Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC copy!

I struggled with this book and rating it. You can tell the author really spent time thinking of details from large mountain ranges to a minuscule speck of dirt. The first 50% feels a little like whiplash. I’m not of a fan of multiple point of views so maybe that’s just my bias speaking. I can do two but four? I couldn’t connect with Bethany’s chapters which is very disappointing as the whole description is about her.

With most of the world building done, I am curious as to what the next book would be like. Especially since the last 90% of the book is when you actually begin to connect with all the characters. Even though I struggled with this book, I would still read the second. Bethany is just beginning her journey and I am excited to see her growth.

It's early in the year, but this is top of my list for best book I've read in 2025. This is definitely another masterpiece from James Maxwell, and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Multiple POVs give us a range of characters, both inside and outside the Empire. Most of them are morally grey, which I love, except maybe Bethany and Charlton who seem to be genuinely good.

The politics being played out are complex as different factions fight for control of who will be the successor to the Emperor. And at the same time, a darkness is sweeping in from the South that the Empire remains unaware of.

All of this combined gives an excellent plot with a fast pace that made for an unputdownable book. I really need the sequel!

4.25 🌟

In my opinion this is pretty great build up for book 1 of a planned series. And the end leaves you hanging just enough to leave you anticipating the next book, but not a pull your hair out cliffhanger.

The multiple POV's were done well. Easy enough to follow along and interesting enough for me to try to piece together how they'll collide. I appreciated the depth of the characters.

This is heavier on politics and it is quite engaging. I personally enjoy trying to guess what moves are next and why. This book delivers.

I will definitely be looking for the next book when it's released.

This story revolves around three different POVs throughout. This book is straight fantasy with only subtle romantic involvement. The three POV stories intersect nicely. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next book in the series. I really want to know what happens to the characters in this book. I especially enjoyed the POV of Bethany in her journey to become a diviner. The characters are developed nicely enough to cheer them on but enough flaws to root against some as well. I always enjoy some political intrigue and this book has that as well.

Would definitely recommend to others. I also reviewed this book on Goodreads.

Blood and Empire is a story featuring 4 different characters. Bethany, a seamstress that has dreams of being a diviner. Zhuana, a queen that is trying to save her people. Julian, a prince that is trying to prove he is worthy of being the heir to his father. Kendrick, the lord of Esk that is getting his homeland ready for an upcoming fielding event.

The story switches through 4 different perspectives and while I do enjoy multi-perspectives, I did feel like this slowed down the story. The pace from one perspective to another did not always flow and sometimes felt like an abrupt change to a completely different story. I do think that having 4 perspectives did make it difficult to fully divulge into each character. I would have loved more detail about Bethany and what was happening with her friendships and the diviner school. Since the description of the book only focuses on Bethany, I would have really liked to explore her relationships with other people and her studies more. If I did not read any other reviews, I would not have expected this book to have multiple other perspectives.

The first 50-60% of the book did a great job at setting up the story for each character. There was just enough information for the reader to understand the world building and not be overwhelmed or confused. Each individual character's story was compelling enough that I was interested in what was happening with that specific character. I did find myself wondering what the big conflict was going to be that would bring all the characters together. There was some overlap with characters, however, it was not until the last few chapters that a big conflict or turning point was truly presented. Because of this, there was not a lot of character development, I would imagine that the following books in the series is where those developments will take place.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I was interested in the characters and the world that was being set up by the author. The book was a really good setup for what is to come and I hope that the following books in the series pick up the pace as conflict arises and the characters come together.

3.5 stars!

This was a great start to a new series. It had a decent amount of world building but not in a way that confused you or kept you from connecting to the characters.

I think the dark elements of this were interesting and I really enjoyed the multiple POVs as it gave insight to characters thoughts / motivations / feelings.

Bethany has always wanted to be a diviner, but since she is a seamstress like her mother, there isn’t much chance to complete the training. Then a chance encounter with Charlton changes her life. He offers her access to books and encouragement to reach her goal. The empire is also threatened by invasion and turmoil is within the ranks. What challenges will Bethany face on the path she has chosen?

Blood and Empire is the first book in The Gateway Saga. I will say the ending of this book was perfect. Bethany’s origin story was concluded satisfactorily, yet the next story announced at the end cannot come fast enough. There are additional side stories that are weaved throughout that give the reader additional insight into the empire and the struggles happening around Bethany. This is a great read for all fantasy fans and I am glad the next book is slated to be released in two months.

Having just read a number of other books that trotted out a load of typical fantasy-speak I was almost set to take a break from the genre for a book or two. After receiving a free ARC from James Maxwell and NetGalley (thank you!) I reluctantly decided to persevere with fantasy and go again…and I’m so glad I did. I really enjoyed Blood and Empire and was invested more or less from the get-go.

If you’re looking for a stand-alone fully fleshed out story in one book, this isn’t it. There’s a lot of subtle world building and Maxwell is clearly leading up to bigger events (I hope, come on book 2!). We jump between multiple POVs which initially almost seem to be unconnected but by the end of book 1 we’re beginning to see how these are coming together. Thankfully, from the announcement at the end of Blood and Empire, it looks like we won’t have to wait too long for the next installment.

My one criticism would be that Bethany’s new friendships seem to just happen overnight. Nothing much happens to draw them closer to one another. Maybe the scenario they all find themselves in is meant to be enough, but it doesn’t feel that way to me. It feels a bit rushed and reminds me of how teenagers can make a new best friend in a week and are suddenly pouring their hearts out to them. Bethany isn’t 15 years old though and doesn’t otherwise behave like a teenager. I’d love to have had a bit more time for her to grow into those friendships. A bit more of a reason to trust one another and to believe that those relationships mean something.

I enjoy stories with strong, intelligent, female leads and we have those in Bethany and Zhuana. Very different characters but both driven in their own way. Then we have the background players Samara and Anthea who have potential to become something more in later books, with more depth and nuance but whether that pans out or not remains to be seen.

I read a lot of epic fantasies and I don’t mind a bit of a slow burn when I know there’s more to come. Looking forward to the next in The Gateway Saga, “Wrath and Ruin”.

Thanks to James Maxwell, Everlast Books and NetGalley for landing this book on my lap.

I chose to read Blood and Empire largely because the premise seemed fresh and the cover caught my eye. As my first experience with James Maxwell’s writing, I was hoping for a fantasy epic that would pull me in right away. The world-building turned out to be the strongest part of the book: Maxwell clearly put a lot of care into crafting a detailed setting with its own history, cultures, and conflicts.

Where I struggled was the pacing. The story starts off slow, taking time to introduce a wide cast of characters and establish the rules of the world. While that groundwork made sense later on, it also meant I wasn’t fully hooked in the early chapters. Once the plot gained momentum, I became more invested, but I still felt the build-up dragged a bit too long.

Another element that felt hit-or-miss was the character development. I appreciated the multiple points of view, but the relationships—especially any romantic ones—felt rushed or not fully fleshed out. It was hard to connect with certain characters when I didn’t see enough of their emotional growth or backstories. Overall, though, I found Blood and Empire to be a decent read.

Blood and Empire is the first book in a new fantasy series from James Maxwell, and is told in a multi person point of view. It's an enjoyable story, and we learn a little about this new world, but it's not as captivating and all-encompassing as previous books by Maxwell, and while I'm really looking forward to subsequent stories in the series and finding out what happens next, this wasn't the incredible start I was hoping for. It feels like just a taster rather than a full opening novel.

From trainee diviners at an academy and a somewhat unscrupulous crown prince, to a retired hero warrior, and a 'barbarian' Queen banging at the gates of the Empire, the (so far mostly unconnected) points of view provide lots of interest, and plenty of directions in which to take the story, that could turn this into a really epic saga. But all of this interest has been left for book two, leaving book one fairly basic.

It was listed as both a fantasy and romance book, I would question the latter, there is absolutely no romance in the book at all, perhaps in the final chapter, the inklings of something, but really, there is nothing that could put this in the romance category so far. Of course it's possible that across the series this changes, but for book one alone, this is definitely not a romance, or even with a subplot of romance.

Having said this, I am really looking forward to reading book two, and the rest of the series, as I know the Maxwell spins incredible stories and I'm sure that The Gateway Saga when considered as a whole will be excellent.

Thanks to NetGalley and Everlast books for the ARC, this is my honest opinion.

Thank you to Everlast books, James Maxwell, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in return for an honest review.

Blood and Empire promises to be the start of a great new epic fantasy. Maxwell’s writing is creative and well done. This book is written in multi POV’s, all of which were interesting and intriguing. The world building was done phenomenally well. Overall I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. There were times in the middle of the story I felt like the story dragged a bit. I also loved Bethany’s POV and felt like as more POV’s were added her story had a tendency to fall to the side. I am looking forward to book 2’s release eagerly though!

Really enjoyed the magical system and the foundation set out here. I can see the scope for the world starting to take shape, I must admit I'm not a fan of the academia trope so that didn't hold my attention as much as the rest did.
I'm glad to have finished the schooling part of the series so we can move onto the rest of the development

I’m sorry but at this time I DNF this book at around 40%. I’m sure this had more to do with me than the writing but I had a hard time keeping up with the different POVs and all the information. I had to continue to go back and forth to remind myself who was who and what was what. Again , I think this had more to do with my simple working mind. I greatly appreciate the chance to read this. I’m not going to post a review on social media at this time because I don’t think my opinion is relevant.

I was so excited to pick up this book. It has such a unique concept. I adored the FMC chapters, but really disliked the MMC ones. I was originally hooked from page one. But the more I read, the more disappointing the story became. This story had so much potential but it lacks development and depth. There’s too much tell and not enough show in many places, especially the Diviner training. That is brushed over a lot. The overall plot could do with more chapters to add embellishment. However, there was too much spoon feeding in places, with titles and plot points needlessly repeated. The story didn’t really go anywhere, it was mainly a set up. The first 30% was the most exciting. It should be longer and more developed! I was so excited but I won’t be continuing this series.

🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 Blood and Empire
💫💫💫.5

I really wanted to like this book but I struggled so much with the pace fluctuations in chapters. I thought it was just Bethany's story, which is fine, but then other POVs came into it and it lost the flow for me.
The first half of this book felt like a slog to get through. I know it's the first of a series, I know it needs to set everything up for the rest of the books but it needed to be twice the amount of pages. Lots if details varied between rushed and so extremely detailed that it felt like it had two personalities.
I still enjoyed the book, but it just didn't feel right. Bethany's voice was the strongest, but I didn't feel a connection with her and the side characters felt like they offered no support.
There is a slow slow burn. So slow, that when it sparks I didn't see why it needed to be in book one.
The ending was also okay, not ground breaking and I am not biting at the bit to read book two. I will though, but I'm in no rush.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve recently been lucky enough to have a string of fantastic reads so I may be harsher than this book deserves, but it just didn’t move me. Blood and Empire is a great example of a “good, not great” book - well-written with a somewhat interesting premise, but nothing to set it apart.
Maxwell’s prose is clean and concise, but lacking some of the signature flair that elevates books in the genre. There’s also a few too many plotlines going on for a book this short, and I didn’t feel like I spent enough time with any of the characters to connect with any of them. I somewhat liked Bethany, but none of the other four(!) POV characters make me feel any type of emotion for them. This feels like the book should be significantly longer (a la Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive) or cut down on some of the many plotlines to allow for deeper exploration and characterization. I would have loved more of Bethany and her experiences in the diviner academy.
Blood and Empire was by no means a bad read, but it didn’t have the spark to make it a standout read.

Disclosure: Big shoutout to Everlast Books for sliding this beauty my way via NetGalley for review. All quips and opinions are straight from me.

If a cover with a fiery redhead clutching a staff and flames swirling against a brooding, mountain-strewn horizon screams “epic fantasy” to you, then Blood and Empire is about to hijack your free time. James Maxwell launches The Gateway Saga with a story so addictive I blazed through it in two days—mostly because putting it down felt like abandoning a heist crew mid-score. This is ambition, magic, and political knife-twisting that’d make Game of Thrones look like a polite debate club.

Here’s the rundown: Bethany, a scrappy seamstress with dreams bigger than her paycheck, longs to join the diviners—elite gateway-hoppers who keep the empire stitched together. Enter Charlton, a cleric armed with books and a knack for mentorship, opening doors she’d only peeked through in her wildest fantasies. Things get messy when her noble dad—who ditched his lands for battlefield flings and hooked up with her mom mid-war—waltzes back into her life. Add a looming invasion and some empire-shaking intrigue, and you'll understand why Bethany has her hands full. It’s Deadly Education meets The Poppy War but with Maxwell’s own epic spin.

Maxwell flexes hard here, juggling three POVs like a pro: an academic lens full of dusty scrolls and gateway lore, a political thread sharper than a freshly forged blade, and a nomadic arc that’s all raw grit and open skies. They braid together so well that you’ll be flipping pages like it’s a race. The world-building paints a landscape you can practically smell—smoke, stone, and all—and the characters? Layered, flawed, and real enough to share a beer with (or dodge when they inevitably stab someone in the back).

The hook is in the pacing—relentless, crisp, and paired with Maxwell’s talent for grounding wild stakes in human heartbeats. Take this gem: “Your stubbornness can be a strength but also a weakness. Bravery must be tempered with wisdom.” It’s like a truth bomb you’ll be chewing on between chapters. There’s a twist or two about lineage that’ll have you texting your book buddy, “Did not see that coming,” but don’t worry—no spoilers here. (If I ruined it, I’d have to apologize with tacos, and I’m fresh out.)

Who’s this for? Readers hooked on fantasy academies like The Atlas Six or The Will of the Many, new adult fans who dig late teens, early twenty-somethings finding their footing, and anyone who savors political chess matches like The Cruel Prince.

My one complaint? It ends. Now I’m stuck pacing like a nomad without a horse, itching for Book 2. That’s not a flaw—that’s proof Maxwell’s got me hooked and waiting for more. If you crave epic fantasy with brains, guts, and a “one more page” pull, snatch up Blood and Empire. You’ll either thank or curse me when you’re bleary-eyed at 2 a.m. I’m cool with either—just pass the coffee.

I received this book as an ARC.

The overall premise of the book is good, though there are several things which make it challenging to get through.

First, the story itself has a strange mixture of falling flat while introducing additional confusion since the descriptions leads you to believe it is from a single POV and then you find out there are multiple.

There is world building and a lot of details to set up an epic fantasy; however, it almost seems like the entire book is to lay the foundational world building and to get you to book two. Which I totally understand is how a series builds, but usually the first book gets the basics of the story, characters, world and starts the main plot then ends on a cliff hanger. A lot of this book felt confusing or disjointed, almost like it should have been a prequel novella VS a standalone intro to the series.

There are some great themes throughout and I think there is a great potential for the story in book two. I will be interested to see how the author continues the series.

Rating-
2/5 stars

Genre-
Fantasy

Age Rating For It-
13+ Only because there is some violence in it but other than that there’s pretty much nothing not even any romance like whatsoever

Tropes-
Slowwwwww burn
Blackmail
Secret father
Sick mother
Multiple pov’s

Thoughts/Would I Recommend This?-
I honestly hated the first like 60% of this book so fricken much. I thought it was super confusing and weird and honestly just not great. The last like 30% of the book is what really came together and is the only reason this wasn’t rated like a -1-star rating in all honestly. The last bit of the book is when everything really came together and that wasn’t too bad and is the only reason I may consider reading the next book, but even that is a really low chance. I also felt unsatisfied with the ending andjust thought it wasn’t very well put together. So all in all I honestly feel bad to say this but I would not recommend this book whatsoever unless you like a book where the romance is nonexistent and the plot is as confusing as h***.

Review of Blood and Empire

Blood and Empire marks the beginning of James Maxwell’s The Gateway Saga, an epic fantasy tale of ambition, power, and destiny. The story follows Bethany, a young seamstress who dreams of becoming a diviner—one of the elite who can navigate the mysterious gateways connecting the empire. However, her lack of wealth and status makes this dream nearly impossible until she meets Charlton, a cleric who offers her guidance. As Bethany struggles to overcome her past and prove herself, external threats of war and political intrigue threaten to tear the empire apart.

Maxwell crafts a compelling world, blending magic, politics, and personal struggle. Bethany is a strong protagonist, her determination making her easy to root for, though her journey follows familiar fantasy tropes of the underdog rising against the odds. The magic system surrounding the gateways is intriguing, but it takes time for the novel to fully explore its potential.

The pacing is uneven—some sections are rich with tension and intrigue, while others drag, particularly in the early chapters as Bethany’s world is established. The supporting characters, including Charlton, add depth, though some relationships could have been developed further to enhance emotional impact. The novel’s themes of power and sacrifice are well-executed, but the storytelling doesn’t always break new ground within the genre.

Overall, Blood and Empire is a solid start to a promising fantasy series. While it may not reinvent the genre, its engaging protagonist, intricate worldbuilding, and political intrigue make it a worthwhile read for fans of epic fantasy.

Rating: 3.5/5