This read more like a rom com with a fantasy element rather than a true fantasy or romantasy. The writing was strong but it did read a little young. Otherwise, the story is entertaining.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crimson Fox Publishing for the ARC. If you like The Mummy and Indiana Jones, this book is for YOU. We start out with our FMC Ellie getting arrested which in turn has her losing her job. Upon being summoned to her boss's office, she discovers a map and an important artifact dated from the seventeenth century. Ellie decides to keep her discovery in trying to find the secret city that is depicted in the map. However, at the same time, someone else is after Ellie to get what she has. Upon traveling to British Honduras, Ellie meets Adam who agrees to take her to try to locate the forgotten city. Overall, Empire of Shadows is an amazing story. The pacing didn't feel too slow and I really enjoyed learning the back history from back then.

This book was just so much fun, I have been introduced to a new genre of historical romance of archeology and adventuring and I want more.

Ellie Mallory a clerk who fights for women’s suffrage with a desperate desire to actually utilize the education she received is our heroine. After happening on a mysterious map and a high speed chase that ends with her en route to South America she begins her journey to find the item at the end of her treasure map. She meets Adam Bates, a born wealthy and Cambridge educated surveyor who does not want to partake his family’s business. The two of them wind up adventuring inland and the journey kicks off.

I really enjoyed the banter between our two main characters. There were some moments I found a little cringey but it’s a romance novel that comes with the territory.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4.5/5

This book was an absolutely fantastic reading; taking me out of readers block and then dropping me back into it because I couldn't imagine how my next few reads could be so good. As someone who loves history, the world felt extraordinarly fleshed out and though I don't know much about this era yet, from the way it was written, I could tell it was historically accurate. I adored Ellie and Adam, and their chemistry is off the charts. I'm definitely going to be buying Empire of Shadows when it comes out, and I'm so excited to see their adventures continue!

Not that I initially realized it when I nabbed it for review, but I read the original version of this (The Smoke Hunter) about 7 years ago. Back then, it was billed as an "Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft" action thriller, which I think set the wrong expectations for me. I gave it a 3-star review at the time, calling it too light, too pulpy, too silly, too improbable, and too romantic.

In it's current form, the pitch is entirely different, billing it as a cross between What the River Knows (YA historical fantasy) and The Mummy (pure pulp awesomeness). Going back into it with those expectations, I still found it light, pulpy, silly, improbable, and romantic, but in an endearing fashion. Whether it's expectations, being a different reader 7 years later, or the revisions Benson made to the text, I enjoyed this significantly more than I did the first time.

Ellie is a wonderful protagonist, a bold, outspoken feminist at a time when women just didn't do things like gallivant across the world, hunting for treasure. Yes, her feminism was a little too on-the-nose at times, interrupting scenes in a preposterous manner that could only be taken for comical, but I liked her. Adam was a great partner, with all the romantic tension and banter you could ask for between them, and

Although there are fantastical supernatural elements that drive the story, there's also a genuine sense of history, and the respect for cultures, civilizations, and peoples of the past really added an extra layer to the story.

Empire of Shadows is kind of a Road to El Dorado meets Atlantis adventure book. I enjoyed the adventure aspect and the historical and ancient culture aspects.

(Possibly mild spoilers ahead? Though everything is pretty vague and/or easily predicted from the summary.)

However, this book overall was kind of disappointing for me. Ellie is intelligent and independent, which is great, but she is also an over the top feminist, which got old pretty quickly. She makes everything about gender. The villains underestimate her? Must be because she's a woman. It can't have anything to do with the fact that they have more people and resources on their side. There were several other instances of this. I could look past that and still appreciate the book until about 3/4 of the way through, when Ellie decides that a life or death situation was the best time to make a point about feminism. I was easily able to see a way that it could have been rewritten to still make the point but not in such a ridiculous setting. I am not the author (obviously) so maybe there are reasons why those scenes are they way they are, but I personally felt that it was poorly done. After that, Ellie reached a point where she wasn't just a feminist, she was actively sexist against men. Yes, some men were sexist to her throughout the book and her life, but she takes that to apply to all men, including Adam, who was supposed to be the love interest. Adam never really acted sexist in my opinion. He struck me as the type of person who would act the same way, respectful and chivalrous, regardless of the gender of his companion. It was particularly unfair for Ellie to get mad at him for being "sexist" when he really wasn't and hadn't been throughout the book.

Overall, it still wasn't a bad read, but the extreme and over the top feminism kind of ruined it for me. I wish it had been handled better, because while I am interested in what Ellie and Adam do next, I don't actually plan to continue the series because I just can't handle Ellie's attitude.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC! All opinions and thoughts expressed are my own.

Hmm. 🧐

This was an adventure book; there weren’t really any big twists or major dramatic entanglements and I didn’t really feel any sort of… panic or anything because I knew the two main characters would survive and there weren’t really any side characters besides the enemies and some minor friends who weren’t in any dangerous situations. So ultimately the book felt a bit too wholesome for my taste. I needed some more drama or flair.

The banter was decent and there were a few scenes I enjoyed, though the semi-spicy scene was a bit… weird. It didn’t really feel like it worked well, at least not for me. 😅 I didn’t much like Ellie and when she would spout her “why did you protect me; is it because I’m a woman?!” I wanted to go “No you dimwit, it’s because he doesn’t want you HURT.” 🙄

I liked the beginning quite a bit but the middle dragged a LOT. And by the end, when we got some “puzzles”, I just wanted the book to be over because I knew how it would end? It was just very predictable. Even the little “semi-plot-twists” at the end were not really all that surprising.

Overall, I don’t think Benson’s writing style is for me. She is very verbose and I found myself skimming a LOT of the historical info and physical descriptions of things. I won’t be continuing with the series. Just the thought of more of this makes me groan. 😅

I absolutely ADORED Empire Of Shadows! The romance was sweet but not too much and was perfect for the story. The humor and the banter was so much fun. I loved the adventures and the two main characters were so personable and worked so well together! The jungle setting was lush and I loved all the descriptions that actually made me feel like I was seeing it through the characters eyes. The history and folklore was absolutely fascinating! This definitely gave off Indiana Jones vibes with slight Jungle Cruise and The Mummy vibes as well. I think readers who are into Mesoamerican history and like archeology are going to absolutely fall in love with this story! I cannot wait for the next adventure in Egypt!

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.

Ellie Mallory refuses to conform to the ridiculous notions that Victorian society believe she should be. Why shouldn’t she be able to hold the same jobs or rights as a man does. Ellie is a suffragette and has no qualms about who knows it even if it leads to her being let go at her present employment. However as she’s waiting in her soon to be ex employers office she finds a map on his desk. A map to an ancient city long thought to be myth. Ellie realizes she has more than enough knowledge and means to decipher and find the “x” located on this map. There’s just one problem she’s not the only one who wants the map. Now being chased by a villain whose goal is to not only to locate the ancient city but steal its arcane treasures. Determined to thwart these looters Ellie journeys to unknown lands forcing her to enlist the aid of guide and surveyor, Adam Bates. Together they must trek thru ruins and dangers to reach the city before their pursuers.

This book was so incredibly amazing! As someone who has a huge love of history and ancient civilizations this book was everything I needed and more! This novel was as if Indiana Jones, The Mummy, and Jungle Cruise all came together and I devoured every minute of it. Empire of Shadows brings all the adventure, mystery, and heat. I enjoyed Ellie’s character so very much as she was funny, independent, smart, determined, and resilient. Adam was a great counterpart to Ellie, his role as the “rogue” type to Ellie’s ladylike demeanor was perfection. I’m simply obsessed with them! The tension, the banter, and their mutual appreciation of each other’s knowledge had me smiling every second of reading. The history elements, depictions of native Belizeans, and the Mesoamerican folklore were so incredibly well done that it is abundantly clear the amount of research that the author has done for this novel. The authenticity of these elements made my history loving heart happy. The way Benson wove all these historical facts with the adventure, plot, romance, and fantasy elements was flawless. I am desperate for the sequel immediately as I do not see myself not thinking about this book, anytime soon. I cannot express enough how much I adored this book!

Empire of Shadows is for anyone who like me once dreamed of adventures unearthing history from our world’s past. If you love historical fiction that has action, fantasy, ancient civilizations, and romance all within an incredibly immersive setting you have to read this book.

Empire of Shadows comes out April 2nd, 2024.

Thank you NetGalley and Crimson Fox Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Jacquelyn and NetGalley for allowing me to ARC read this beautiful book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The Mummy meets minor fantasy and real historical and anthropological context in this exciting and adventurous first book in the Raiders of Arcana series, Empire of Shadows, by Jacquelyn Benson.

I am absolutely in love with this book. As a history lover and having my bachelor's degree in history as well as pursuing my masters in history and hoping to become an archaeologist, I am absolutely obsessed. Benson does a fantastic job mixing real historical and anthropological context into this book and I was kicking my feet the entire time and squealing with the context that she included (especially about the Annals, I am in an Native American histories course right now for my M.A. and we study a lot of Native primary sources or primary sources that involve Natives and we studied different Annals earlier in the semester). Benson mentions in her cultural note at the end of the book the difficulty of finding sources on the Maya from that time period from their own voices and has to read between the lives which is a lot of what we have to do when we analyze various sources in class. Sorry for nerding out.

This book, although laced with fantasy, had a special place in my heart and I loved seeing the history being included and properly portrayed. As an avid fantasy lover the use of magical artifacts were amazing and the strong female lead was beautifully done. In a time period where women did not have many rights, Ellie pushed and pushed and was determined to change that. Ellie has determination and is very strong-minded and stubborn. Adam is also one of my favorite MMC after reading this book. He doesn't belittle Ellie and accepts her as she is and follows her on this crazy adventure.

Benson did a beautiful job on her prose as well as explaining key historical context to better understand the story.

I cannot wait for book two and I have already preordered my own copy, I loved it soooooo much. This is a beautifully written book. Also Ellie constantly wanting to blow something up is top tier and I hope to see more of that in the next book.

Content:
🧭Witty Banter
🧨1898 Belize
🧭Magical Artifacts
🧨FMC wants to blow stuff up
🧭Hunt for a Lost Civilization
🧨Archaeology
🧭Suffragist/Archaeologist/Archivist FMC
🧨Slow Burn
🧭True Historical and Archaeological context
🧨The Mummy Vibes
🧭Hot MMC who is frequently shirtless and covered in mud

What a ride! This book was so enjoyable, and really did give The Mummy vibes I was looking for. The humor was subtle but not cheesy and the historical detail was amazing. The author really took her time to develop the story into a true action-adventure romance.

The only complaint I have is that the end set piece dragged a little bit for me. I loved when Ellie and Adam were on their own, but the cave scenes just dragged a little bit at the end. This had a satisfying conclusion as a stand-alone novel, but there will be more in this series, and the next one is in Egypt!! *heart eyes*

Overall, a solid 4.5 Stars!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Crimson Fox Publishing for allowing me to review and ARC copy of this book.
I need to start off by saying that I have been iin a horrible reading slump and I think that has added to how I feel towards this book.
The premise really pulled me in, history, exploration, mystery, archeological, adventure, secret cities and so many more good things that I love, and whilst there were fantastic elements to this book I sadly just didn’t really enjoy it and felt it missed the mark for me. I really struggled with the pacing, I felt it moved too slowly for me (which is where I think my slump let it down as I needed fast pace to keep me involved). There were large chunks of time where nothing was really happening, there was a lot of information and in some places what felt like pointless conversation. I also think my intelligence level may have been slightly too low for this as there was so much academic information and detailed history and lang within this that I got lost on a fair few occasions.
I really liked the back story to the city, and the mirror and the supernatural undertone that ran through it. I loved how our main characters really did share a passion for what they were doing and had such a high respect for it. I thought their story was very organic and sweet, and they developed a genuine connection and care for each other.
Whilst I found this to be slow the adventure and exploration element was definitely there, with the setting, following a treasure map to an abandoned secret Mayan city.
I think if you are more academic than me (not difficult) and enjoy fleshed out, well researched and slow paced adventure books, with a tiny hint of romance and the supernatural, then this would be for you.
I wanted The Mummy vibes but for a little more Indiana Jones.

Instantaneous five stars!!!

This book has MAJOR BRE (Big Rick Energy (as in Rick O'Connell from the Mummy)) in the best way possible! I laughed, my jaw dropped, I learned so much, and I truly had such a FUN time reading this book, which really is the ultimate goal!!

Eleanora (Ellie) Mallory, a well-educated, unmarried suffragette finds herself in a pickle when she discovers an ancient map to a lost city and an amulet in her boss's office- and then promptly accidentally steals it, saving it from landing in some real bad people's hands. She quickly boards the first boat possible to British Honduras, where she plans to hire a local guide to help her navigate the uncharted lands to find her mystery city and make a huge archaeological discovery that will have to prove that women are just as capable. Enter Adam Bates, Assistant Surveyor General, American ex-pat running from a boring 9-5, best friend of Ellie's archaeologist brother. Through a wild series of events, Ellie and Adam must venture out together- finding knowledge, uncovering history, and finding their way together.

This book reads just like any kind of historical adventure with an archaeologist hoping to make a big discovery of a hidden city- but does it SO INCREDIBLY WELL. The stakes fuel the tension, the history of the Aztec and Mayan cultures feels respectful and fascinating, and the characters feel like real people of the time. I ate this book up and cannot wait for more of Ellie and Adam's adventures in book 2 and hopefully beyond!!

Thank you so much to Jacquelyn Benson and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. Empire of Shadows comes out on April 2, 2024- with the sequel coming out in 2025!!

Overall Rating: 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Jacquelyn Benson, and Crimson Fox Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was the first book I’ve read like this one, and needless to say - Jacquelyn Benson set the bar super high for me. From the beginning, I was hooked on the story of Ellie as she navigates battling society’s path for her as a woman. As a scholar, she refuses to accept a life that doesn’t allow her to chase her dreams.

And, of course, her dreams lead her to British Honduras on an adventure to find a lost city. Naturally, she does so with the help of a cinnamon roll of a guide, Adam Bates, who is content letting her lead the expedition.

Empire of Shadows is an exciting, historical magical realism adventure and the first in a series. If you loved anything to do with The Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, or The Mummy, then this is going to be a great read for you!

> Parts I Loved:

Ellie Mallory - Our FMC:
Ellie was such a badass female main character - a total go-getter and ambitious. And she didn’t let anything get in her way! I especially loved the few scenes when parts of her adventure got to her and she battled her two identities: being a woman and being a scholar. She was filled with such spice and a zest for life — the life that she envisioned for herself, not the life society deemed appropriate for her. I could read a hundred books with Ellie as the main character!


Adam Bates!
Omg - I loved Adam from the moment he burst onto the page. Although the two have their ideas of what they want out of life, I will forever root for these two together. They are a perfect pair. I loved reading about Adam’s cheerfulness, even when everything in their adventure was going to hell in a hand basket. I loved how quick thinking he was, how he was able to navigate the jungle as well as anything their adventure threw at them. And I absolutely adored how he was totally content letting Ellie take the lead, rather than trying to command everything simply because she was a woman and he was a man. Ugh, ultimate book boyfriend material!

The Characters & Their Banter:
From the moment both characters step onto the scene, I was immediately rooting for them. Their banter together is perfection. I highlighted so many parts because they were just so hilarious and sweet together!

The Side Characters:
Jacquelyn Benson has this incredible ability of bringing life and dimension to every single character, no matter how small their “screen time” is. I found myself falling in love with several side characters, just as much as our main characters. No detail was spared with the characters!

> Parts That Didn't Work for Me:

Descriptions of Settings & Scenes:
This in no way altered my rating of the book - it was still a 5 star read. But I did find it difficult to picture the settings and scenes. I’m sure this had to do with them being so elaborate, that it’s hard to accurately describe such settings and scenes. That said, I didn’t think it detracted from the overall experience of reading the book! I was still able to enjoy it just as much!

> Book Characteristics:

- Exciting adventure
- Historical fantasy / historical magical realism
- Strong female character
- Cinnamon roll male character
- Indiana Jones meets The Jungle Cruise meets The Mummy

“Empire of Shadows,” by Jacquelyn Benson

Ellie’s fight for women’s rights turns into an arrest that ends in her losing her job. As she is packing up her belongings from work, she comes across a map to an ancient city that has yet to be discovered. She takes a few chances, hoppes a few fences, and ends up in the jungle asking a strange guy to show her the way to the city on the map.

What a great book! It’s the mummy but in central America instead of Egypt. The two main characters are funny and adorable. The story line and world building were well paced and interesting. Perfect for a lighthearted Victorian adventure. I loved so much in this book. Well worth the read. 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

I usually can gauge whether I’m going to love a book by the time I’ve read half a page. I didn’t even need that with this one. ‘Empire of Shadows’ already has a place in my 2024 favourite reads department.
In this adventurous historical fantasy set right before the turn of the 20th century, we meet our protagonist Ellie, an archivist involved in the UK’s suffragist movement with an extensive knowledge – and passion – for history. After (sort of) stealing a treasure map and a pre-Colombian amulet, she narrowly escapes from being hunted by a mysterious man by hopping on a bout to Belize, where she must find someone who can aid her in traversing the Belizean jungle towards that X on her map. Unfortunately for her, that turns out to be infuriating, American Adam. Even more unfortunately, that mysterious man and his thugs are right behind their heels.
One of my favourite themes across the story was the depiction of native Belizeans and other ethnic groups. I was very relieved when the characters openly denounced colonialism and had nuanced discussions about its effects on the local communities. The author clearly has done research on the subject, as well as on Mesoamerican folklore and history, which were wonderfully woven into the plot and setting.
The romance was one of the other highlights of this book. Ellie and Adam’s dynamic was electrifying: the banter, the tension, the secret admiration of each other’s intelligence… I’m really looking forward to the next instalment in this series, Tomb of the Sun King, which will likely come out in early 2025.
This takes me into one of my main concerns going into the book. I usually limit myself to standalones or completed series, but I’m happy to say that, while the plot certainly leaves some ends untied, it does not end in a cliffhanger and is a basically self-contained story.

PD: I’d like to mention two things that have made this book special to me: the first one, that my own language, Valencian, is mentioned in the beginning of the book, which is definitely a first for me (even if the character’s name should’ve been Vicent and not Vincente); the second one, the casual mentions of Latin declensions, conjugations and phrases, since it’s my field of study at university. I don’t know what the odds were that this book reached a Valencian Latinist, but it did, and I’m ecstatic for it.

4.5/5
This book was an adventure, great mix of history with a bit of fantasy. It definitely fits the Indiana Jones/Mummy vibes. From the beginning we get a sense of who Ellie is as character by getting herself chained to a fence while fighting for women rights, then arrested. She’s trying to break the mold of the role of women in her time while trying to pursue her dreams.

She is strong, no nonsense and she doesn’t let anyone deter her from what she wants. Adam was also very charismatic and funny. Because of this they had great banter and chemistry. Once they set off on their quest each chapter felt like a scene from a movie and it kept me hooked all the way to the end. Lots of great culture lore and rich imagery. It really brought fond memories of when I started to get interested in reading in middle school and one of the series that became a staple for me was Isabel Allendes City of Beasts trilogy. I can’t wait to see how this series continues as it seems that we might meet her brother and more chaos will ensue.
P.S. I'm kinda bitter about her throwing his lucky rock though.

Thank You to NetGalley and Crimson Fox Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

I liked this more than I thought I would! It's fun, adventurous and the characters were so endearing. Really fun time.

I am a big fan of the Indiana Jones -ish genre Renaissance! As someone who has grown up watching Brandon Fraser's Mummy, I was hooked from the moment I saw the cover. I'm so grateful to the author and the publisher for allowing me to read the arc in exchange for an honest review.

And the main couple does share a similar dynamic with the original duo from the Mummy with just a few peaks of their personalities. Ellie is an ancient world enthusiast, scholar, and suffragette, who has been forbidden by society to do what she has studied and ached for her entire life: archeology. She is stubbornly independent, a fighter against the patriarchal regime that has kept her from achieving her full potential, but also kind and mannered even to her enemies. I really liked that despite being the "strong female character" the author didn't strip her of her emotions and empathy. Even though she can't fight, she can easily outwit criminals chasing her with wit.

Her companion, Adam, is the golden retriever. He is the guy every straight woman hopes exists, though perhaps a little awkward around the topic of sex, especially in front of respectable ladies. He was perhaps a bit too good to be true - okay, he could shower more, but then again, most of the story takes place in a jungle, so I can't blame him for being a little dirty.

There are many side characters to love ( or hate ), especially in the latter 40% of the book, but I can't tell you more without the spoilers. I just thought the entire situation was kinda hilarious.

On a more serious tone, I have to applaud the author for how she handled some of the darker themes and questions this genre likes to blind eye to - and that is how archeology and discovery, even though well-meaning can further harm the culture that is being studied. Adam, whose literal job is to explore new territories, struggles with the knowledge that with every Mayan site he marks on a map, the likelihood of it getting looted rises. Ellie too recognizes that the line between an archeologist and a grave robber can be thin and on multiple occasions they are faced with the question of whether it wouldn't be better to leave the hidden city to legends.

The only reason I cannot give it five stars is the pacing. There were times when it draaaged. The book could be easily like 100 pages shorter with the right editing, however, I am admittedly more action&feelings type of girl, but if you like long descriptions of scenery and vibes this might be right up your alley! I was also missing any sense of urgency or real danger, out of all the troubles they encountered, the characters got out unscathed and even made friends along the way!

I will still be reading the second book and I'm incredibly grateful I got to read this one. I have also gained a lot of respect for that author, so I think it's definitely worth your time!

"Nice Victorian ladies don't run off to find legendary lost cities. One trifling little arrest shouldn't have cost Ellie Mallory her job, but it's only the latest in a line of injustices facing any educated woman with archaeological ambitions.

When Ellie stumbles across the map to a mysterious ancient city, she knows she's holding her chance to revolutionize Pre-Colombian history. There's just one teensy complication. A ruthless villain wants it, and Ellie is all that stands in his way.

To race him to the ruins - and avoid being violently disposed of - she needs the help of maverick surveyor Adam Bates, a snake-wrangling rogue who can't seem to keep his dratted shirt on.

But there's more than Ellie's scholarly reputation (and life) on the line. Her enemies aren't just looters. They're after an arcane secret rumored to lie in the heart of the ruins, a mythical artifact with a power that could shake the world.

Between stealing trousers, plummeting over waterfalls, and trying not to fall in love with her machete-wielding partner, will Ellie be able to stop the oracle of a lost empire from falling into the wrong hands?

Empire of Shadows is the first book in Jacquelyn Benson's smart, swashbuckling Raiders of the Arcana series. Read it now and dive into a rip-roaring historical fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Romancing the Stone and The Mummy."

But but I LOVE Romancing the Stone and The Mummy and men who tear off their shirts at a moments notice like Captain East in Austenland!