Such an intricate case of world building. I felt like there were a lot of things that stuck out as gratifying for an observant reader which made me happy

This was a really well done novel, it had that element that I was looking for from Kristin Cast and the type of book this was. The plot worked well overall and was engaged with what was happening with the world, the characters worked well overall and was hooked from the first page and was glad it worked. I always enjoyed getting to read books from Kristin Cast and enjoyed the tarot elements in this.

I absolutely loved this book! I am a huge fan of her House of Night series so I was thrilled to come across this.

While I really appreciate getting an ARC of this I could not push through anymore. I stopped at page 123 (about 30-40%).
I tried, I really did.

I couldn’t get over the FMC and lack of world building for me. The FMC was just really whiny and….i don’t even know how to describe her. She complained or second guessed everything. Then tried to act like she made big bold decisions on the regular. She is in another realm but doesn’t actually believe it…and puts herself in danger just because she thinks she can handle it excuse me miss you couldn’t handle a presentation in your world but can handle a full on quest in another realm?

**Thank you NetGalley for this e-ARC**

This is a solid 3* read for me. It is hard to exactly depict what made it a 3* and not a 4* read, but I will try my best to explain.

I am a huge fan of the “falling through time/into another dimension based on the past” trope, and The Empress started out really well and solid within this. The FMC was genuinely confused, aghast, and panicked as one would be if they fell through time. Somewhere along the way I felt like the FMC just…stopped caring about the fact she was back in time, and her lack of self-preservation and cultural acuity bothered me. It’s like her headstrong ways were just so out of place that they didn’t give me the “heck yes, strong female vibe” feel and instead left me annoyed.

I loved aspects of the plot, fell for the MMC and his backstory, but the FMC just ended up putting too much of a wrench in the timeline for me to love the novel fully.

In saying this, the ending was satisfactory, so all in all, 3 stars, possibly eeking into 3.5 territory.

I really wanted to like this book, but I could not finish it. I don't provide starred ratings for books I don't finish on Goodreads.

Even though it was marketed as an adult book, the main character read as very juvenile. Although I only made it about 25% of the way into the book, I had hoped that tarot would play more of a role in the worldbuilding and characters' motivations, but it seemed like the author had a very basic understanding of tarot that was used as a very flimsy framework for the plot.

In addition, the pacing was both glacial and warp speed, with the MFC and MC falling into bed with little prompting and some problematic dynamics that I couldn't come back from.

I've read some of this author's other works, and it very much falls in line with her typical style; if you're a fan of her other work, you'd likely enjoy this. However, I should have listened to my gut that this wouldn't be for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloom Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Hannah, a struggling young marketing professional finds herself in need of an urgent escape from her disappointing life and is transported to an alternate realm by a magical Tarot card.

Hannah lands in Towerfall and right into the middle of political unrest as well as the arms of a dazzlingly handsome warrior, Kane. Though banished from the kingdom, Kane suspects treachery is afoot and has vowed to protect the kingdom from those who wish it harm. Hannah and Kane must work together to save the kingdom and find a way to return Hannah to her own realm.

The premise of this book was promising and intriguing but, unfortunately, it fell flat for me. Though marketed as an adult book with relatively spicy scenes the work reads as incredibly juvenile. The FMC, Hannah, is blithering, self-sabotaging, and generally unlikable for most of the book. Her grating personality made her relationship with the MMC, Kane, seem completely frivolous and entirely sexual in nature. There was no well planned slow burn, just bizarrely placed sexual innuendo and flirtation that was ultimately just off-putting. I did appreciate the greater theme of generosity and philanthropic deeds overcoming wanton avarice but it was too little too late to save the book for me.

The Empress by Kristin Cast

I feel like the premise of this book was very interesting – a mixture of Caraval with romantasy but for adult readers? Sign me up! However, once you actually get into the story and the characters – it reads as if they were teenagers in high school, mixed with adult content – it does not bode well for the author. There were many pop culture references that left my cringing as I turned the page – it was very difficult to relate to the main character as a result. This book read like it was written to hit a checklist of tropes and I believe that is where the author lost me. The romance, which felt like the whole point of the book, lacked in every way, shape and form. If anything, the romance could have saved this book for me, however because of the rushed writing and insta love trope – this novel fell so flat for me. I am curious to read the author’s earlier works.

Anyways, thank you to the author for letting me read this book and introducing me to the Kristin Cast world.

This was fantastic and just what I needed to pick me out of a reading slump. It brought all the elements I need in a good fantasy and kept me turning the page. Kristin was a new to me author, and now I desperately need more.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the free ARC ebook.
I first read Kristin Cast's work in high school when I read her House of Night series that she wrote with her mom. I loved them! I was really excited to read this one when I got it. This one was a thrilling book with the perfect blend of fantasy, adventure and strong female leadership. She did well with the world building and I loved that the heroine/main character showed growth throughout. I really enjoyed reading this one!

super interesting premise and i always enjoy a book that includes different realms or worlds. the characters were unique and i liked that there was the concept of doubles in each world. definitely more romance than fantasy which wasn’t what i was expecting!

a good palette cleanser read that’s easy to follow and has lots of ups and downs. kane and hannah definitely have an insta love which i don’t usually love but it fit well in the fast paced story!

thank you so much to netgalley and bloom for this early copy!!

What an amazing read for the beginning of 2025. I am literally speechless. I have been such a big fan of Kristin's books since she cowrote House of Night series with her mom, and this book just speak volumes too. It had everything, magic, strong FMC and MMC, tension, traveling between different worlds. Pure perfection. I love how she wrote the main character Hannah, she is so bold. Also, Kane, omg he is such a great and swooning MMC. I loved the relationship that he had with Hannah from the beginning to the end of the book. One thing that I loved the most is the strength that Hannah had and she fought for what she believed in.

Going into this book I will be completely transparent I had pretty low expectations. While I am honored to be approved and willing applied for this book I have been pretty disappointed by the books Kristin has come out with since the ending of House of Night. The promise of a Romantasy mixed with the world of tarot is an intriguing lure I’m left with the same issue. Kristin has a knack for hilarious dialogue but just doesn’t build a world well and the characters just fall flat. Meeting Hannah, a down on her luck and just a miserable girl who just can’t catch a break magically being the key to saving the world of Towerfall just isn’t it. When she meets Kane. A basic paint by the numbers dark gruffy mysterious man
Just falls into the background of the Romantasy genre as uninspiring and just sad.
I will be honest, I was going to force myself to finish this book but just decided to focus on other books I would rather be reading.
I am thankful for the acceptance of the copy but just don’t see the point in wasting time on a book that just ain’t connecting.
Stopped at 60% Will give it a 2⭐️ just cause the dialogue had me giggling or it would have been a star.
Thanks for the folks at NetGalley and Bloom Books for a copy of this book. My review is a honest reflection of my feelings towards this book.

I really wanted to like this, but it is not my cup of tea. I found the FMC immature and hard to relate to. I didn't enjoy the insta-love and wished there was more relationship building between the two characters.

I could not get through this book. I thought I would love it with its tarot inspiration, its fake relationship trope, and a rough and tough bad boy MMC. But I could not. Hannah was annoying to me and unrealistic. Who wakes up in an unknown and dangerous world and within the first like 4 days (2 of which she was unconscious) is already concerned about getting a boyfriend? I felt like the "romantic tension" happen too quickly and made no sense. The story also was so slow. Half way in the book and she had only gotten sucked into a new world, met and drooled over the MMC, and made her way into the main town. I had so much hope for this one, but unfortunately not for me.

I tried so hard to read the Empress/get into this book, but I had to DNF it at about 25% because I couldn't deal with the main character, I was bored with the story, and I really disliked the writing style. I think if you're a fan of Kristin Cast's writing, you'll like this one. If I'm able to get the audiobook, I might try it again because I love the idea of tarot cards pulling you into another world, but I just couldn't do the ebook version.

Hannah is Not Like Other Girls. She is so not like other girls; she’s clumsy, she’s not blonde, she’s got brown hair! She’s not a bitch, she’s just … really a bitter misogynist. She whimpers the first time she sees a handsome man cross his arms. Every man wants to fuck her, every woman thinks she’s beneath them. She’s shallow, two dimensional, and I found both she and her story boring and predictable.

This book might work better for a younger audience, or someone looking for a simple, old-school romance with love at first sight, constant (tiring) innuendos, straightforward plotting and black and white morality. The sex scenes are brief, as are the mentions of violence. All in all, its worst crime is being bland. It offers nothing new, but at least its messaging isn’t harmful.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

Note: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

unfortunately, I did not enjoy this as much as I'd hoped.

I was disappointed to find the tarot cards played no part beyond the setting, not even with regard to the power of the empress card. as someone who has dabbled for quite a few years, I was hoping for more "lore" or intention behind the use of pentacles and cups.

I was also really frustrated by Hannah. I know the author probably meant for her to seem relatable, but I found her pathetic and kind of clueless. I guess it should've been a clue when she didn't put pressure on her own stab wound... her inability to curb her self-righteous behavior should've gotten her killed or ended their ruse several times, and each time she "got away with it," I found myself a little more reticent to continue. I also don't shy away from smut in books, but the whole "good girl" thing was really lost on me; Hannah already had very little autonomy, so having her submit to Cain like that just felt like too much, you know? and don't even get me started on the whole maxing out her credit card thing. if you've been harping the whole book that the FMC is poor, it's so out of left field to have her defrost her credit card and max it out in the name of a makeover, even if she is going to disappear to another realm. it just felt so inauthentic to her character...

lastly, the ending was a bit ridiculous. I firmly believe that no member of royalty, let alone two, would allow such a transfer of power to occur, regardless of the fact that Cain and Hannah saved the whole kingdom. I also doubt the kingdom of cups would have sent such a message; if my envoys were murdered on the side of the road, I'd be preparing for war, not willing to continue trade negotiations... when I say everything was wrapped up in a far too convenient, happy bow, I mean it. I did consider DNFing several times, and the other readers that did, I salute you. this was not for me and unfortunately, I do not think I would willingly recommend it without a million disclaimers first.

I had high hopes for this, but in the end, it wasn't for me. I loved the concept of a girl being pulled into a fantasy world, but I had a hard time getting into the book. The first chapter didn’t pull me in, and I didn’t like the main character—she was a little too 'pick me,' but I could look past that. It became clear to me that the author's humor and writing style just weren't for me, like the scene where the main character walks in on two people having sex.

I'll start my review with a big thank you to the author, Kristin Cast, the publisher, Bloom Books, and NetGalley for the privilege of being able to read The Empress. I will share my review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble as well.

The Empress is a tarot-focused romantasy with time travel and some modern vibes. There's some portal dynamics involved, some political intrigue, and a steamy romance worked into a faced-paced 400 or so pages. This was an overall entertaining read. The story follows Hannah, a woman in the present who finds herself mysteriously transported to the magical world of Towerfall after finding a mysterious tarot card. In Towerfall, she meets Kane. As is pretty common with his character type, he's a brooding, morally-gray warrior with a dark past. The two are forced into a fake marriage as political schemery, and Hannah must decide whether she wants to return to her old life at the same time as she's navigating the dangerous new world she's traveled to. Her presence may be the key to saving Towerfall.

I think the tarot idea is an interesting premise and base for worldbuilding that felt pretty fresh and new. The portal fantasy genre is pretty broad, but this one layers in some political intrigue and romance to add some depth to the characters and their world. The Arcana really added some more complication to the story, which was a needed layer. The romance between the main characters, Kane and Hannah, is pretty obvious from the start, and their banter is pretty fun. I liked their dynamic even though it was pretty predictable. Sometimes things are good for a reason. Their banter and Hannah's more modern sensibilities and humor are appealing, but make it definitely feel more YA and playful than more serious romantasy. I enjoyed the elements of political scheming and context, and I think the book set up for more complicated things to come in future installments. I could see Hannah getting into trouble in Towerfall again soon.

While there were many things I liked about this novel, I thought there were some moments where I wanted more character development and less fast-paced plot, but I cannot deny that it was a thrill ride. I needed more info on what the characters were feeling/thinking, and that could've been in discussing more about their expressions and body language. The first few chapters felt a little rushed in getting into the story and I felt they could've been drawn out a bit to give me more emotional connection to Hannah. I needed more backstory and information on her other than her being quirky and anxious. I also would like to know more about Kane's backstory. I think the book set up for another installment, and I'm interested to see what happens next. You might like the Empress if you liked A Court of Thorns and Roses, Outlander, The Bridge Kingdom, The Night Circus, Jennifer Armentrout Series. The book definitely delivered in entertainment value, but it didn't stand out to me as something I'd read again and again.

3.7 stars, rounding up!

Major Tropes and Themes:
- fake marriage/forced proximity
- chosen one
- morally gray hot MMC
- tarot/magic
- time travel
- political scheming