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abby_ace_of_books 's review for:
Empire of Exiles
by Erin M. Evans
I have three words: shapeshifter murder mystery.
I first read Empire of Exiles last summer, but with the sequel on my ARC list, I decided it's time for a reread. Everyone say hello to the book that got me into fantasy mysteries as a genre. I think a part of me forgot how complex and crazy this book is.
At the basics, it's a murder mystery...except we watch the murder happen. The issue? Shapeshifters and mind control (two of my favorite things in books). I love the concept of this book so much. Admittedly, the two maps and six pages of important characters plus three or so chapters of worldbuilding are a bit daunting, but once you get into the story, it's paced quite quickly and the ending is amazing. I literally didn't want to put it down (and my roommate can attest to that).
And if that weren't enticing enough, found family and multiple POVs completely seal the deal. Quill and his POV were probably my favorite just because I felt bad for him (he's so precious) and he was always in danger for something he didn't do. Yinii really grew on me this time and I like her character design. Amadea is also super neat and her backstory combined with her personality makes her a favorite adult character of mine. Richa, too, was super cool and I hope he joins the found family in the next book. Of the remaining side characters, I liked pretty much all of them except for Ibramo, just because we didn't get enough info on him for me to trust him.
I am so excited for the sequel, and all I'm saying is that if you like fantasy mysteries or you're looking to try out a new genre, Empire of Exiles is so freaking cool.
4.5/5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fantasy meets murder mystery as a found family of scholars try to solve a whodunnit? Sign me up!
I'll admit that the first few chapters were daunting and I found myself questioning why I'd wanted to read this so badly by chapter five, but then the plot picked up the pace and after that, it became a constant stream of twists and turns.
It felt like a mix of The Gilded Wolves and Strange the Dreamer, but with its own unique twist.
Definitely worth a read for anyone interested in a mystery story with fantasy elements (with a found family as bonus)!
I first read Empire of Exiles last summer, but with the sequel on my ARC list, I decided it's time for a reread. Everyone say hello to the book that got me into fantasy mysteries as a genre. I think a part of me forgot how complex and crazy this book is.
At the basics, it's a murder mystery...except we watch the murder happen. The issue? Shapeshifters and mind control (two of my favorite things in books). I love the concept of this book so much. Admittedly, the two maps and six pages of important characters plus three or so chapters of worldbuilding are a bit daunting, but once you get into the story, it's paced quite quickly and the ending is amazing. I literally didn't want to put it down (and my roommate can attest to that).
And if that weren't enticing enough, found family and multiple POVs completely seal the deal. Quill and his POV were probably my favorite just because I felt bad for him (he's so precious) and he was always in danger for something he didn't do. Yinii really grew on me this time and I like her character design. Amadea is also super neat and her backstory combined with her personality makes her a favorite adult character of mine. Richa, too, was super cool and I hope he joins the found family in the next book. Of the remaining side characters, I liked pretty much all of them except for Ibramo, just because we didn't get enough info on him for me to trust him.
I am so excited for the sequel, and all I'm saying is that if you like fantasy mysteries or you're looking to try out a new genre, Empire of Exiles is so freaking cool.
4.5/5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fantasy meets murder mystery as a found family of scholars try to solve a whodunnit? Sign me up!
I'll admit that the first few chapters were daunting and I found myself questioning why I'd wanted to read this so badly by chapter five, but then the plot picked up the pace and after that, it became a constant stream of twists and turns.
It felt like a mix of The Gilded Wolves and Strange the Dreamer, but with its own unique twist.
Definitely worth a read for anyone interested in a mystery story with fantasy elements (with a found family as bonus)!