This seems like a great, fluffier option for those who want something that gives Outlander vibes but with much more of a focus on the fantasy and magic side of things!

While Kane and Hannah do seem to fall for each other rather quickly, it works for the story and it feels quite realistic when Hannah (whose life has been pretty unlucky and on the struggle bus in our world) takes AGES to accept that her fate in Towerfall is where she's meant to be (plus her culture references are a great laugh!).

I'm excited to see where the series goes from here!

This was definitely a 'read for the vibes' book, and I had a good time with it if I don't think about it too hard. I liked that that fantasy world was based around tarot, and I'm definitely intrigued enough to read more in this setting. The FMC, Hannah, definitely experienced a lot of growth throughout the novel, and I think we all know someone who rambles when their nervous, and that's 100% Hannah. I did end up really enjoying her character even if I was mentally screaming at her just to shut up for her own sake in the beginning. Kane was the perfect hot, broody fantasy book boyfriend. I kind of pictured him like Zorro?? idk something about the cloak and the horse put that mental image in my head. He was a consummate
tease, and I loved the flirty banter. I read this one in two sittings, and overall would recommend for portal fantasy lovers not looking for something too deep.

Can we just take a moment to admire this gorgeous cover! THE EMPRESS is a Romantasy read that takes place in a mirror world with a medieval vibed setting and features characters based on tarot cards. There’s political plotting, spice, and magic.

𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦-𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘧𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘬—𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭. 𝘛𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭.

The Empresss was a light and overall engaging read for me. The MMC is all things dark and morally grey, and he has a bit of a sassy mouth on him too. 🤭
I had a harder time connecting with the FMC who felt more like a YA character. The world of Towerfall was fascinating with all the tarot references and touches of magic, but I would have liked to see more development to it. The intrigue, danger, and spice kept me turning the pages.

➻ 𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐁𝐑 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
Romantasy
Tarot Inspired Magic
Mirror Worlds
Curse Breaking
Fake Marriage
Light World Building
Morally Grey MMC
Spice

This book was so unique and fun to read!

First of all, I love the take on tarot magick in “The Empress”. It was a refreshing view on magick in the genre and I feel like that really helped pique my interest in the book. It was neat to see how the tarot magick played a role in the world of Towerfall and also in the real world the FMC, Hannah, comes from.

Overall, the writing of this book was well done. I found myself getting lost in the descriptions of the world and the people, which made it easy to see the clear differences in the realms that Hannah was experiencing. There was plenty of banter and moments that made me giggle and blush 😏, as well as wonderful descriptions and many interesting characters. Shadow is probably the best character, tbh.

The array of characters was lovely. Some were very humorous, others very lovable. Ahem, Kane. 😏. Honestly Hannah was the only character I struggled to like and find redeeming qualities in. She spent most of the book in denial about herself and her role in Towerfall. She felt extremely shallow and had very little depth. But, she is relatable in the sense that she seems to be just surviving the world. Cuz same girl. We all hanging by a thead 🫠😂

As for the flow of the story, it was a little hard to keep up with. It felt rushed, especially in the end, and I went from really loving this book to kind of just being disappointed. Which is why I gave it 3 stars. It had so much potential and interest and then so much happened at the end and it felt like it was a race to the close.

I would love to get more of Towerfall in the future and hope that Kristin plans to return to this world. There is so much potential and many more adventures to be had!

The dedication really set the tone for this book, and let me know right away that I was going to like it. From page one the story was — wonderfully — absurd. It didn’t take itself to seriously and was genuinely funny, making for such a fun read. It sort of reminded me of the vines of Assistant to the Villain with a modern portal fantasy twist.

As a tarot lover, I adored the way that the magic of tarot was used. It was so original and creative while still holding true to the art of tarot.

The Empress by Kristin Cast has a unique world and seductive. I unfortunately did not connect with the FMC, which hindered my reading experience. I enjoyed Kristin's writing style and generally enjoyed it.

This was a fun read! The fantasy, romance, and suspense threads of the plot were well balanced and the characters well developed.

Unfortunately this was a dnf at 33%. I really wanted to like the book. I thought the cover was stunning and I thought that the premise sounded really interesting but unfortunately I could not get through it. I just did not like the main character and how much she complained about not having her phone. In the short bit I read it was brought up so many times. I feel like yes we as a society use our phones a lot but most people would be fine without it, especially if they knew that they were in an alternate universe world where it wouldn't work anyway. I also just could not get myself to like the romance. Kane is a very stereotypical dark and brooding male lead that we keep getting now but he also just kept saying these one liners to Hannah that just made me cringe. They were supposed to be sexy and Hannah was feeling them but I thought they were boring and were making the development of the twos relationship move way too fast.

Absolutely loved this book! The pace was perfect, the story was perfect. That's Netahlley and to the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for an arc of The Empress. This book was okay. The story had me hooked ant first then I was bored about half way through and then it picked back up. I would rate it a 3 stars.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

unfortunately dnf’d @ 25% — the writing and the fmc were just not for me, despite my intrigue surrounding the tarot cards. i’m not sure how large of a role the tarot play in this book considering i dnf’d, but in the 25% i read i wish there was more.

this book will find its audience, but its not me.

I went into this book mostly blind. I knew the authors name from growing up and reading Vampire Academy, so I felt like it was worth trying.

I was right. The FMC had growth, the MMC was a growly, dominant, “only smile for you” knight in shining armor. I loved it! It’s slow burn, but standalone, so the spice was spicing when it got there and it was WORTH THE WAIT.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this as an advanced copy NetGalley and BloomBooks! I hope there will be more in this world to come!!

*Title: The Empress- Towerfall Book #1

*Release date: 1/7/25 | Read 12/23/24

*Author: Kristin Cast

*Format: E-book 400 pgs.

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Sourcebooks Bloom Books, and the author Kristin Cast for this ARC👑 ! I voluntarily give an honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

*Setting: Chicago to The Kingdom of Pentacles

*Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Historical

*Tropes: tarot inspired, parallel universe, fake marriage, dark/morally gray /scarred H, secret identity, magic, 1 bed

*Look out for: cheating, arson, sexual harassment

*Synopsis: Hannah has worked at Post Pulse as a brand manager who wants more from her life. When she gets a tarot reading, she receives the Empress card and is taken to another realm-The Kingdom of Pentacles.

*Characters

* Hannah Thomas/Lady Ashwood-FMC
* Kane Blackthorne/Lord Ashwood- MMC/ a warrior who saves Hannah
* King Alderic Lockhart III-King of Pentacles
* Four-The King's right hand, practices dark magic
* Ivy Church-Four's girlfriend
* Lady Marion Highgate-Hannah's friend at the palace
* Highgate-Marion's husband
* Queen Lockhart-Alderic's mother, a recluse after husband's death
* Chad-Hannah's boyfriend

*Review: This was a great start to a new series about curing a corrupted kingdom. Hannah goes on a self-improvement journey wanting more for herself. Kane becomes her immediate protector and pretends to be Hannah's husband with secrets of his own. Together they are pulled into royal politics and intrigue. I liked Marion as a happy, free spirit, and Hannah really needed her friendship after being betrayed by her work rival and boyfriend. The chemistry between Kane and Hannah is hot from the start, and they agree to a "no falling in love" hookup. Hannah becomes the independent, strong-willed woman her inner self always wanted and loving Kane just added to her new powers.

*Rating: 4/5 ⭐
*Spice level- 4/5 🌶️

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

It takes me A LOT to dnf a book I have an arc for - this book was a lot (derogatory). I have no idea what was going on, or where anything was leading. The four chapters I made it through all felt like chapter one of different books, and none of them were the book I thought I was supposed be reading.


Thank you to Netgalley and Bloom for the advanced copy!

# The Empress by Kristin Cast
★★★★☆ (4/5 stars)

Okay, let me tell you about this book that totally sucked me in! "The Empress" by Kristin Cast is this wild ride that mixes up some really cool elements. First off, don't let the YA-style writing fool you – our main character is actually in her 30s, which is such a refreshing change of pace.

Let's talk about what makes this book stand out: the magic system is super unique, and Cast has created this amazing interdimensional world that keeps you guessing. The world-building here is *chef's kiss* - it's different from anything I've read lately.

Now, I'll be honest – our main character starts off a bit whiny and immature (like, girl, you're in your 30s!), but stick with it because the character growth is worth it. Plus, the steamy scenes? 🔥 There are a couple of spicy moments that definitely push this out of typical YA territory. But what really keeps you hooked is the tension – Cast knows how to build up those moments and keep you on the edge of your seat.

The romance and chemistry between the characters is perfection. You know those books where you're practically yelling "just kiss already!" at the pages? Yeah, it's that kind of delicious tension. The build-up is real, folks!

Despite the main character's rocky start, the story itself is super engaging. The way Cast weaves together the interdimensional travel, unique magic, and character relationships makes for a read that's hard to put down. The writing style might feel YA-ish, but the adult themes and character age make it perfect for those of us who love YA-style fantasy but want more mature content.

Bottom line: If you're into unique magic systems, dimension-hopping adventures, and don't mind a bit of spice with your fantasy, this book is definitely worth picking up. Just push through those early chapters where you might want to shake some sense into the protagonist – I promise it pays off!

DNF @ 20%
You see, this one makes me very sad. I really wanted to like this one. I wanted to read about a cool tarot card magic world system, I wanted and hoped for something interesting. But I cannot for the life of me read about such an annoying main character who talks to herself constantly.
So far at 20% the main character has made her own life worse by the dumb decisions she makes. Instead of sympathizing with her all I feel is irritation and annoyance.
Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book. I wish I had liked it!

I really wanted to like this book. The premise immediately made me request this - a tarot card that transports the MC to another realm? Heck yeah!

The connection the tarot card felt like it was a last minute addition and did not connect with the magic in the story at all. I've also read quite a few books where the MC gets transported to another world, and this story doesn't really rank all that high in comparison. The love story between Hannah and Kane feels...weird. There's no reason for them to fall for each other and it comes out of nowhere. Hannah is also an idiot. She talks and acts like a teenager; much of the dialogue feeling immature. Some of the "feminist" language and the points made about how Hannah is a strong woman who "don't need no man" and must stand up to the patriarchy felt oddly placed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book and honestly review it.

This one just wasn’t for me. I like cozy romantasy, but this just felt too underdeveloped and more fantasy rom-com than anything else. I really don’t like characters who have insta love and I also dislike bad decisions that are used to move the plot along. Thank you for the opportunity to read this work in advance. I’m sure others will eat it up.

I have to say the idea behind the book is what drew me in but unfortunately the execution wasn't what I had expected.

I was hoping for a well developed magic system, an empress that actually had cards in the game, and a tower that would be more magically involved than i would have imagined for a building. But instead the magic system fell short and both the empress and the tower were just symbols in a traveling multiverse kind of story.

The MMC wasn't bad perse but the childish people that surrounded her made the story feel cheap and immature. The fantasy world building wasn't bad at all but the characters motivations in that same setting felt lacking. There could have been much more of a backstory and development of the animosity. It felt like no character knew what their role exactly was, they just existed and their motivations just showed that.

Thank you to the author and Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book!