times it felt a little too similar to the first book. I won't go into too many specifics on the similarities in order to avoid spoilers, but there definitely times where I felt like I was reading the same book in a different font.

Overall, though, I really did enjoy this story. The setting, the Japanese lore, and the relationship dynamics are all beautifully done. I also really appreciated the way Kylie Lee Baker addressed the struggle of being of mixed heritage and struggling to find ones place amongst either community.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I was totally immersed in the rich Japanese culture - and learned so many new things from it. Ren is a complicated character that is often misunderstood. Neven is such a sweetheart, and so very forgiving. I loved the way the story flowed and was shocked a few times. The ending was beautiful. Overall, I enjoyed this just as much as the first book!!

Although The Keeper of Night wasn’t my favorite and was a struggle for me at times with its pacing, I overall enjoyed reading Ren’s story, and I was looking forward to The Empress of Time and what Kylie Lee Baker had in store for our very angry (and morally grey?) protagonist who just wants to find a place where she’s accepted for who she is.

This sequel is set ten years after the end of the first novel after Ren has proven herself worthy and claimed her place by Death’s side, and then ultimately becomes the Goddess of Death herself after killing Hiro. She’s lost her brother, Neven, to the deep darkness, and we quickly learn she’s trying to find a way to get there so can get him back, even if that means eating more souls than she could count and breaking all the traditional rules of death.

But while she now rules Japan’s underworld, being a goddess comes with its own set of problems as well, namely her Shinigami seeing her as a foreigner who stole the throne by seducing Hiro and therefore had no right to sit on it or give them orders. She’s continuing to experience some of the same problems she faced when she first stepped foot in Japan after fleeing from London, except she doesn’t even have the one person remaining she cares for by her side. Much like she did in London, she feels alone and isolated, and the only thing keeping her going is the hope she’ll be reunited with Neven again.

As such, Ren’s relationship with Neven continues to play an integral role in The Empress of Time and is the driving force for all of her actions. Her identity also continues to play an integral in the sequel as well, and while I did feel Ren sort of flatlined as a character compared to the first novel, I overall liked her character arc by the time I got to the end and looked back across both novels.

The Empress of Time is very much a journey novel; a good part of the novel, after Ren finds out the Reapers are in Japan and Ivy is coming for her, is her trying to appeal to the god of storms and seas and then trying to find a legendary sword lost thousands of years ago so he could help her. It’s very much slow-paced and heavily focused on world-building, but I also found myself a lot more engaged and just overall invested in finding out what happens.

Like the first novel, this one is just as dark and gory, and Lee Baker doesn’t hold back with those descriptions. The visuals clearly paint the world created, and I found myself truly immersed in the world from page to page, even though I usually struggle with books featuring a side quest for a portion of the book. I also loved seeing the different yokai along the way and the appearances of some of the gods/goddesses, especially Tsukuyomi, who quickly grew to be one of my favorite characters. I especially enjoyed his banter with Ren.

While it’s definitely not my favorite, The Empress of Time is an overall solid conclusion to The Keeper of Night duology that ties everything up nicely without feeling rushed. I think I personally enjoyed this more than the first novel (which feels a little strange because it’s usually the other way around) because it just left an overall feeling of satisfaction, and I’m honestly looking forward to reading future novels!

This book picks up 10 years after the first book in the series ends. It is a fantastic conclusion to the Duology, and it keeps the reader intrigued throughout the entire book.

With it’s dark storyline and morally gray main character, I became an instant fan of the first book in this duology. The shocking ending left me anxious to see what the future held for these characters.

This sequel begins ten years after the first book, and I admit the time gap surprised me. Ren is now the Goddess of Death, a position you’d think comes with a healthy dose of authority and fear – not so in this case. Ren’s history includes being abandoned by her father, rejected by her British peers, and bullied by her fellow reapers, but now her own Shinigami don’t respect her. She finally has the power of a goddess and still has to constantly prove herself. When she learns that an old nemesis/bully, who is now in a position of power, is coming to claim her revenge, Ren knows allies are needed if she hopes to survive. Her journey to find them turns into a quest story, and I easily fell into this immersive story filled with Japanese mythology.

With the Goddess of Death as a main character your expectations of this novel should surely include death. And there’s quite a bit of it that’s bloody, brutal, and gory – but it’s not done for shock value. It goes along with this harsh world and all the challenges Ren faces. She encounters other powerful gods and goddesses in her quest, and also deals with an unexpected traitor that surprised me. Moon God Tsukuyomi is a welcome addition to the story and quickly became one of my favorite characters. The Empress of Time is a solid conclusion to this dark, gritty duology, and I enjoyed every page.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

‘The Empress of Time’ by Kylie Lee Baker was a HIGHLY anticipated read for me. I absolutely loved the first book in the duology, The Keeper of Night, which ended on a cliffhanger, and was dying to dive back into this universe and see what happened next. And this book did NOT disappoint! Dark, lyrical, and atmospheric with morally grey characters and a twisty, tension-filled plot, this was just the perfect sequel. Highly recommend!

I received an eARC and audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited for this book because I loved the first book The Keeper of Night. This book was a little bit slower at the beginning than the first one. I think it was harder to get into because of where the first book ended. This book starts where our main character, Ren, is at the lowest point in her life. The pace of the book increases as we move along in the story so it doesn’t stay slow for long at all. I loved all of the development of some of my favorite characters from book one. I also enjoyed some of the new characters. If the author decides to do a third book or a spin off book, I definitely would like to learn more about some of the characters that are mentioned in this book. I really enjoyed this book. I did not give it five stars simply based on the fact that I thought book one was better. When Kylie Lee Baker comes out with another novel, I will definitely pick it up. I like the writing style and subject. As for the audiobook: I did not receive the audiobook until after I was about halfway through the e-book so I listened to some of the audiobook as I finished the novel. The audiobook was decent. I liked the way the narrator read for the other characters, more than anything, (I’m not really sure why) but it could be that I had already decided what Ren sounded like in my head by the time I got the audiobook. So I would also give the audiobook a four based on the book itself.

I really enjoyed the first book in this duology and was looking forward to seeing how everything would play out after Neven goes missing and Ren takes over as the Death Goddess for Japan. This definitely had some good moments, a quest, more mythical creatures, and a new love interest. I also thought Ren and Neven's relationship was interesting and I liked that they had to work out their issues instead of everything immediately being fine.

The pacing was slow for me, especially the first half. I felt like some of the plot could have been cut out without making much of a difference. While I understand Ren having a difficult time being the new Death Goddess and getting her Shinigami to respect her, I didn't love that she became so mean and hardened. She's a morally grey character and that's fine, I just had a hard time rooting for her sometimes.

The ending wrapped up pretty well and the duology was definitely unique. I also thought the audiobook was well narrated and recommend going that route.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Inkyard Press, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the copy

The Empress of Time is the sequel to The Keeper of Night, the second half of the duology. Ren left Britain for Japan, learning about her Shinigami heritage, feeling torn between and judged wanting by both halves. While she was able to complete the impossible task of eliminating three particular yokai, she didn't count on becoming the goddess of death in Japan. Britain's goddess is now Ivy, the same leader of the gang that had tormented her. In order to stop her from reaching Japan, Ren must complete another impossible mission: find the sword that the god of storms and seas wants. While she has the help of the god of the moon, she is working against the interests of various gods and demons, and the future of Japan is at stake.

Ren is caught by her heritage and the guilt for the means she had seized her kingdom of death. While she rules, the Shinigami don't respect or like her and refuse to help protect Japan, saying it's already ruled by a Reaper. She believes she is alone again, racing around Japan for items to appease gods or yokai in order to get the sword. She's tormented by guilt and doubts, and knowing that someone might betray her weighs her down. Her fear of Ivy remains; it's hard to let go of fears about a childhood bully, and her bully is stronger now than she used to be. Ren is left at the end to face all of it, feeling just as alone as she used to be.

Japanese lore is rich and varied and is used to great effect in this novel. Not just for the locations Ren must travel through, but for the interaction between the gods and yokai we meet. They have a richness to their character, adding to the tension as the novel progresses. Ren has four days to Ivy's arrival, as well as years of self-recriminations. The final quarter of the book was beautifully done, and I had to read this all in a day, I couldn't put it down. This is a fitting and satisfying conclusion to the duology. Do yourself a favor and read it!

The Empress of Time is the conclusion to Kylie Lee Baker's The Keeper of the Night duology. This story follows Ren Scarborough, who is half-British Reaper, half-Japanese Shinigami. In the first book, Ren and her half-brother, Neven, fled London for Japan, where Ren hoped to learn more about her mother and her Shinigami roots.

Once there, Ren was given a difficult quest by the Goddess of Death. She needed to find and eliminate three dangerous Yokai demons. Along with her brother and a new friend, Hiro, Ren's quest kept me glued to the pages. Death work is difficult business. It's fast-paced with extremely high-stakes. Over the course of the first novel, I became easily attached to this group of characters.

Additionally, the first book had a fairly earth-shattering conclusion, so I have been anxiously awaiting this second installment.

In The Empress of Time, Ren has now been ruling the Japanese Underworld as the Goddess of Death for the past decade. She is no longer the same conflicted girl who fled the streets of London all those years ago. Now Ren has received startling news that her past has come back to haunt her though. There are British Reapers approaching the shores of Japan. They're here for Ren, for vengeance.

Ren seeks help and is again sent out on what seems to be an impossible quest. This time she must find and retrieve a magical sword said to have been missing for thousands of years. With Hiro gone, Ren is joined this time around by the moon god Tsukuyomi, Hiro's brother, on her mission. Together the two race throughout the country trying to find the object they seek before time runs out for Ren.

As mentioned above, I have been really excited to get this second book. It was just as intriguing as the first one. I was a little surprised by the huge time jump, however. I was sort of anticipating this would pick up right where the first book left off, but that wasn't the case. It did take me a little bit to come to terms with that.

As with the first book, Kylie Lee Baker really succeeds with the dark, beautiful imagery she is able to conjure up with this. And when I say dark, I mean it. There's a lot of death, mutilation, even the occasional consumption of body parts. It gets bloody, dangerous and gruesome, but we love to see that in a Fantasy. I loved the inclusion of so many elements from Japanese folklore and myth. The world is well-constructed and worked really well over the course of this story.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this was how Baker kept the themes from the first book alive. For example, in the first book there's a big focus on Ren's heritage and her inner conflict over being half-British Reaper and half-Japanese Shinigami. For Ren, she never felt like she belonged in London and she was in fact treated like an outsider by the other Reapers.

In this book, even though Ren has found a bit more peace with who she is, she still doesn't feel like she has a true place she belongs. Particularly at the start of this. So, bringing the Reapers to Japan and now having the Shinigami battle on her behalf, it was like the two sides of her being having an external conflict, instead of just the inner one from the first book. I am most likely explaining this terribly, but I found it really interesting.

This story was still about Ren searching for the place she truly belonged, but the playing field and the actors were so much larger in scope than in the first book. There has been a great evolution to Ren's character, but she is still a character in deep need of finding greater meaning for herself.

With that in mind, I loved how this concluded. The final little section was the icing on the cake. A conclusion that seems fitting for the life that Ren lived. I definitely recommend this to fans of Dark Fantasy, Japanese-Inspired Fantasy and classic quest tales. Kylie Lee Baker really knows how to wrap it up. This was a beautiful finale for this lush story.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Inkyard Press and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I had a lot of fun with this duology and definitely look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ten years after the events of the first book, Ren Scarborough is the Goddess of Death of Japan’s Underworld, but the Shinigami still see her as a foreigner for being half Reaper. Her brother Neven is still lost despite her efforts to locate him and the greatest threat yet is about to arrive on her shores. An invasion of Reapers is at hand, and her old enemy Ivy, who is now Britain’s Death Goddess is out for revenge. With only one way out, Ren sets off on a quest to retrieve a legendary sword lost thousands of years ago that the sea god has demanded as a price for helping her stop the Reapers. She will have to work with the moon god Tsukoyomi, who bears a strong resemblance to Hiro, to find the sword, but time is running short and Ren must figure out who is truly on her side.

The Empress of Time follows a pattern similar to the first book with the plot revolving around a quest, though the stakes are infinitely higher this time. It has the same vibe as well, and there was a lot of expansion on the world building. Several familiar faces make a reappearance and plenty of new ones too, including some of the other gods and goddesses ruling in Japan. This was a fast paced read and there wasn’t a quiet moment – things never stop moving and it was engaging. There was also plenty of mythology and mythological creatures woven in and I found those parts particularly interesting.

Ren was not a character I would describe as likeable in this book, but I thought her arc allowed the reader to understand her much better, especially her struggle to belong – something that hasn’t changed despite her becoming a goddess. Neven didn’t really click as much this time around and to be honest, I thought him being lost would be a plot point that would be resolved much later into the story than it was. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the romance arc and the book would have been much better without one in my opinion. It felt awkward and forced and didn’t make much sense to me.

I didn’t enjoy this book nearly as much as I expected to, primarily because my eARC was missing chapter endings for some reason, which made it much harder to read. The time skip that this book started with didn’t help things, because the first book ended on a cliffhanger, and adding such a long gap greatly reduced its effect. There was a summary of the events that happened in those ten years and what Ren was up to, but it would have had more impact to see it instead.

This was a satisfactory conclusion to the duology, but I’m rather disappointed with the ending though it made sense. Overall, this book didn’t draw me in like the first book did and while the mood is similar, something was just lost between the two books. If you enjoyed book one, I would recommend finishing the series.

The Empress of Time is the second book in The Keeper of Night #2, which follows the story of Ren, who has become the Goddess of Death ruling Japan's underworld. Thematically this continues to explore our main character's struggle to find where she fits as a biracial woman, rejected on both sides. But more than that, it's a story about complicated sibling relationships that still involve intense, protective love. Their relationship remains one of my favorite sibling relationships. It's imperfect and imbalanced, but it works and is necessary. To see Neven come back hardened after a century in the dark was fascinating. I'm so glad they reconciled — watching him pull away from Ren was hard. Empress of Time is just as dark and atmospheric as Keeper of Night, diving more profoundly to the corners of Yomi as Ren wrestles with her ghosts. The conflict between Ren and the Reapers was captivating, especially when you see Ren use all her powers together. The way these two siblings fight with time was exciting to read. Also, that ending was entirely unexpected for me but so good!

I didn't like this one as much as the first. Some parts I found slow and boring but I do think that's because this was a little on the longer side in my opinion. I'm glad to see the series through though and happy it's a duology because I feel complete now lol.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I've been anticipating this sequel since last year but now that I've read it, I feel that I was equal parts intrigued and frustrated with it. The Empress of Time keeps up with its prequel's gory descriptions, atmosphere and intricately woven Japanese mythology. We're given more insights into the culture and mythical creatures and also introduced to new dangerous quests. And, pretty much like the first book, this also deals with Ren's struggle to fit in her new position as a biracial woman. Overall, I really liked Ren's character arc and was a huge fan of the setting Baker presented throughout. It also wraps up neatly with a satisfying conclusion.

I think what bugged me the most was the ten-year time jump between the end of TKON and start of TEOT, because it did not feel like that much time had passed and there wasn't a significance to it. Also, given how book one ended, I was looking forward to a bone deep tension between Ren and her brother Neven and how they would cross that bridge. However, that relationship did not stir many emotions in me and the build up wasn't as satisfying.

2 1/2 stars. I picked this book because the storyline reminded me of Manga series. The storyline is something I would expect in a Manga series. It has a rich world, quests, and great powers. It also has relationships and dark characters rich in complexity.

This is the second book in a duology and I did not read the first. I could understand what was going on but I didn't feel connected to characters, particularly the main character, and it took a bit for me to get into it. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the first book in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

I received a both a print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. This book comes out today October 4, 2022.

I enjoyed the narrator. She did a good job with the narration of the various characters.

This picks up where book one left off, however about 10 years have passed for Ren who has claimed the title of Goddess of Death. She is still searching for her brother Neven in the deep darkness and much like she did in her previous life she is still trying to find her place in the world. She wasn't respected as a British Reaper, and the Shinigami that she now rules over don't respect because of her foreign heritage. Ren gets word that the head of the Reapers and Ren's worst enemy, Ivy, is on her way to take over Japan and kill Ren. Ren isn't sure she is capable of defeating the British Death Goddess and attempts to make alliances with the other Japanese gods and goddess. To do so she embarks on a quest to find a long lost sword.

I really loved the myth and lore of the first book, and while that concept carries over into this book it isn't the main focus. We do get a glimpse into the larger god and goddess structure which I always find fascinating. We spend much of the book with Ren on her quest to find help to save Japan from the impending invasion. She is a powerful Goddess in her own right, but she has a hard time accepting her new power and role. Much of the book is spent with Ren warring with herself about her own abilities to save Japan and fight the Reapers. There was a bit too much negative self-talk for my liking and I found it frustrating at times. I wanted Ren to embrace the darkness, power, and her anger and harness them into something productive. While I thought the ending was perfect, it took a long time to get there. Ren's character growth was quite the journey, but it was worth it. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it there.

Much like the first book this installment walks the line between fantasy and horror. There are some very dark, violent, and gory scenes. In that sense I feel like the world building was well done, and that is something the author does very well. The descriptions are vivid and detailed. The magic system isn't explained much in this book, but I don't recommend reading this as a standalone. You should definitely read The Keeper of Night first to really understand the magic system and get a better understanding of the Reapers and the Shinigami. I think if you picked this up first you'd be completely lost. This does answer alot of the outstanding questions I had at the end of book one about what was going to happen with Ren, Neven, and the rest of the characters. I felt the book ended with a fitting conclusion to the duology.

Overall, I enjoyed this conclusion and I look forward to reading more from this author in the futu

Dark, angry, and full of villainy, Empress of Time starts 10 years after Ren’s worst mistake, one she had been paying for every day to try to rectify. When an old enemy and an old friend each appear before her, Ren must do what it takes to save Japan, even if it might come at the cost of her own heart.

Ren is wonderfully bitter and vicious in this one and I adored her. While she’s choosing women’s wrongs, she’s also showing her vulnerability and compassion in the small ways. I really enjoyed her relationships in this book, although the romantic one felt a little meh. Cool in concept, but not great in execution.

This was a really nice ending for the duology and I was left satisfied. Can’t wait to read what Kylie has next!

“I was Death, always and forever, and that kind of power came with ghosts.”

The Empress of Time brings us back into the story of Ren Scarborough, half Reaper-half Shinigami, a decade after the events of The Keeper of Night. In this riveting sequel, her brother is no longer by her side, her fiancé was killed by her own hand, she holds a position of power that she never sought for, and Shinigami under her rule don’t respect her. As if that wasn’t enough, her struggles grow as new threats begin to emerge in Japan.

In this second, and final installment, Ren is engulfed by darkness. She has become the Goddess of Death and now rules over Yomi, the Japanese underworld. Even though her Shinigami still treat and see her as a foreigner—and continuously challenge her position of power—she is determined to bring her brother Neven back. However, greater threats arise, Reapers have started to arrive to Japan and Ren’s old enemy, also in a position of power, wants to claim revenge. To protect the country, her last hope is to seek aid from scheming gods and mischievous Yōkai to force the Reapers to go back to England. Tsukuyomi, the moon god, is sent to help her, and so together, along with two other characters, they will embark on a journey against time to change Japan’s fate.

Kylie Lee Baker’s writing is as atmospheric and visually descriptive as it was in the first book. Even though it’s also graphic and gory—as you’d expect from a tale involving mythical monsters and gods—it’s easy to fly through the chapters thanks to the flow and pace of the story. The book has a slow start but it soon picks up and there’s not a dull moment from that point on. Baker definitely knows how to keep the readers hooked: all the fights and action scenes are so well-written and absorbing. And the way the character’s ARC unfolds is also captivating and keeps one guessing until the end.

We also see a similar timeline and themes to the first book, but that doesn’t make it less interesting. At its core this is also a quest fantasy with the relationship between Ren and Neven ultimately being the driving force of the story. Baker tying colonisation with the war between Reapers and Shinigamis was a very interesting point to read about; although it would’ve been nice to see a bit more depth to it than what’s shown in the book.

As for the characters themselves, Ren is still a complex and morally grey character but utterly compelling. She scraps for every bit of respect she can find when nobody is willing to give it to her because of her roots. But no matter how harsh the world is to her she is much crueller to herself and it’s utterly heartbreaking. However, it is nice to see her development and how she little by little feels more secure in her own skin and how she is not scared to put up a fight and go after what she wants to matter what; no matter how villainous she might look to others, after all, she is the Goddess of Death. Tsukuyomi, the moon god, was such a wonderful addition to the story. It’s easy to see why Ren would not trust him because of where she’s coming from but his story is delightful to read. He has such an interesting personality as well and is so charismatic, very easy to love. Talking about the other characters would be too much of a spoiler so you’ll have to read for yourselves to find out!

Although this sequel does not have quite the impact as the first one, it still grants a great resolution. Dark, gory, and dynamic, The Empress of Time is full of action, scary spirits, and character betrayals. All in all, Kylie Lee Baker offers us the perfect conclusion to this intricate mythological story. If you are a fan of folklore and dark fantasy be sure to give this duology a try, it won’t disappoint you!

Thank you, Net Galley, for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. One of the things I love about Baker's writing is how well she captures a character's descent into darkness. She had no fear when it comes to showing Ren's flaws, and it really pays off in making her sometimes vicious pursuit of finding her brother relatable. I thought this was a very satisfying ending to the duology.

I was given this book for an honest review from the publisher through Netgalley. This book was honestly not one of my favorites. I will state that I had not read the first book. This may have led to me not enjoying this book quite as much as I possibly could have. However, I do think that there is enough in this book to help the reader grasp most of what happened in the first novel. The nuances may have been lost to me as I feel that the relationships built in the first book truly led to how Ren handled the challenges, she faces in the second book. Yet the underlying motivation was easy to deduce. Ren was just such an odd character. I personally was not able to connect with her. I loved and hated all the references to Japanese mythological characters. I fully stand behind books that introduce western readers to other cultures myths and legends. I think it is so important that we learn how amazing other cultures history and beliefs are. My problem with these references in this book was that I just was not able to connect with them as much as I have been able to with other books that fall into this genre. Overall, this book just was not one I enjoyed reading. Does that mean it is a bad book, no but for me it wasn’t something I connected with or enjoyed the plotline for. I was glad though that Ren was able to figure out who she is and where she fits in her new role of being a goddess.
Thank you to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.