Very very fast-paced book. A little bit of Indiana Jones, with an overlay of woman's suffrage, romance, magic, and an evil group.

Ellie and Adam are just awesome together. He's bucking his father's control, by burying himself with his work in Honduras. She's run off on a quest to prove that women deserve their place just as much as any other guy. They start off on a slightly rough foot, but as their adventure takes them deeper and deeper into a dangerous web, their attraction and admiration for each other grows. The historical setting was picture perfect with evil spirits, people, animals, sink holes, waterfalls and just a whole bunch of swashbukling details.

#netgalley #EmpireOfShadows

So close to what I want in modern written adventure fiction and yet yanked out of the story everytime the author started getting on her soapbox. We all know sexism is bad etc we don't need to be reminded every 5 pages. Anyway, this was pretty good otherwise - just wish the MC wasn't so insufferable.

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Raiders of the Arcana series. I got a copy of this on audiobook for review from NetGalley.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. It has a lot of story elements that I always enjoy, and it was very well done and well written. This is full of fun archaeological adventures, humor, and some romance. This is set in the nineteenth century and is a historical fantasy adventure of sorts. Although, the magic in here is very light and I would say it is more magical realism.

Ellie lost her job at university after getting arrested for protesting for women's right to vote. However, she may have nabbed a bit of a treasure map on her way out. Now Ellie is heading to Hondorus to find what she thinks may be the lost City of Eldorado. When she gets there, she realizes that she is going to need a guide and that a ruthless villain who wants what she has is on her tail. She ends up enlisting the help of Adam Bates, a surveyor, to track down the city. They start to gain great respect for each other during their travels and soon they are not only dodging ancient traps and bullets but some rather inappropriate feelings as well.

This story has so many elements that I love. It has a bit of that Victorian flare (although time-wise we are edging past that). It has a strong female protagonist that is willing to push against the limits set on her. It has a wonderfully high action archaeological adventures with some magic. In addition to all that, the dialogue is witty and fun and there is a sweet but steamy romance woven throughout the story (but it doesn't overwhelm the story at all). At of these elements are balanced to make an incredibly fun story that reminded me of Indian Jones but was even more fun because of the characters and the bits of magic. I wish there were more archaeological adventures series like this out there!

I loved Ellie and Adam as characters and the bad guy was delightfully bad. The story isn't all that complex, but I did love that some supernatural magic comes in to play. I loved the action and fast pace and just really, really enjoyed this one!

I did listen to this on audiobook and have absolutely no complaints. The narrator did an amazing job here; I felt like I was actually in the jungle with Ellie and Adam. Definitely a great one to listen to if you love audiobooks.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this one. If you enjoy Indiana Jones types of stories but in a more historical setting and with a bit of romance and some magical realism, I would highly recommend. This was a wonderfully fun archaeological adventure with some discussion of women's rights, a lot of witty banter, action, adventure and romance. I already picked up the next book, "Tomb of the Sun King", to review, and will be reading it soon!

The beginning of this started a little slow for me, but once I was hooked, I was HOOKED. I love a solid archeological mystery, and let me tell you this adventure was SOLID! I loved the characters and in this one the miscommunication actually turned out to be really well done given the time it was set in. I loved the fantasy aspects and the ending did not let me down. The narrator on this audio was fantastic and I was so happy to get this audio from NetGalley. I cannot wait to read the next in this series!

I loved this book! Ultimately I have no notes, this was so fun and had everything I love in a book. I first picked it up because I heard it described as having The Mummy vibes, which is my favourite movie so the book had a lot of live up to but it delivered. The author must have done a ton of research, the history and setting was so well done. The characters had great banter and the slow burn was so perfect. Even though there’s romance the main plot of the story was strong enough to do without it. The audiobook was really well done and the narrator did a great job with bringing all of the characters to life. To me this is a perfect blend of The Mummy and Emily Wildes Encyclopedia of Fairies, and I can’t wait to read more by this author!

Thanks to NetGalley, Jacquelyn Benson and Vaughan Woods Publishing for this ALC

This was so much fun, and everything I didn't know I wanted to read! Life long lover of The Mummy, this filled a hole that I think a lot of books should aspire to. I don't know what I mean by that but I feel it! I will definitely be recommending this to everyone I can!

Ellie wants more out of life than to be a mother and a wife. She wants to explore and discover. She gets her chance when she steals a relic and a map that lead to a lost city in the Amazon. Along with a hunky cartographer, she goes on the adventure of a lifetime.

#1 this thing is too long. This book is about 100-150 pages too long and it caused me to lose interest in a lot of the stuff.

#2 I wish that this was written in the POV of Adam instead of Ellie. She is annoying. Think....Feyre in ACOTAR only she can read. This book is often described as being similar to "The Mummy". But... that movie was mostly in Rick's perspective. (Which is probably why it was so good.) Ellie is a whiny narrator that goes on and on and on and on and on about how unfairly women are treated in academia. SHUT. UP. Who is reading this book that takes place in this time period and doesn't know that!? Furthermore, one mention of the situation would have been plenty. Don't turn a work of fiction into a freaking platform. I hate that junk. I come here to be entertained not indoctrinated. I'm all the way good thanks.

The narrator was good. Her accents are pretty good and she kept my focus.

This one took me completely by surprise. It was a fast paced and adventure packed story. It was such a fun read with witty character banter and a hint of meet-cute. Simply a DELIGHTFUL read!

This was an amazing listen thank you NetGalley!

First off I loved the banter and the characters. I wish I could be Ellie! Archaeology is a passion I wish I could finish pursuing and loved how well educated and passionate Ellie is.

It really felt like The Mummy and really really enjoyed it! It’s a must read!

I loved this book from beginning to end. The characters, the detail, and even the banter were all well done. The narrator did a fabulous job and I can't wait for book 2. I'm so excited!

I had such a fun time with *Empire of Shadows*! The story follows Ellie, a British woman who stumbles upon a map to the lost White City and finds herself on a thrilling adventure to keep it safe from those who want it for their own gain. She teams up with Adam, an American ex-pat, and their hate-to-love dynamic made for some great banter. The historical setting was well-researched, and the mix of adventure, humor, and light romance kept me hooked.

The audiobook was fantastic too! The narrator did an excellent job with the accents and brought the characters to life. If you’re into treasure-hunting adventures with a bit of romance, like *The Mummy* or *National Treasure*, this book will definitely be a hit. Looking forward to the next one in the series!

ARC Rating 5/5 ⭐️

Devoured. DEVOURED. Gah, this was so perfect. This was my favourite audio book this year. The audiobook was very nice with great narration.

This is a historical fantasy adventure with a romance story. So, so so good. Loved this adventure. Ellie was such a great character, smart, and so funny.

I really loved the book, and I felt the world building and the characters were well written. This has such great twists, which just kept me interested!

The cover of this book is so pretty ✨️

This was a really good read, and I would definitely read any future books by this author.

Thank you, NetGalley, Vaughan Woods Publishing, Jacquelyn Benson, and Alex Picard, for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Vaughn Woods Publishing for providing with a copy of the audiobook in advance for my honest opinion!

This book had me giggling uncontrollably and kicking my feet in pure joy.

The Narration by Alex Picard was perfection, I couldn’t put it down.

It transported me back to my teens when I was obsessed with the Mummy and made it my entire personality.

We start the book after Ellie was arrested for fighting for her basic rights and her boss not too happy about her stint in prison, decides to fire her.

Ellie sick of how women are treated and with how her boss has used and abused her knowledge, taking credit for a lot of her accomplishments at work… comes across what seems to be a treasure map (just don’t let her hear you call it that) and decides that if her boss is going to try and sell it to some random thug she may as well take it herself and go on her own adventure.

And boy did she go on an adventure! This was action packed from the beginning from London all the way to Caribbean and then ancient ruins.

Adam Bates is the perfect MMC, he was so respectful and mindful and the back and forth banter was not only witty and amazing, but hilarious.

This was a slow burn done right! Jacquelyn had me on the edge of my seat begging them to kiss and when they finally did.. oh my!

I highly recommend that everyone read this book, it is an adventure you don’t want to miss out on, especially if you liked the mummy, romancing the stone or the jungle cruise!

My only word of caution is, you will laugh out loud! I listened while rocking my son to sleep and had to keep holding back my laughter from waking him up.

I can’t wait till October for book two where we will see her best friend again and meet Ellie’s brother!

I loved it. Ellie is such a wonderful character. So brave and bold.
I liked the setting, which made the perfect atmosphere with ancient ruins and lost Gods and lands. Adam was the perfect, GREEN flag companion to the sassy, brilliant researcher Ellie.
* Exploration and discovery of ancient ruins
* Dual PoV
* Thrilling from the first page
* Reverse grumpy x sunshine
* Banter
* Adventurous and traversing death traps
* Fans of Indiana Jones
* Spice 1.5/5
* The audiobook narration was so good and lively.
I felt it was a bit lengthier even though it had things going on, it's just a personal preference. But maybe so much happened before the final destination that I kind of started losing interest but then it picked up. I want more of Constance and Ellie duo, the novella was so fun with their adventures. I am so excited for the sequel.

Reminded me a lot of The Mommy, Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider all rolled into one. As I loved those movies, its not a surprise I loved this book too. We have a feisty female scholar, determined to prove herself, and a handsome strong male companion. Push them into a artifact hunting mission with dangers = perfect.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator was perfect for the role. British voice, made me really appreciate and immersed with the background of the female main character. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley for the audiobook.

This was so fun! Definitely think What the River Knows meets Indiana Jones/Jungle cruise! The banter was so good. The plot was fun and fast paced and the sprinkling of romance was so good! I’m excited to see what happens with the rest of the series!

The audio ps is great! Very well done!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm not sure what to say about this one that hasn't already been said. Suffice it to say, all the comparisons to The Mummy, Indiana Jones, and even Jungle Cruise are spot on. I guzzled this down like it was my last meal on earth. The banter is sparkling, the adventure was thrilling, and the romance was swoon worthy. Overall, an absolutely joy. I've already pre-ordered the second book which being set in Egypt is sure to give even more delicious Rick and Evie vibes for all the Mummy super fans.

Overall, I found this book to be fun and enjoyable. I would give it a 3.5 (rounded to 4) stars.
This book is very true to its comp of (the OG) The Mummy movie in vibes, The romance between Adam and Ellie is similar in nature to Rick and Evie, brawny but clever hero and plucky, intelligent heroine who bicker but are really attracted to each other. The feeling of different scenes also feel similar to watching The Mummy. I have never seen the other comp Romancing the Stone; so I am not sure if it is similar to that. I will say the end sequence felt Indiana Jones-esq. I think the plot was interesting and that the author did try to be mindful about the time period while maintaining the characters' progressive ideologies. The romance was cute, and I liked that it was pretty slow burn.
What I didn't like as much was how long this book was. It is nearly 500 pages and I felt like it kind of dragged a bit in the middle. I also understand why the opening prologue was there, but it was boring to me. I get that it establishes the idea of the ancient city that Ellie is searching for, but I didn't really like it. I also get that Ellie needed to be in the protest to get the story rolling, but I also think it would have been fine to just open with her being released from jail and getting fired. We also called back to the protest a lot and Ellie was having random nightmares about sufferage. I just didn't quite understand the point of the nightmares. It just felt like padding that didn't need to be there, in my opinion.
I actually do plan to continue with the series. Especially because it seems like the next book will include Ellie's stepbrother and best friend, who were in very small parts of the book. I think a larger cast of characters will definitely help with feeling of the book dragging on because there will be more characters doing things.

Book Ratings
Content: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing Style: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Readability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot Development: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Feelings whilst reading the book: 🔍🤠

Review
I absolutely loved this book! It was a really fun read, the pacing was perfect for me, and it was everything I was hoping for from a book that was described as ‘perfect for fans of The Mummy’ .
Ellie was a fantastic FMC, and the relationship with Adam was built up perfectly. The world-building was great, it seamlessly blended the real world with fantastical elements.
I listened to the audiobook version of Empire of Shadows, and the narrator was the perfect choice for this book. She managed to really define the characters with her voice acting, and you always need who’s POV the chapter was. She had a really diverse range of accents as well and really brought life to the book.

All in all, it's a solid 5/5 book for me, and it's one of the best reads this year. I’m very excited about Benson’s next book in the series, and I will be picking up a copy as soon as I can!

Would I read it again? Yes! This is definitely a book that can be read again!

I was intrigued by the idea of an Indiana Jones type story featuring a female archivist protagonist, and it really does read exactly like an Indiana Jones movie. We have Ellie (feisty, feminist, intelligent), Adam (smoking hot, looks like a himbo but is actually intelligent, not like other men), hilariously one-dimensional villains, and a whirlwind of archeological adventures. If this is exactly what you are looking for, this will prove a fun time but I was honestly a little bored by how predictable every story beat is.

Credit where it is due however, I adored how much anti-colonialism the author wrote into the story. While the story predominantly features Ellie and her frustrations as a well off Victorian woman, Ellie and Adam always carry themselves as guests in native communities, and many themes of the (horrible) effects of colonialism were explored.

May I also recommend the audiobook format for anyone interested in this story, because good lord the narrator (Alex Picard) did such a great job with each character.

Thank you to the author, Vaughan Woods Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC (audiobook). I leave this review voluntarily.