Thank you to Netgalley and Bloom for this ARC!

Nothing is working for Hannah. Work romance, family, life in general. Shes failing. Everything seems to be going wrong, when suddenly she is transported to s new realm and a new life that seems to just fall into her lap. But this new world is not without its challenges. Hannah will discover what it means to seize knes purpose and make a place for herself.

I have to mention here that I have never read anything from this author so I cannot compare this to any of her previous books. This book was an easy fast read that felt like a good intro to fantasy novel. Nothing was too complex and everything felt well explained.

I was very annoyed with Hannah, our FMC, for most of the book. I hate when MCs don't listen or try to run away when they end up in a new world or a new role. Like girl, everything was awful just go with this! But I know this is how the general trope goes so okay. In the last bit of the book she really embraced herself and her role and it was amazing. The romance in the book is spicey insta lust to love which I enjoy so no complaints. Overall the book was enjoyable without being too complex.

This book took a lot to get thru. I understood what the author was trying to do with a 21st century girl traveling back in time or rather across time. Unfortunately, this made the female main character grate on my nerves because there is no way she could be this clueless in all aspects of her life. Also who is working an internship for more then one year unpaid or whatever. Everything she did in the first few chapters irked me so bad that by the time she fell thru the tarot card, I thought of course that's what would happen. Your life is terrible in one world, lets make it terrible in another.

Hannah is living a normal life but she‘s struggling recently and neither her job nor her boyfriend are treating her well. She immediately had my sympathy from the start, and I absolutely loved the beginning. One day she comes across a tarot card and that catapults her into a different world to Towerfall.

First I want to say that I am a huge fan of Tarot myself, so once I saw that this book throws in pieces of Tarot I was already ready to continue reading. I loved how the author right at the beginning of the book gives you a glimpse of a Towerfall spread that you yourself can do with a description of what place each card can mean.

We follow Hannah who don't really know the inner workings of the world that this takes place in. Then we have Kane who I won't lie is very intriguing. Without giving in too much detail, Kane nonetheless becomes a protector of Hannah, which leads them into a fake marriage. I won't lie u felt like that happened WAY to quickly in my opinion, I am one who likes quickness in stories but truthfully I also like when it gets dragged a bit (not like slow-burn dragging though!) The little spicy scenes was good, not the greatest giving Kane's and Hannahs relationship.

So, I will say if you enjoy tarot give this book a chance. It's cute. Story in itself is a bit meh but a good read!

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc. in exchange for an honest review!)

The Empress by Kristin Cast is the first book in the Towerfall Series. This is Hannah and Kane‘s story.
 
Hannah is living a normal life but she‘s struggling recently and neither her job nor her boyfriend are treating her well. She immediately had my sympathy from the start, and I absolutely loved the beginning. One day she comes across a tarot card and that catapults her into a different world to Towerfall.
 
The concept of this book was really cool and I liked seeing Towerfall but I was always grasping for more because you only get Hannah‘s perspective and she has no idea about the inner workings of this world. She has a hard time adjusting to her new reality and at the same time her actions become naive and reckless.
 
This is only made better by Kane who is such an intriguing character. He is very morally gray, and it always seems like he has some greater motivation that you don’t get to see. He is super charming and hot, but I never felt like he was trustworthy.
 
Kane becomes the protector of Hannah and sees her as a salvation, and they enter a fake-marriage-relationship. But that happened way too quickly, and I felt like so much was skipped, and you never really see them getting to know each other. The spicy scenes were nice, but they needed to be balanced out more with the development of their relationship.
 
Overall, The Empress has such a cool concept, but the story fell flat for me in certain parts. 3 stars.
 
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.)

As a fan of fantasy romance, I was intrigued by the premise—a tarot card transporting the protagonist into a magical realm called Towerfall, where she has to navigate danger and pretend to be married to the brooding warrior, Kane. The setup felt like it had all the makings of a thrilling, romantic adventure.

While the book had its moments of charm—especially the chemistry between the leads—I found it hard to connect with the pacing. Some parts felt rushed, especially when it came to world-building. I wanted to immerse myself in Towerfall, but the details of this intriguing world didn’t feel fully fleshed out. The characters, while likable, sometimes lacked depth, and I found myself wanting more growth or complexity in their arcs.

That said, the book’s tone leans toward a light-hearted fantasy rom-com, which might appeal to readers looking for something breezy and fun rather than deeply intricate. The romance was sweet, and I could see fans of Kristin Cast enjoying the playful dynamic between the characters.

Overall, The Empress didn’t entirely live up to my expectations, but it has potential. I’m curious to see where the series goes and whether the world and characters will deepen as the story continues.

Thanks again to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for letting me explore this unique take on fantasy romance!

This is such a wonderful book to enjoy.

I loved the way that the author mixed in tarot and even included a tarot spread in the front of the book. This is a great fantasy with romance and there is spice that I wasn't expecting! This is a great read for someone who wants to get into romantasy that is also in the historical setting.

Absolutely love!

Thank you to NetGalley, the Author, and the publisher for the eARC.

It was refreshing to see the FMC come from a modern, urban world and then, literally, freak out when she realizes she’s been thrown into a magical one. Like yeah girl, most people would freak out about that too. Thank you for not just immediately being cool about it. 😂

Writing is similar to the style of Assistant to the Villain in my opinion. Magic system is loosely based off Tarot cards, it’s simple and easy to understand. We don’t get much background about our MMC, but he still checks those dark and broody boxes.

The FMC is insecure and trying to find her place in the world. She uses a lot of modern day/pop culture references. However, I feel like it fits within the story since she comes from a modern day world.

The relationship between the MCs felt a tad instalovey, but I am looking forward to seeing more of Towerfell!

Some favorite quotes:
✨ Healing is more difficult than dying. ✨
✨ This is why women chose the bear. ✨
✨ Someone has to save you for a change. ✨

Tropes:
🖤 Enemies to lovers (kinda)
🖤 Forced proximity
🖤 Fake marriage
🖤 Found Family
🖤 Multiverse

Book Deets 📖
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Emotional Damage:💧
Genre: Fantasy Romance

What an incredibly fun ride & a great read to start the year!

Kristin Cast takes us on a portal jumping adventure with The Empress. Hannah is a 20 something trying to pave her way in the world of marketing in Chicago. In fact, she’s ready to be bold & step into her power, self-help book in hand. But after a big flop professionally and personally, Hannah’s life changes forever when she finds a tarot card in the mushy Chicago snow. With it, a portal opens & Hannah lands in the world of Towerfall. Here she begins her journey to self-love & discovery in a way all the self-help books in the world could never offer her. With the help of the gallant and heroic Kane, Hannah discovers the true power and strength in vulnerability and love.

Going into The Empress it is incredibly important to know what you’re heading into. This book was unlike most of the books I have read, in the best possible way. Hannah’s story blends magical realism, romantasy, romantic comedy, and women’s literature all in one. To understand Hannah you have to place yourself in the shoes of your early 20s self. It’s a time rife with self-discovery, mistakes, blunders, insecurity, relationship issues, & drama. That is exactly where Hannah is when we meet her. While some might find it annoying, it serves as a foundation for her growth. Hannah truly develops from an insecure new adult to a woman steeped in her power. When Hannah reflects to herself, “I’m not special. I wasn’t chosen. There’s nothing I can say, nothing I can do tin this realm that isn’t mine.” Haven’t we all felt the despair of early adulthood when we feel helpless, small, and very much not an adult? Even as a 30-something I feel this way. Cast is urging us to embrace the power of the ordinary, everyday person. I very much appreciated a very realistic view of a 20 year old. I often find myself rolling my eyes a bit at very popular romantasy authors and their projecting of a 40 year old woman’s life lessons and maturity onto a 19 year old. Cast’s writing authentically reflects the cringeworthy time that is new adulthood. Hannah knows her downfalls, she’s just as frustrated as the reader is. She even says, “I can only blame myself for the choices I keep making.” I very much felt like an older sister or best friend of Hannah’s watching her fumble and fly. Yes at times it’s painful & frustrating, but I also loved her and was rooting for her. So, dear reader, hold Hannah’s hand, and let’s get her through this together.

Alongside Hannah for this journey is Kane. He, himself, is living a parallel journey to Hannah, just with more royally old school problems. He’s banished from the kingdom, much like Hannah feels banished from work. He has a delightfully sweet horse who huffs and puffs her way into the readers’ hearts. She is the first ally of our dear, sweet Hannah. He’s quite literally the knight in shining armor. And while it can be a bit excessive how many times he has to save Hannah, it’s also endearing. He’s dark, handsome, hot, & has a gift for caretaking. There is very little build up to Hannah & Kane’s relationship. We are in it from the beginning. I didn’t really mind that because while this appears on its face as a romance book, I very much think it’s more of a self-discovery/commentary on young womanhood. I just appreciated Kane for his consistency, tenderness, and maturity. In fact, that’s very much what most women end up looking for in a partner once they have gotten the wildness out of the way. The intimacy scenes while absolutely open door were not overly descriptive, but plenty steamy. I loved that Kane really just wanted to support Hannah. There was no toxic behavior out of either of them besides a bit of a misunderstanding.

The friendships Hannah found in Towerfall were also so endearing and sweet. I love how Hannah just fit right in with this realm. The tie in with people from our world and the parallel world of Towerfall made it fun to guess who we might see next. It was also a nice way for Hannah to have the friendships she so desperately wanted in her world. This book allows for anyone who has ever fantasized about leaving it all behind and starting over somewhere new & exciting to see how fulfilling that can be for someone. In many ways, Hannah gets to break free from the constraints of modernity & lead a life that feels more on her terms.

Overall, this book was a great first read of the year. I very much look forward to reading the sequel and following the other characters’ journeys as well as continuing on with our old friends.

A huge thank you to Kristin Cast, NetGalley, & Bloom Books for the opportunity to read The Empress in exchange for my honest review!

This book was very little about tarot and very much about romantasy -- which wasn't extraordinary, given that both the main characters were very stereotypical and the plot wasn't incredibly coherent.

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for sending me an ARC of this for an honest review.

DNF’d at 30%, I really wanted to power through to 50% and see if it would get better.

The concept of the book was really intriguing and drew me in. It sounded like it had so much potential. But the lack of world building and incessant monologue.

But I just couldn’t get past the FMC and her talking to herself and how self-deprecating and destructive she is. But on top of that, she’s very “woe is me”. Not to mention, if I had a shot for every time I cringed in the first 25% of the book, I’d probably be in the hospital with alcohol poisoning.

The MMC is not well fleshed out at all. He had so much potential, but all he wanted to do was suggest how well he worked with his hands.

I was optimistic about this read given the fascinating premise - a normal woman is thrown into a fantasy world inspired by the tarot deck, and learns that she holds the key to saving the realm. The catch: she must pretend to be married to Kane, a classic dark-haired, morally grey, brooding, muscle-bound love interest with a dark past. Hannah is only focused on getting back home, for some reason, because there really doesn’t seem to be anything meaningful in her life to get back to - she’s nearly estranged from her mother, she just blew a big presentation at work, and discovered her boyfriend was cheating on her. For this and several other reasons I struggled with Hannah as a narrator; she truly read like a 15-year old girl despite supposedly being an adult, and right from the start I couldn’t stand her dynamic with Kane. The worldbuilding, which I had been looking forward to, was really just a broad concept and very sparse on details. Not a single character was enjoyable to read about, and there was nothing particularly exciting about the plot.

So I want to be nice and simply say that this book wasn’t for me, but with how disappointed I was by the book I’m gonna lay it all out. This book is a basic booktok, got blown up because of the tropes, boring book. The characters had 0 depth, the fmc was not only annoying but genuinely aggravating, her love interest literally had no personally he was just there to talk dirty and be eye candy for the readers. The couple had no chemistry until all of the sudden they were screwing?? Which okay that came out of nowhere but moving on, the dialogue was extremely cringey, the fmc used modern day internet slang, example she refers to the trend of women choosing the bear which immediately snapped me out of the book. I think if someone is looking for a modern day woman accidentally goes into a fantasy world read, I would rather recommend them multiple different manhwas as the characters and plot, at the very least are well written.

This book started with an intriguing concept but was plagued by tropes. It is definitely Romantasy that is supposed to be adult but reads more like YA, which feels strange because it isn’t without its share of spice.

I started this book hoping for rich mythology in a world built on the tarot. I did not get that. While Hannah falls into a typical medieval style fantasy world, the only mythology it had was kingdoms named after tarot suits.

The story revolves around Hannah and her love interest, Kane. Hannah is from our world and her life is a mess. I know I’m supposed to feel badly for Hannah, but I just can’t. While her life falls apart in the first chapters I can’t help but blame her. The story is written in such a way that it is obvious she is the victim and it’s not her fault, but she’s not likeable. She’s whiny and she just lets things happen to her. That’s her character arc but it’s off-putting.

When she finally falls into Towerfall, she continues to let things happen to her for 80% or more of the book. She keeps telling herself to be “more self-actualized” and not fall for the super-hot, broody warrior who’s rescued her. It feels a lot like she’s protesting too much.

Except, she has good reasons to avoid the same pattern with men. She wants commitment. She doesn’t just want a fling. She has a whole inner monologue about how maybe she’ll be the one to change him. She even tells herself how stupid that really is and then that’s exactly what happens. So the moral is to make bad choices and hope to be the exception?

Kane is made of tropes and fantasies. He’s tall and dark and brooding. He barely says two words except to make suggestive comments. He’s good at everything and has no flaws. When he’s not hitting on her, he’s absent or showing the heart of gold he’s hiding under all his perfect muscles, because of course he is. It’s not insta-love but it is insta-lust and somehow that turns into love. For Hannah, she starts to love him because she can’t be intimate without catching feelings. For him, I really don’t know why he falls for her. She blunders around and makes mistakes a lot, because she’s ignorant, but he doesn’t help to inform her even when he can and should.

They’re forced together. There’s betrayal. The stakes are high but don’t land; they’re glossed over,, which made me far less invested than I could have been. The world building feels secondary to the romance and the story suffered for it.

If you’re looking for a romance with fantasy and regency elements, this would be fun. I expected a fantasy with a world based on the tarot and a romance thrown in. That’s not the kind of story this is. It’s not a bad story. It’s a fairly short one that I read quickly. If it was promoted as a romance and that’s how I went in, I think I would have enjoyed it more. More world-building and actually incorporating more tarot elements was what I really wanted.

Hard to get into the story
But I continued to the end. The beginning of the book introduces us to Hannah, from Chicago, and Kane Blackthorne of Towerfall from the Kingdom of Pentacles. Hannah is not a normal, run of the mill working class woman, she is having issues at work with a co-worker who takes credit for others work including hers, and a breakup with her boyfriend. As she walks homeward and passes a storefront offering Tarot readings, Hannah is given a card, The Empress. Which promptly deposits her into Towerfall where she is accused of being a witch and nearly killed. Saved by Kane, Hannah makes a deal with him to help the Kingdom from being destroyed in exchange for his assistance in finding The Empress card which she’s lost so she can return to Chicago.
Confusing? Just a bit, but this book caught me by being the first in a series that uses Tarot as real characters and places. Our main female character, Hannah, doesn’t seem to be in her 20s, she is more like a 16–17-year-old high school student. Hannah grows a little through the story and finally acts almost her age by the end of the book. Kane is older than her and has more life experiences, which make his character more interesting, but he could have been much more developed in the story.
I did enjoy the book after about the halfway point, but the ending seemed to be rushed. I hope the author, Kristin Cast, works harder to leave the Young Adult writing that keeps this book from being more satisfying to adult readers. Using the Tarot as important characters is something I’ve never read before and can give this series a distinctive edge over other books. I look forward to reading the next book.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and this is my honest opinion

Kristin Cast paints a beautifully blended world of new and old in The Empress. With hints of all your favorite t.v. period dramas, being swept up in the magic of Towerfall is easy to do.

An overworked city girl down on her luck, Hannah is pulled into another realm where magick is outlawed, and the Kingdom of Pentacles is spiraling with civil unrest. Saved by a handsome and broody dark knight, the lies and covert mission they embark upon to save the kingdom is full of secrets and steamy moments alike.

Liked: incredible world building, great dialogue, just enough spice without being smutty, the tarot kingdoms, realm travel, internal dialogue,

Disliked: The end felt rushed, and kind of unresolved but with no big cliff hanger. I imagine that is intentional to continue the series but left me wanting less intro, and more Towerfall.

I will definitely want to check out the next book(s) in the series to see what becomes of Hannah and Kane, and the other kingdoms of Towerfall. Thanks to BloomBooks and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book.

I was very much entertained by this plot and this female lead character.. i am always down to read about a girl in a big city being dragged to a fantasy world. The tarot part was interesting but very small, to me it was just the means to explain her disappearing into another realm. But what I really liked was the court intrigued and dram in the book, it was just overall fun for me and the romance part of the story was fun. I really enjoyed the happy ending after reading how everything unfolded at the end.

This book is a classic case of the description being much better than the actual execution. I loved the premise of this book but it never went super in depth. I think there definitely could have been more done with tarot and magic overall. Also Hannah was not the best FMC. Nothing about her was powerful or made you think she could be the one to save the kingdom. She was very confident in herself which made it hard to root for her. With that being said, I still enjoyed the romance part of the book. It kind of felt more like a romance book with a few hints of fantasy. Overall could have a been a lot better but also a lot worse.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

*Thank you to Sourcebooks, Kristin Cast and Netgalley for providing me with a E-ARC of "The Empress" in exchange for an honest review*

This was so romantic. I feel like Outlander fans have a new favorite.

The arc reviews were low on this one and I am not sure why, I enjoyed this one. Honestly, expecting a mature put together adult woman in every book you read or even in real life, is a reach. I’m pretty sure she was in her early 20s, what was expected lol. I thought she had growth from the very insecure, low confidence person she started as. I loved Kane and her adventure with him.
There were interesting mirror images of people from her time to this time she went back to. Oh right she was thrust back into time after she received a tarot card, and is fated to help this other time and place with fixing their broken kingdom. The magick is interesting with different colors. I love multiple timelines, time travel type stories.
There were some great spicy scenes and plenty of fast paced adventure and conflict.

This cover is gorgeous!!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but Kristin Cast created a fabulous world I look forward to revisiting in the future.

Hannah, a down on her luck, stuck in her ways, young woman gets pulled into a different realm thanks to a magical (or magickal as this book spells it) Tarot Card. Kane, a warrior of the highest order is trying to save his kingdom from someone abusing their power.

Kane was an immediate yes from me. He’s flirty and gruff, but obviously cares a great deal. Hannah was a much harder sell. It wasn’t until the last about 80 pages that I actually liked her. She was so hard on herself and constantly berating herself based on things other people said in her past. However, she did finally get it together and I really was rooting for her by the end.

Overall, definitely a book I’d recommend!