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Echoes and Empires #1
Echoes and Empires
A snarky seventeen-year-old must team up with an enigmatic criminal to cure herself of dangerous forbidden magic in the first book of a new fantasy duology from Morgan Rhodes, the New York Times bestselling author of the Falling Kingdoms series.
Josslyn Drake knows only three things about magic: it’s rare, illegal, and always deadly. So when she’s caught up in a robbery gone wrong at the Queen’s Gala and infected by a dangerous piece of magic—one that allows her to step into the memories of an infamously evil warlock—she finds herself living her worst nightmare. Joss needs the magic removed before it corrupts her soul and kills her. But in Ironport, the cost of doing magic is death, and seeking help might mean scheduling her own execution. There’s nobody she can trust.
Nobody, that is, except wanted criminal Jericho Nox, who offers her a deal: his help extracting the magic in exchange for the magic itself. And though she’s not thrilled to be working with a thief, especially one as infuriating (and infuriatingly handsome) as Jericho, Joss is desperate enough to accept.
But Jericho is nothing like Joss expects. The closer she grows with Jericho and the more she sees of the world outside her pampered life in the city, the more Joss begins to question the beliefs she’s always taken for granted—beliefs about right and wrong, about power and magic, and even about herself.
In an empire built on lies, the truth may be her greatest weapon.
Josslyn Drake knows only three things about magic: it’s rare, illegal, and always deadly. So when she’s caught up in a robbery gone wrong at the Queen’s Gala and infected by a dangerous piece of magic—one that allows her to step into the memories of an infamously evil warlock—she finds herself living her worst nightmare. Joss needs the magic removed before it corrupts her soul and kills her. But in Ironport, the cost of doing magic is death, and seeking help might mean scheduling her own execution. There’s nobody she can trust.
Nobody, that is, except wanted criminal Jericho Nox, who offers her a deal: his help extracting the magic in exchange for the magic itself. And though she’s not thrilled to be working with a thief, especially one as infuriating (and infuriatingly handsome) as Jericho, Joss is desperate enough to accept.
But Jericho is nothing like Joss expects. The closer she grows with Jericho and the more she sees of the world outside her pampered life in the city, the more Joss begins to question the beliefs she’s always taken for granted—beliefs about right and wrong, about power and magic, and even about herself.
In an empire built on lies, the truth may be her greatest weapon.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 4, 2022
About the author
Morgan Rhodes
21 books6,662 followersMorgan Rhodes lives in Ontario, Canada. As a child, she always wanted to be a princess -- the kind that knows how to wield a sharp sword to help save both kingdoms and princes from fire-breathing dragons and dark wizards. Instead, she became a writer, which is just as good and much less dangerous. Along with writing, Morgan enjoys photography, travel, reality TV, and is an extremely picky, yet voracious reader of all kinds of books. Under another pen name, she’s a national bestselling author of many paranormal novels. Falling Kingdoms is her first high fantasy.
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January 2, 2023I have super complicated feelings on this one. On the one hand, the world was super cool. It was different than most fantasies I've read with it being a fantastical modern world, complete with technology like phones and such. That might not be everyone's cup of tea but I thought it was a nice twist. The characters themselves were enjoyable and had an interesting dynamic, really a hate to love sort of thing but their hatred wasn't unfounded. The plot line was a bit of a twist on something I've seen before, but I think that might be where I didn't fall in love with the story. I think it's a solid read but something kind of kept it at arm's length. I found the story to be pretty predictable from the beginning, and that didn't make it bad it just meant it was only good, not great. I do think this is a solid fantasy though really! Especially if you're just looking to get into fantasy this would be a good one to try out.
Want to read
October 2, 2020I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS REAL
I HAVE WAITED SO LONG FOR ANOTHER BOOK BY MORGAN AND FINALLY IS HERE
Future me when I get this book in my hands:
I HAVE WAITED SO LONG FOR ANOTHER BOOK BY MORGAN AND FINALLY IS HERE
Future me when I get this book in my hands:
May 12, 2023
I feel so honored to have been gifted an ARC of this amazing book. I'm the BIGGEST fan of Falling Kingdoms and nearly died of happiness when I saw Morgan Rhodes was back at it again.
Echoes and Empires is book one in an upcoming duology. Told in first person POV, readers are immersed in the life and mind of Josslyn Drake, a snarky and privileged 17 year old girl. Josslyn was the daughter of the former queen's advisor, but unfortunately her father was shot and killed a year prior. Still trying to remain relevant, Joss attends the Queen's Gala where art pieces stolen by an infamous magical criminal have been recovered. In this empire, magic and people who preform magic, are viewed as evil and corrupt. The use of magic is forbidden and will lead to imprisonment or death.
However, things go drastically wrong when a thief attempts to steal a magical artifact, only for it to fall and open, releasing the golden magic straight into Josslyn. Knowing that she is now a target, Joss has to team up with the thief, the Blackheart, also known as Jericho, as they attempt to find someone to extract the magic from her so Jericho can continue on with his mission.
Unfortunately, nothing is as easy as it seems. The duo gets stopped and thrown into a Queen's prison, which is essentially land locked in time. There they have to work for the keep and figure out how to escape this unescapable prison. Not only that, they need to find out answers about the magic still in Josslyn. Time is running out and secrets are being uncovered. Josslyn's once posh life is turned upside down as she figures out that the life she once knew may all be a lie.
This book is intoxicating. Starting off with characters, Rhodes knows how to write a strong female lead who is slightly naive to the world around her, but quickly adapts to her new reality. As for her males, Jericho is probably the love of my life. A mysterious bad boy who is witty and slightly a jerk at times? Uhm sign me up!
This hits all of my favorite tropes as well, the main one being enemies to lovers! This book is definitely a slow burn romance, but ugh so worth it. Plus it has a one bed situation!!! Y'all know this troupe is like the best thing ever. There's no instant love here, which I love as well.
The plot is amazing and perfectly paced. Usually in book one, the author will spend a lot of time building up the world so the story line moves rather slow at first. I did not feel like this book did that. There never was an abundance of information and everything about this world was told throughout the story. I loved when we got towards the end and the memories began to totally deconstruct the life of Josslyn and answer questions I had from the beginning. Ugh, it was just so perfectly written!
I loved this book and I hate that I'm going to have to wait forever for the next. Please do yourself a favor and add this to your tbr.
Echoes and Empires is book one in an upcoming duology. Told in first person POV, readers are immersed in the life and mind of Josslyn Drake, a snarky and privileged 17 year old girl. Josslyn was the daughter of the former queen's advisor, but unfortunately her father was shot and killed a year prior. Still trying to remain relevant, Joss attends the Queen's Gala where art pieces stolen by an infamous magical criminal have been recovered. In this empire, magic and people who preform magic, are viewed as evil and corrupt. The use of magic is forbidden and will lead to imprisonment or death.
However, things go drastically wrong when a thief attempts to steal a magical artifact, only for it to fall and open, releasing the golden magic straight into Josslyn. Knowing that she is now a target, Joss has to team up with the thief, the Blackheart, also known as Jericho, as they attempt to find someone to extract the magic from her so Jericho can continue on with his mission.
Unfortunately, nothing is as easy as it seems. The duo gets stopped and thrown into a Queen's prison, which is essentially land locked in time. There they have to work for the keep and figure out how to escape this unescapable prison. Not only that, they need to find out answers about the magic still in Josslyn. Time is running out and secrets are being uncovered. Josslyn's once posh life is turned upside down as she figures out that the life she once knew may all be a lie.
This book is intoxicating. Starting off with characters, Rhodes knows how to write a strong female lead who is slightly naive to the world around her, but quickly adapts to her new reality. As for her males, Jericho is probably the love of my life. A mysterious bad boy who is witty and slightly a jerk at times? Uhm sign me up!
This hits all of my favorite tropes as well, the main one being enemies to lovers! This book is definitely a slow burn romance, but ugh so worth it. Plus it has a one bed situation!!! Y'all know this troupe is like the best thing ever. There's no instant love here, which I love as well.
The plot is amazing and perfectly paced. Usually in book one, the author will spend a lot of time building up the world so the story line moves rather slow at first. I did not feel like this book did that. There never was an abundance of information and everything about this world was told throughout the story. I loved when we got towards the end and the memories began to totally deconstruct the life of Josslyn and answer questions I had from the beginning. Ugh, it was just so perfectly written!
I loved this book and I hate that I'm going to have to wait forever for the next. Please do yourself a favor and add this to your tbr.
April 6, 2023
Os soy sincera, comencé el libro con pocas expectativas por reseñas en inglés que había leído, y aunque hay cosas que resultan convenientes o puedes predecirlas, es una trama tremendamente bien construida. Me ha fascinado y necesito el segundo muchísimo.
El tira y afloja de los protagonistas y el caracter tan repelente de ambos es que me da la vida.
Muy muy recomendado de verdad, sabéis que yo no soy de puntuar libros pero este se lleva 5 ⭐️
El tira y afloja de los protagonistas y el caracter tan repelente de ambos es que me da la vida.
Muy muy recomendado de verdad, sabéis que yo no soy de puntuar libros pero este se lleva 5 ⭐️
January 7, 2022
A decent YA fantasy that has some things going for it and is a quick, fairly fun read, but isn't a standout. Echoes and Empires is the start of a new high-drama fantasy series set in a more modern feeling world technologically, but with royalty and magic alongside. Or rather, the royalty is trying to destroy all traces of "evil" magic. We follow a privileged young woman whose life is turned upside down by an encounter with a thief and the magic contained in a box.
This book is trying to do a LOT of things and is clearly setting us up for a twisty series. However, while most of it was competent, nothing was spectacular, probably because it's got so much going on. There were parts of the book that dragged. The characters and tropes feel typical rather than fresh, and most of the plot points were as expected. That said, the ending is very solid and really makes use of all the work the book has done developing characters, revelations, and twists so that we're left in a pretty interesting place for book 2. This has the potential to develop into a very interesting series, even if this installment was a bit lackluster.
Overall, a mixed bag, but a pretty fast and enjoyable read that I think many readers could enjoy. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This book is trying to do a LOT of things and is clearly setting us up for a twisty series. However, while most of it was competent, nothing was spectacular, probably because it's got so much going on. There were parts of the book that dragged. The characters and tropes feel typical rather than fresh, and most of the plot points were as expected. That said, the ending is very solid and really makes use of all the work the book has done developing characters, revelations, and twists so that we're left in a pretty interesting place for book 2. This has the potential to develop into a very interesting series, even if this installment was a bit lackluster.
Overall, a mixed bag, but a pretty fast and enjoyable read that I think many readers could enjoy. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Want to read
November 11, 2021MAGIC IS FORBIDDEN
My favorite trope
My favorite trope
January 2, 2022
1.5/5 Stars
I was really disappointed with this book. After loving the fallen kingdom series I was ready to love Morgan rhodes’ next book but unfortunately it did not work for me.
My biggest complaints:
-bad dialogue
-world building was built through dialogue
-lack of logic
-conflicts were too easy to resolve
-read younger than YA
-predictable
I was really disappointed with this book. After loving the fallen kingdom series I was ready to love Morgan rhodes’ next book but unfortunately it did not work for me.
My biggest complaints:
-bad dialogue
-world building was built through dialogue
-lack of logic
-conflicts were too easy to resolve
-read younger than YA
-predictable
January 16, 2022
This book was so good i loved the falling kingdoms series by this author so i had really high expectations going into this and it did not disappoint. It had so many twist and turns that i did not see coming.
January 3, 2022
3/5 stars, a sort of middle of the road fantasy with some interesting elements
Thank you Penguin Teen for the arc through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I am aware that Morgan Rhodes has written a fantasy series before this book, falling kingdoms that I have yet to read, but this one seriously felt like a debut. Considering how many people adore her other series I was really excited to read this arc, and I've been hearing a bit of hype as it releases today. But I was disappointed in this story, for multiple reasons. However, that doesn't drive me off from reading her other series, I think this one just didn't click with me, and some things could definitely be easily improved.
This story follows the daughter of a prime minister, Joselyn Drake, who knows that magic is rare, illegal, and always deadly for whoever is involved. When she attends the Queen's Gala and gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong, she suddenly gets imbued with magical powers. These allow her to see memories of an evil warlock, the one who killed her father a few years ago. She knows she needs this magic out of her asap, but she cannot turn to anyone but the robber himself, wanted criminal, and warlock Jericho Nox. He offers her a deal, his help extracting the magic for the magic itself to be given to him. But the farther that Joselyn goes out of her comfort zone, the more she really sees the world around her, and what magic could mean for everyone.
The setting of this book is set in a fantastical city, that has both magic and technology items like phones. It seems sort of like an urban-fantasy city, but the simple warlock magic feels like magical realism. While this is an interesting setup for a kingdom, as there is a queen and her family, it was very confusing. I didn't see how everything blended together and there wasn't a lot of worldbuilding on how things work in this land. That was a bit disappointing, as I feel like it could have been a lot of fun to see magic and technology interact.
I also felt that the plot was lackluster, it started off adding a lot of smaller details that the story frankly did not need, before launching right away into the plot. I thought that this would signal a story that was fast-paced and interesting, but after just a little bit, it turned sluggish. I didn't really enjoy what was going on, and then the characters went somewhere, the plot basically halted. I think the story was trying to turn into a character-driven story at that point, but it didn't work at all.
Jocelyn was frankly, a really bad main character. She was very self-centered and had views that were harmful to a lot of people. As the story progressed I enjoyed seeing her character growth, however small it was. I don't think she is perfect or supposed to be, but I never felt attached to her. She didn't seem to have a lot of depth besides what we got towards the end of the book, so I think she was my least favorite part of this book. She wasn't rude ever or anything, but didn't have substance.
Jericho Nox was the dark and mysterious love interest, a common trope in fantasy books. Besides that though, he didn't have much substance either. His backstory was actually interesting, but it wasn't explored until at least the second half of the book. He was thrown in and we were expected to be attached to him, and while that sometimes happens, he was just meh. As we got into the second half of the story, for spoiler plot reasons, he wasn't around as much either so he felt pretty disconnected.
There were a handful of side characters in this story, but none of them had a real lasting impact on the story or on me. I remember the queen and Jocelyn's best friend, but not much about them. The story was so centered on the main characters that it left behind some opportunities to connect with a few side characters. I think if there had been more side characters, the story would have felt more alive as well. While there was some later in the book, it really didn't make up for it.
The supposed romance went so fast, it wasn't instant love which I get it credit for. However, the feelings growing between Josalyn and Jericho were so quick that it didn't really feel like they were falling in "love." I didn't feel a spark of connection between them, besides the initial, who is this sort of moment. But I saw no chemistry between either of them, and not every book needs romance, so when it is put into fantasy stories, I want it to be done right.
Overall this story didn't really work for me, but I didn't hate my time reading it. There are definitely things that could be improved on, and I hope they are for the second book. So far I am undecided if I will be continuing, but there was some interesting foundation for a sequel. As well, I will still read the author's other work, I just think this one, in particular, didn't really work for me.
[TW: death of a family member, death of a friend, gun violence, blood, drugging, kidnapping, torture]
Thank you Penguin Teen for the arc through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I am aware that Morgan Rhodes has written a fantasy series before this book, falling kingdoms that I have yet to read, but this one seriously felt like a debut. Considering how many people adore her other series I was really excited to read this arc, and I've been hearing a bit of hype as it releases today. But I was disappointed in this story, for multiple reasons. However, that doesn't drive me off from reading her other series, I think this one just didn't click with me, and some things could definitely be easily improved.
This story follows the daughter of a prime minister, Joselyn Drake, who knows that magic is rare, illegal, and always deadly for whoever is involved. When she attends the Queen's Gala and gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong, she suddenly gets imbued with magical powers. These allow her to see memories of an evil warlock, the one who killed her father a few years ago. She knows she needs this magic out of her asap, but she cannot turn to anyone but the robber himself, wanted criminal, and warlock Jericho Nox. He offers her a deal, his help extracting the magic for the magic itself to be given to him. But the farther that Joselyn goes out of her comfort zone, the more she really sees the world around her, and what magic could mean for everyone.
The setting of this book is set in a fantastical city, that has both magic and technology items like phones. It seems sort of like an urban-fantasy city, but the simple warlock magic feels like magical realism. While this is an interesting setup for a kingdom, as there is a queen and her family, it was very confusing. I didn't see how everything blended together and there wasn't a lot of worldbuilding on how things work in this land. That was a bit disappointing, as I feel like it could have been a lot of fun to see magic and technology interact.
I also felt that the plot was lackluster, it started off adding a lot of smaller details that the story frankly did not need, before launching right away into the plot. I thought that this would signal a story that was fast-paced and interesting, but after just a little bit, it turned sluggish. I didn't really enjoy what was going on, and then the characters went somewhere, the plot basically halted. I think the story was trying to turn into a character-driven story at that point, but it didn't work at all.
Jocelyn was frankly, a really bad main character. She was very self-centered and had views that were harmful to a lot of people. As the story progressed I enjoyed seeing her character growth, however small it was. I don't think she is perfect or supposed to be, but I never felt attached to her. She didn't seem to have a lot of depth besides what we got towards the end of the book, so I think she was my least favorite part of this book. She wasn't rude ever or anything, but didn't have substance.
Jericho Nox was the dark and mysterious love interest, a common trope in fantasy books. Besides that though, he didn't have much substance either. His backstory was actually interesting, but it wasn't explored until at least the second half of the book. He was thrown in and we were expected to be attached to him, and while that sometimes happens, he was just meh. As we got into the second half of the story, for spoiler plot reasons, he wasn't around as much either so he felt pretty disconnected.
There were a handful of side characters in this story, but none of them had a real lasting impact on the story or on me. I remember the queen and Jocelyn's best friend, but not much about them. The story was so centered on the main characters that it left behind some opportunities to connect with a few side characters. I think if there had been more side characters, the story would have felt more alive as well. While there was some later in the book, it really didn't make up for it.
The supposed romance went so fast, it wasn't instant love which I get it credit for. However, the feelings growing between Josalyn and Jericho were so quick that it didn't really feel like they were falling in "love." I didn't feel a spark of connection between them, besides the initial, who is this sort of moment. But I saw no chemistry between either of them, and not every book needs romance, so when it is put into fantasy stories, I want it to be done right.
Overall this story didn't really work for me, but I didn't hate my time reading it. There are definitely things that could be improved on, and I hope they are for the second book. So far I am undecided if I will be continuing, but there was some interesting foundation for a sequel. As well, I will still read the author's other work, I just think this one, in particular, didn't really work for me.
[TW: death of a family member, death of a friend, gun violence, blood, drugging, kidnapping, torture]
January 17, 2022
My first book of 2022 book that was published in 2022!
I was so worried to start this book. Morgan Rhodes is one of my favorite authors but it's been a while since I last read Falling kingdoms, or her other two books. I’m OK now though, more than okay since I ended up loving this.
I would be lying if I said this wasn't pretty predictable especially, or more specifically, at the beginning. My first thoughts were “generic YA” it's just one of those things, and maybe that's slightly true but this book has SO much more to offer. I can't wait for the second book.
Short synopsis
Joss is at a party she doesn't really want to be, her friends are fake, and her father is dead. Unfortunately for her, at said party, she walks in on Jericho nox, (the thief) stealing magic that she accidentally breathes in. Joss wants nothing to do with magic, and Jericho needs it for his employer. They have to reluctantly work together to find someone to take the magic out of her.
I can always count on Morgan Rhodes to supply a good enemies to lovers. I just love the way her characters unapologetically hate each other. I think it's charming. The side characters are done phenomenally too. Like there not to just complement the main characters when they are needed. They feel like real people who all play a part in the story. And I know from falling kingdoms, any of them could die at any time.
Although the book didn't mention too much about the world, I would say it's pretty modern but with an empire. It didn't go into the time period or how things came to be, and it focused more on the characters' contributions and drama. Like the queen and the big “villains” that pieced together the story line.
I would recommend this book, and I would read the second book. I think it's worth reading.
I was so worried to start this book. Morgan Rhodes is one of my favorite authors but it's been a while since I last read Falling kingdoms, or her other two books. I’m OK now though, more than okay since I ended up loving this.
I would be lying if I said this wasn't pretty predictable especially, or more specifically, at the beginning. My first thoughts were “generic YA” it's just one of those things, and maybe that's slightly true but this book has SO much more to offer. I can't wait for the second book.
Short synopsis
Joss is at a party she doesn't really want to be, her friends are fake, and her father is dead. Unfortunately for her, at said party, she walks in on Jericho nox, (the thief) stealing magic that she accidentally breathes in. Joss wants nothing to do with magic, and Jericho needs it for his employer. They have to reluctantly work together to find someone to take the magic out of her.
I can always count on Morgan Rhodes to supply a good enemies to lovers. I just love the way her characters unapologetically hate each other. I think it's charming. The side characters are done phenomenally too. Like there not to just complement the main characters when they are needed. They feel like real people who all play a part in the story. And I know from falling kingdoms, any of them could die at any time.
Although the book didn't mention too much about the world, I would say it's pretty modern but with an empire. It didn't go into the time period or how things came to be, and it focused more on the characters' contributions and drama. Like the queen and the big “villains” that pieced together the story line.
I would recommend this book, and I would read the second book. I think it's worth reading.
Want to read
May 26, 2021Loved the Falling Kingdoms series, so I'm glad to see this author making a comeback! Can't believe I didn't hear about it until now =D
July 5, 2024
Una fantasía súper fácil de entender, grandes personajes, una buena construcción del mundo y lo más importante ADICTIVA. El final estuvo increíble. Los plot twists me dejaron así 🤡. Excelente servicio.
January 12, 2022
By the time I finally forced myself to acknowledge how truly 1-star this book is, I was in too deep and had to finish it. I HATE being mean and all critical when it comes to reviews, but WOW, this was not. good.
Three things really killed Echoes and Empires for me:
1) Josslyn Drake: She's the MC and she's flat out awful, which means you can never escape how bad she is. She hardly shows any character development, and she's an utter brat, only concerned with appearances and her "very future" (which is only reiterated like 100 times). Her only redeeming quality is that she feels a little bad for Jericho and his brother, but that's very backburner for her—she is seriously. only. focused. on. herself. She also uses the word "jerk" 10,000 times, which drove me nuts. Her sole focuses are gossip, information, and charming people, and she has no idea how to keep her mouth shut. Gain some vocab and a personality, please.
2) The writing: Honestly, I'm shocked this is Rhodes' seventh book—it reads like a freshman YA novel. It's sooooo repetitive, after about 100 pages I felt like I was reading the same stuff over and over again. Not only does Josslyn's inner struggle get reiterated about a catrillion times (WE GET IT, she's experiencing inner turmoil for the first time), but there are times where words/phrases are straight up repeated over and over again. First I thought it was just the style, but then I realized it's poor editing/writing.
Exhibit A: "Finally, the three of us arrived at the most luxurious suite of rooms. I'd ever seen. And I'd been in a few luxurious suites of rooms in my life." (314)
Think it's funny, right? NO, even the banter reads like this.
Exhibit B: "I winced, but then my own anger rose up. 'Why are you such an asshole to me all the time?' 'Because I am an asshole, that's why.'" (297)
LE CRINGE. Still don't buy it? There were entire sentences that read so choppily with typos, but I couldn't figure out if they were typos or legit poor writing.
Exhibit C: "Gloria had also been assigned here for the week, and she spent most of the time telling me all about the chickens, as if each one had a personality of its own, and how they were weren't used for their meat until they stopped providing eggs. Poor chickens."
Moving on.
3) The world building: Okay, this is what really slayed me. I adore good magical realism, it's seriously my favorite, and I don't see enough of it actually executed well. I have no idea what was going on here. The magic (elementia?) didn't make any sense (where did it come from? how do people actually use it?). The witches and warlocks thing was awful—it's the only-two-genders thing to a tee. There were some marks of dystopia (a secretly despotic ruling family that took over the world) and some ambiguous references to colonialism. Somehow there was electricity? and gasoline? and technology? but zero indication of how this all worked?
I could obviously wax eloquent about this train wreck, but I'll stop here. I'm sad this is my first YA novel of 2022, but it really only can be uphill from here.
EDIT: I forgot to add my most hated part of the book! In the scene where Josslyn's father he literally tries to calm Josslyn down by saying "It's only a flesh wound." WHAT in the Monty Python reference is this?! And before you write it off as a mistake, it was mentioned verbatim like two more times. What a moment spoiler lol.
Three things really killed Echoes and Empires for me:
1) Josslyn Drake: She's the MC and she's flat out awful, which means you can never escape how bad she is. She hardly shows any character development, and she's an utter brat, only concerned with appearances and her "very future" (which is only reiterated like 100 times). Her only redeeming quality is that she feels a little bad for Jericho and his brother, but that's very backburner for her—she is seriously. only. focused. on. herself. She also uses the word "jerk" 10,000 times, which drove me nuts. Her sole focuses are gossip, information, and charming people, and she has no idea how to keep her mouth shut. Gain some vocab and a personality, please.
2) The writing: Honestly, I'm shocked this is Rhodes' seventh book—it reads like a freshman YA novel. It's sooooo repetitive, after about 100 pages I felt like I was reading the same stuff over and over again. Not only does Josslyn's inner struggle get reiterated about a catrillion times (WE GET IT, she's experiencing inner turmoil for the first time), but there are times where words/phrases are straight up repeated over and over again. First I thought it was just the style, but then I realized it's poor editing/writing.
Exhibit A: "Finally, the three of us arrived at the most luxurious suite of rooms. I'd ever seen. And I'd been in a few luxurious suites of rooms in my life." (314)
Think it's funny, right? NO, even the banter reads like this.
Exhibit B: "I winced, but then my own anger rose up. 'Why are you such an asshole to me all the time?' 'Because I am an asshole, that's why.'" (297)
LE CRINGE. Still don't buy it? There were entire sentences that read so choppily with typos, but I couldn't figure out if they were typos or legit poor writing.
Exhibit C: "Gloria had also been assigned here for the week, and she spent most of the time telling me all about the chickens, as if each one had a personality of its own, and how they were weren't used for their meat until they stopped providing eggs. Poor chickens."
Moving on.
3) The world building: Okay, this is what really slayed me. I adore good magical realism, it's seriously my favorite, and I don't see enough of it actually executed well. I have no idea what was going on here. The magic (elementia?) didn't make any sense (where did it come from? how do people actually use it?). The witches and warlocks thing was awful—it's the only-two-genders thing to a tee. There were some marks of dystopia (a secretly despotic ruling family that took over the world) and some ambiguous references to colonialism. Somehow there was electricity? and gasoline? and technology? but zero indication of how this all worked?
I could obviously wax eloquent about this train wreck, but I'll stop here. I'm sad this is my first YA novel of 2022, but it really only can be uphill from here.
EDIT: I forgot to add my most hated part of the book! In the scene where Josslyn's father he literally tries to calm Josslyn down by saying "It's only a flesh wound." WHAT in the Monty Python reference is this?! And before you write it off as a mistake, it was mentioned verbatim like two more times. What a moment spoiler lol.
January 26, 2022
Uninspired paint-by-numbers YA that feels too trope-y and predictable. The cover is really lovely, though!
February 3, 2022
DNF 25%
☆ начало заинтриговало меня интересным миром и серобурой героиней, но чем дальше в лес, тем хуже текст.
☆ диалоги капец кринжовые, той степени непринужденности, когда герои сидят в горящем доме и пересказывают друг другу лор. Учитывая, что любовная линия должна строиться на остроумных перепалках - ой, плохо все.
☆ сюжет не то чтобы неинтересный, просто подан он примитивно, то ли в духе плохой детской литературы, то ли первого фанфика.
☆ серобурая героиня монотонно истерит и в целом надежд не оправдала.
Соу, днф.
☆ начало заинтриговало меня интересным миром и серобурой героиней, но чем дальше в лес, тем хуже текст.
☆ диалоги капец кринжовые, той степени непринужденности, когда герои сидят в горящем доме и пересказывают друг другу лор. Учитывая, что любовная линия должна строиться на остроумных перепалках - ой, плохо все.
☆ сюжет не то чтобы неинтересный, просто подан он примитивно, то ли в духе плохой детской литературы, то ли первого фанфика.
☆ серобурая героиня монотонно истерит и в целом надежд не оправдала.
Соу, днф.
Want to read
May 28, 2021MORGAN RHODES AKA THE WRITER WHO CREATED MY HUSBAND (MAGNUS LUKAS DAMORA) AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE SERIES OF ALL TIME IS RELEASING A NEW BOOK. I AM READYYYYY
January 20, 2022
Ooo, how much better this would be if it was written in the third person!!!
In accordance with tradition, the main heroine was not at all sympathetic to me.
Her love interest is, of course, irresistible. 😉😉😉💖💖💖
That's how it is ..
This is a fast read but much weaker than the ''Falling Kingdoms'' series... For now. I hope that the second part will completely heat up the story.
The ending is quite interesting and from that moment the agony of waiting for the next sequel begins.
Good work, Morgan!!!
In accordance with tradition, the main heroine was not at all sympathetic to me.
Her love interest is, of course, irresistible. 😉😉😉💖💖💖
That's how it is ..
This is a fast read but much weaker than the ''Falling Kingdoms'' series... For now. I hope that the second part will completely heat up the story.
The ending is quite interesting and from that moment the agony of waiting for the next sequel begins.
Good work, Morgan!!!
January 5, 2022
This was a perfectly okay fantasy read to start off the year.
Was it life-changing or memorable? Probably not, but I had fun reading it at the moment.
This book follows Josslyn, a spoiled socialite living in a world where magic is banned. One night Joss gets stuck in a robbery gone wrong and is infected with magic containing the memories of an evil sorcerer. Now Joss must team up with the thief to find out how to expel the magic from her body.
I feel like this book was trying to do so many things and so everything came out rather average. There were so many twists and revelations that at some point things became rather predictable. I also found that there was so much exposition and explaining at the beginning that was not at all necessary and made that part of the story drag on.
I do like Josslynn's character, I like how she is unapologetically herself but still is able to learn and grow throughout the book! I am curious to see where Morgan Rhodes will take the rest of the series!
Was it life-changing or memorable? Probably not, but I had fun reading it at the moment.
This book follows Josslyn, a spoiled socialite living in a world where magic is banned. One night Joss gets stuck in a robbery gone wrong and is infected with magic containing the memories of an evil sorcerer. Now Joss must team up with the thief to find out how to expel the magic from her body.
I feel like this book was trying to do so many things and so everything came out rather average. There were so many twists and revelations that at some point things became rather predictable. I also found that there was so much exposition and explaining at the beginning that was not at all necessary and made that part of the story drag on.
I do like Josslynn's character, I like how she is unapologetically herself but still is able to learn and grow throughout the book! I am curious to see where Morgan Rhodes will take the rest of the series!
January 26, 2022
-DNF @ 18%
-im frothing with hate 🤠
-the feminine urge to dropkick Josslyn
-one star - at least this book made me feel an emotion
-im frothing with hate 🤠
-the feminine urge to dropkick Josslyn
-one star - at least this book made me feel an emotion
August 8, 2022
Warlocks and witches oh my 🖤
March 18, 2022
Okay, I flew through this so quick I'm almost impressed with myself. I usually have a harder time committing to fantasy books at first but this one sucked me in right away.
Josslyn Drake has grown up alongside her makeshift family that doesn't really want anything to do with her other than Celina, her best and only true friend. A family that is held in high respect by the Queen, who has taken a considerable interest in Josslyn, especially recently, and shares an equal amount of respect for her in return. Queen Isadora is determined to rid their lands of the magic that has killed so many innocents and Joss can't help but agree... until she finds herself in possession of magic unexpectedly. Now, terrified of what she could become, she follows the instruction of the one at fault for her new and unwanted life and is set out to find someone who could remove it from her.
You cannot trust anyone who spends their time making deals with criminals, and now Josslyn and Jericho are faced with yet another deal that they'll need to see to the end in order to get themselves out of their current predicament. The longer that Joss is away, the more the truth is unveiled and her world is turned on its head. Jericho may be on his own mission, but it looks like Joss has found her own as well.
I CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK TWO. Seriously, this stole all of my attention away when I was looking through ARCs because this cover is beautiful but now that I've read it? Wow, I really didn't know what I was asking for here. I have enjoyed Morgan Rhodes' books before but I think this one has opened up a whole new door that I am thrilled about. NOW I JUST WANT TO GO BACK AND REREAD THE FALLING KINGDOMS SERIES LMAO. UGHKNJASDAJSK. The writing was wonderful and the imagery was so vivid for me. I felt like I was right there with the characters as the story moved on. I can't believe this comes out in January... I want to see this cover in action now.
Thank you so much Edelweiss+ and Razorbill for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
Josslyn Drake has grown up alongside her makeshift family that doesn't really want anything to do with her other than Celina, her best and only true friend. A family that is held in high respect by the Queen, who has taken a considerable interest in Josslyn, especially recently, and shares an equal amount of respect for her in return. Queen Isadora is determined to rid their lands of the magic that has killed so many innocents and Joss can't help but agree... until she finds herself in possession of magic unexpectedly. Now, terrified of what she could become, she follows the instruction of the one at fault for her new and unwanted life and is set out to find someone who could remove it from her.
You cannot trust anyone who spends their time making deals with criminals, and now Josslyn and Jericho are faced with yet another deal that they'll need to see to the end in order to get themselves out of their current predicament. The longer that Joss is away, the more the truth is unveiled and her world is turned on its head. Jericho may be on his own mission, but it looks like Joss has found her own as well.
I CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK TWO. Seriously, this stole all of my attention away when I was looking through ARCs because this cover is beautiful but now that I've read it? Wow, I really didn't know what I was asking for here. I have enjoyed Morgan Rhodes' books before but I think this one has opened up a whole new door that I am thrilled about. NOW I JUST WANT TO GO BACK AND REREAD THE FALLING KINGDOMS SERIES LMAO. UGHKNJASDAJSK. The writing was wonderful and the imagery was so vivid for me. I felt like I was right there with the characters as the story moved on. I can't believe this comes out in January... I want to see this cover in action now.
Thank you so much Edelweiss+ and Razorbill for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2022
I grew up reading Morgan Rhodes in 2012 and beyond, so it was a big deal to see her new duology releasing in 2022. I'm very honored to have received this eARC early because as a tween, I never would have guessed that I'd read her fantasies before they were published.
Anyway, I'll admit— I had very high expectations going into this novel. I think my overall enjoyment stemmed from me comparing this book to the Falling Kingdoms series, which is NOT GOOD of me to do. I know. I know. I couldn't help myself! The biggest difference is the personality of characters. Josslyn is the orphan of the previous Prime Minister, who was sadly assassinated roughly a year prior to the book's start. She's everything one would assume of a child of her status: spoiled rotten. She even references herself as one at some point within the novel. Now Cleo from Falling Kingdoms was the exact same with a bit of a spoiled, naïve streak to her nature. I don't dislike that trait in young adult characters (love growth in this household), but for some reason, Josslyn's shift into a more rounded character seemed very sudden, not natural. It felt awkward and off-putting. Maybe this has to do with how Josslyn handled the information given to her. She just jumped back and forth a lot in her beliefs, which can be understandable, but also, who believes in the opinions of people they only have known for a few days or at most two weeks? NOT ME.
One of the most confusing aspects to this book is also the setting overall. I don't feel like I have a good grip on this world building, so it's safe to say we need more. I thought this was a medieval fantasy much like Falling Kingdoms because of the balls and clothing, but then there's hints of modern day like paparazzi and t-shirts. Although, I truly didn't understand this was modern fantasy until cell phones were brought up about 15% into the story, which threw me for a HUGE loop. It's definitely making me think of Crescent City vibes, but I don't even know the full ramifications of this because lack of world building.
Moreover, I feel like this novel suffers from set up syndrome. I'm incredibly excited for the sequel. The villains, not-so villainous characters, and even the mysterious witch for Jericho have me intrigued to my core. I wish we could've skipped over the middle plot of this novel and jumped straight into the reveals and interactions of all the characters in the castle. It just felt drawn out and unimportant compared to the beginning and end. The memories still could've been drawn out within the palace walls or something along those lines.
Again, the sequel has me hooked, but this was not a strong start for me. I probably shouldn't even given the sequel a shot, but Morgan Rhodes was an auto buy author for me. I have to see this through.
Anyway, I'll admit— I had very high expectations going into this novel. I think my overall enjoyment stemmed from me comparing this book to the Falling Kingdoms series, which is NOT GOOD of me to do. I know. I know. I couldn't help myself! The biggest difference is the personality of characters. Josslyn is the orphan of the previous Prime Minister, who was sadly assassinated roughly a year prior to the book's start. She's everything one would assume of a child of her status: spoiled rotten. She even references herself as one at some point within the novel. Now Cleo from Falling Kingdoms was the exact same with a bit of a spoiled, naïve streak to her nature. I don't dislike that trait in young adult characters (love growth in this household), but for some reason, Josslyn's shift into a more rounded character seemed very sudden, not natural. It felt awkward and off-putting. Maybe this has to do with how Josslyn handled the information given to her. She just jumped back and forth a lot in her beliefs, which can be understandable, but also, who believes in the opinions of people they only have known for a few days or at most two weeks? NOT ME.
One of the most confusing aspects to this book is also the setting overall. I don't feel like I have a good grip on this world building, so it's safe to say we need more. I thought this was a medieval fantasy much like Falling Kingdoms because of the balls and clothing, but then there's hints of modern day like paparazzi and t-shirts. Although, I truly didn't understand this was modern fantasy until cell phones were brought up about 15% into the story, which threw me for a HUGE loop. It's definitely making me think of Crescent City vibes, but I don't even know the full ramifications of this because lack of world building.
Moreover, I feel like this novel suffers from set up syndrome. I'm incredibly excited for the sequel. The villains, not-so villainous characters, and even the mysterious witch for Jericho have me intrigued to my core. I wish we could've skipped over the middle plot of this novel and jumped straight into the reveals and interactions of all the characters in the castle. It just felt drawn out and unimportant compared to the beginning and end. The memories still could've been drawn out within the palace walls or something along those lines.
Again, the sequel has me hooked, but this was not a strong start for me. I probably shouldn't even given the sequel a shot, but Morgan Rhodes was an auto buy author for me. I have to see this through.
December 11, 2021
Thanks to Penguin Teen for my advance digital copy
"I wore read on the night I slammed headfirst into my destiny"
Morgan Rhodes is a well loved author and now I know why, I really want to read her Falling Kingdoms series soon.Echoes and Empires puts an interesting twist on the magical realism genre,it is set in a kingdom where Magic or practice of magic is seriously condemned by the queen and anyone who goes against the Queen's law is executed almost immediately. Narrated by Joselyn Drake, a 17 year old daughter of ex-prime minister and also a Queen’s favorite is a snarky and privileged character and has no issues with being perceived as shallow in order to have a life filled with Royal regalia.
She has a set plan for her future until the night of Queen's gala, where everything starts going wrong from the minute she stumbles upon a thief, albeit a very handsome thief goes by name Blackheart stealing a magical artifact from the Queen's forbidden exhibit.In an unfortunate accident that follows, the magic from the said artifact seeps straight into the immediate available source- Joss. She can sense that magic in her is corrupt and that it belongs to the most dangerous Warlock that has been on the run for a while from the Queen, to Joss's dismay the "magic" inside her is nothing but trapped memories called Echoes that belong to this powerful warlock.
With the fear of being discovered with corrupted magic within her and subsequently facing execution or imprisonment, Joss makes a reluctant deal with the thief Jericho after he promises to find someone who will be able to extract this magic from her. Jericho has an agenda of his own as he was hired to deliver these echoes to his master Valerie, a witch with dark magic and has the ability to control him. However, Jericho's plan goes horribly wrong and both of them end up at in an isolated prison run by the kingdom.Joss is desperate to get the magic out of her and to get out of the prison in order to go back to her normal life but she gets a much needed reality check at the Queen’s keep where she is forced to face several shocking revelations that will change the course of her actions putting her loyalties to test!
The book is action packed and has decent twists, however I saw most of the twists coming. I also had issues with the pacing because I felt it got little slower towards the middle and also because of the fact that the book is narrated in 1st person POV, at times Joss's inner monologue’s felt little redundant. Another reason that this book wasn't a 5 star for me is the chemistry/romance between Joss and Jericho, it was quite confusing and even towards the end I was not able to see where they stand as a couple. However the book ended on an interesting note and I need answers to many questions, so I will be looking forward to the next installment to see how the story takes a turn.
"I wore read on the night I slammed headfirst into my destiny"
Morgan Rhodes is a well loved author and now I know why, I really want to read her Falling Kingdoms series soon.Echoes and Empires puts an interesting twist on the magical realism genre,it is set in a kingdom where Magic or practice of magic is seriously condemned by the queen and anyone who goes against the Queen's law is executed almost immediately. Narrated by Joselyn Drake, a 17 year old daughter of ex-prime minister and also a Queen’s favorite is a snarky and privileged character and has no issues with being perceived as shallow in order to have a life filled with Royal regalia.
She has a set plan for her future until the night of Queen's gala, where everything starts going wrong from the minute she stumbles upon a thief, albeit a very handsome thief goes by name Blackheart stealing a magical artifact from the Queen's forbidden exhibit.In an unfortunate accident that follows, the magic from the said artifact seeps straight into the immediate available source- Joss. She can sense that magic in her is corrupt and that it belongs to the most dangerous Warlock that has been on the run for a while from the Queen, to Joss's dismay the "magic" inside her is nothing but trapped memories called Echoes that belong to this powerful warlock.
With the fear of being discovered with corrupted magic within her and subsequently facing execution or imprisonment, Joss makes a reluctant deal with the thief Jericho after he promises to find someone who will be able to extract this magic from her. Jericho has an agenda of his own as he was hired to deliver these echoes to his master Valerie, a witch with dark magic and has the ability to control him. However, Jericho's plan goes horribly wrong and both of them end up at in an isolated prison run by the kingdom.Joss is desperate to get the magic out of her and to get out of the prison in order to go back to her normal life but she gets a much needed reality check at the Queen’s keep where she is forced to face several shocking revelations that will change the course of her actions putting her loyalties to test!
The book is action packed and has decent twists, however I saw most of the twists coming. I also had issues with the pacing because I felt it got little slower towards the middle and also because of the fact that the book is narrated in 1st person POV, at times Joss's inner monologue’s felt little redundant. Another reason that this book wasn't a 5 star for me is the chemistry/romance between Joss and Jericho, it was quite confusing and even towards the end I was not able to see where they stand as a couple. However the book ended on an interesting note and I need answers to many questions, so I will be looking forward to the next installment to see how the story takes a turn.
January 2, 2022
I really like the premise of the story - an empire where any use of magic is deemed dangerous and forbidden. Josslyn - the MC and daughter of a former primer minister - is accidentally infected by magic and has visions of a warlock the Empire's Queen is set on destroying. With her life in danger, she seeks out the help of Jericho, a thief who has secrets of his own. There's some interesting twists and turns in the plot - some expected and others not.
Though I thought the premise of the book was really interesting, the writing style fell a little flat for me. It felt choppy and kind of rushed and I ended up skimming a lot of it. And the dialogue also felt kind of childish at first. (I do have to say that it felt like it improved the further I got into the book.) It was a pretty quick read though and I managed to get through it in a couple of hours.
The world-building was also a little on the weak side (I didn't really catch on to the time period). And I wasn't really sure how to feel about the romance. I love enemies-to-lovers but it felt like this was also a bit rushed and could've been developed more.
Though I thought the premise of the book was really interesting, the writing style fell a little flat for me. It felt choppy and kind of rushed and I ended up skimming a lot of it. And the dialogue also felt kind of childish at first. (I do have to say that it felt like it improved the further I got into the book.) It was a pretty quick read though and I managed to get through it in a couple of hours.
The world-building was also a little on the weak side (I didn't really catch on to the time period). And I wasn't really sure how to feel about the romance. I love enemies-to-lovers but it felt like this was also a bit rushed and could've been developed more.
April 30, 2022
Another hit from the talented Morgan Rhodes!!
I loved her Falling Kingdom series, so when I saw she had a new book coming out I was thrilled! She is a genius when it comes to writing enemies to lovers, character redemptions, characters you can’t help but love and plot twists that keep you guessing the whole time!
I can’t wait for the next book in this series!!
I loved her Falling Kingdom series, so when I saw she had a new book coming out I was thrilled! She is a genius when it comes to writing enemies to lovers, character redemptions, characters you can’t help but love and plot twists that keep you guessing the whole time!
I can’t wait for the next book in this series!!
April 19, 2022
((( I really have no resources left in me aaand I'm experiencing a shitload of bad stuff happening one after another sooo not translating this one either, sorry )))
Покопавшись в январских релизах 2022, я обратила свое внимание на Echoes & Empires Морган Родес. Поскольку я у автора ранее ничего не читала (кроме ревью на ее книги, с которых смеялась как не в себя), эта книга должна была стать экспериментом. Не пожалела.
Книга написана таким простым языком, её возмутительно легко читать. Если бы мне параллельно не нужно было функционировать на моих трех работах, я бы враз её добила. Хз как переводят Родес у нас и переводят ли вообще... но это реально просто отдых для мозга.
Местами эта простота идет рука об руку с просто-таки канонической чередой клише в УА. Вот тупо начало книги вам:
Алерт, алерт! Первая страница, а у нас уже богичная главная героиня, которую боготворят даже небо, даже Аллах.
Сразу же после этого еще лучше.
Ух блин, хочу, хочу экспозицию словами сказать, и чтоб сразу на голову вылить. И причину эмоций словами сказать хочу, чтобы не отыгрывать, а то долго. И вообще историю всю словами, прямо с пояснениями, чтобы прямо для читателя, а не в мире книги, прямо разжевать хочу экспозицию всем.
Сеттинг сомнительной понятности. Нет, все просто, но у нас же две составляющие мира — абсолютная современность и магические лорды. И как бы они не перемешиваются. Читаешь про бал, Королеву, злого мага, чемпиона арены, ХЛОП бутики мобильники машины, ХЛОП чёрная тьма, супер-крутые воины, сосущий труп. Будто разные слои.
Я когда-то писала твиттер-тред о штампах или просто элементах фэнтези и фантастики, которые мне поднадоели. Так вот, одним и пунктов было то, что подавляющее большинство зарубежных авторов воспринимают слово "империя" как-то альтернативно, и у них стабильно всплывает такой титул как Король Империи.
Так вот... да, у нас тут есть Королева Империи хд
Так, вообще, пройдемся по персонажам.
Тут злодея зовут Banyon, и клянусь, я каждый раз читаю его как "Байрон". Помимо Байрона-Бэниона есть Джосслин Дрейк (гг) – дочка бывшего, ныне покойного премьер-министра; Джерико Нокс (ну, потому что он вор. Поняли? Вор? Темнота?? НОКС???), загадочный и вообще весь такой «плохой» и таинственный; Королева Империи, стартующая как надежная опора и ориентир для гг (угадайте поворот); мертвый сын Королевы Империи, которого все поминают; красивый коммандер Витя (эпизодник для важных моментов), подруга гг и дочь нынешнего премьер-министра, который гг не любит. Есть еще, но они уже для сюжета не важны.
Героиню можно не разбирать – она дерзкая красавица, у которое случилось событие, ломающее всю ее жизнь, и обстоятельства, сталкивающие ее с Джерико, всем таким опасным.
Джерико. Король сарказма, ни одной фразы не сказал как человек. В серьёзной книге это был бы цирк дурацкий, но поскольку все остальное довольно слабенькое и ник��кое, Джерико крадет шоу и в принципе оживляет все.
Остальные у нас немного шаблонные НПС, но все же хочу отметить кое-что:
ИШЬ ТЫ ПОДИШЬ ТЫ восемнадцать, лучший из лучших, такой крутой и красивый и благородный и вообще, я ща усну от скуки и банальщины.
ЛУЧШИЕ ИЗ ЛУЧШИХ СЭР КАПИТАН ИМПЕРИЯ
И да, Виктор там как бы не просто так. Героиня в начале хочет склеить Виктора-коммандера, но он её отшивает. Подумав, она решает попытаться ещё, но путает его со спины с очень похожим парнем (Джерико).
Позже, в незаконном месте, она натыкается на Виктора — у него тут рейд на преступников. Вдруг оказывается, что Джерико и Виктор знают друг друга ну прям очень хорошо, зовут по сокращенным именам и явно с полуслова друг друга понимают.
Цитируя гг, кто они друг другу? Угадайте поворот. И если какая-нибудь зараза скажет, что это спойлер, ну уж извините, тогда для вас и респавн Иисуса спойлером будет.
Взаимодействие Джос и Джерико, как бы вам сказать… немного цирк с конями. Джерико подается как крутой, а на деле выходит комедия. Героиня второй раз встречается со всем таким опасным вором, который всех усыпляет, ворует и фэйлит. Она пытается удрать от него, он её ловит, и дальше происходит потрясающей естественности диалог.
С��ммирую.
Гг: ��то тебе надо?! Ты работаешь на убийцу моего отца?!
Вор: ??!?!?!!! Ты думаешь, я работаю на него! Да я никогда, да я его ненавижу, вот моя мотивация вся, вот, смотри, все эмоции свои объясню, левая девица, которую я вижу второй раз в жизни!
Гг: как не он?! Кто ещё мог нанять тебя, гад преступный?!
Вор: меня нанял мой наниматель! Совершенно другой человек! И мне так важно все сделать, потому что вот мои мотивы, хочу прочь из города, вот интонациями тебе покажу, как это место ненавижу, видишь, у меня бэкграунд драматичный!
Как разжевать экспозицию диалогом, часть вторая))
У них вообще диалоги от бога, что-то типа:
— Тут плохо.
— Ага.
— А тут темно.
— Темно.
— Это дым от сигарет.
— Да.
— Мы в бойцовском клубе.
— Ага.
Просто... капитан констатация и вор-пофигист.
При всем моем желании иронизировать в сторону этой книги, не могу не отметить, что Джерико крадёт шоу. У него нет ни единой нормальной, обычной фразы — он язвит, играет словами, плещет сарказмом. Он, блин, книгу вывозит на себе, потому что сюжет тут — какая-то квестовая беготня, а гг только следует и смотрит.
Плюсик Родес хотя бы за то, что умудряется всю книгу сыпать джериковскими словесными выкрутасами.
Но вот во что я в этой книге терминально влюбилась, так это в романтическую линию, я давно ничего такого смешного не читала. Итак, первые намёки на романслайн подъехали аккурат на середине книги. Как и следовало ожидать, ни с фига.
Ситуация: чтобы помочь гг и Джерико с их проблемой, важная личность дала им задание, которое надо будет выполнить через две недели. Джерико, как по команде, стоило ему и гг остаться наедине, ВДРУГ морщится и трогает руку. Эта сцена нужна, чтобы гг вытрясла из него, что вот он опоздал к своей злой нанимательнице, теперь будет нарастать боль. Диалог вывел на то, что Джерико спросил, причиняет ли гг боль её непрошеная магия. Не физическую боль, говорит гг.
Джерико тогда её утешает, трогает за волосы, за шею, у гг дыхание сперло, она смотрит на него, он на неё, искра буря безумие, он смотрит на её губы, она заворожена — и он отшатывается, говоря что-то типа "извини, это все неправильно и не должно быть".
Ну не классика ли?)
Был ли между ними теншен до этого?.. ну, разве что у Джерико был теншен с самим собой. Ему и одному норм, он один может все диалоги вести, гг и так пассивна.
Дальше лучше. Теперь гг подсела на недовечеринке в тюрьме к Джерико, который весь такой скрывает боль, стала гладить его по всем злым татуировкам как бы чтобы просто узнать, и её мысли — восторг:
"Я всегда с лёгкостью раскалывала людей ,ну вот прям как орешки, но... Джерико Нокс... тайна для меня, энигма, загадка... его чёрные глаза смотрели на меня, я не могла его прочитать..."
Обожаю, блин хдд
Ору
Во-первых, да, суперкрутому Джерико девятнадцать. Ммм, янг-эдалты мои любимые.
Во-вторых, это сравнение огнище, потому что терминально усугубляет картину случившегося (гг просто его поцеловала).
И да, я понимаю, что книга небольшая, но блин, это переобувание просто что-то с чем-то.
Гг: Джерико был мне дорог. Но какая-то ужасная тайна отталкивает его от меня, тайна, которую он никогда и ни за что мне не раскроет...
*следующая глава*
Джерико: отвали
Гг: ты мне дорог! Хватит!
Джерико, драматично смеясь: ах так! А вот тебе моя ужасная тайна, довольна?
Восторг.
А вообще, в принципе, книга строится так:
Джерико: сарказм
Гг: ок
Джерико: фэйлит
Джерико: сарказм
Гг: тык тык ты ничо
Джерико: !!! Сарказм *уходит*
И дальше тупо схема Джерико сарказм — гг отвечает — Джерико уходит из кадра.
Сюжет полон такой очевидности, что это уже просто смешно. В этой империи к магии относятся на уровне "ууу сатана, зло во плоти, сжечь всех", королева это всячески культивирует.
Лорд Байрон... простите, Бэнион, по слухам, убил не только отца героини, но и сына королевы. В воспоминании лорда гг видит, как страж королевы избивает лорда и говорит фразу типа "дай магию, срочна, пока он не вернется/будет восстановлен".
Знатоки: каков поворот сюжета?
Бтв, это происходит на начало книги.
Гг немного двигается по течению и реагирует мысленно, ничего не пытается делать, с миром не взаимодействует. Куда Джерико, туда она на поводочке. Иногда немного переживает, как по расписанию. В остальное время норм. Единственное, когда она выразила инициативу, когда, напившись, обтрогала руку Джерико, а потом побежала за ним и поцеловала его после недоссоры.
Это надо читать не ради мира и сюжета. Это классические АХ КАКОЙ ПОВОРОООТ и классическая же романтическая линия.
А вообще весело было. Нет, в смысле, реально. Офигенно весело и ненапряжно. Глупо, простенько, но иногда это чрезвычайно кстати, так что сиквел жду.
Покопавшись в январских релизах 2022, я обратила свое внимание на Echoes & Empires Морган Родес. Поскольку я у автора ранее ничего не читала (кроме ревью на ее книги, с которых смеялась как не в себя), эта книга должна была стать экспериментом. Не пожалела.
Книга написана таким простым языком, её возмутительно легко читать. Если бы мне параллельно не нужно было функционировать на моих трех работах, я бы враз её добила. Хз как переводят Родес у нас и переводят ли вообще... но это реально просто отдых для мозга.
Местами эта простота идет рука об руку с просто-таки канонической чередой клише в УА. Вот тупо начало книги вам:
"Едва стоило появиться Селине — роскошной рыжеволосой восемнадцатилетней дочери премьер-министра Реджиса Амброуз — и столь же шикарной светловолосой семнадцатилетней вашей покорной слуге — сверкнули сотни вспышек, и мы направились вверх ��о лестнице."
Алерт, алерт! Первая страница, а у нас уже богичная главная героиня, которую боготворят даже небо, даже Аллах.
Сразу же после этого еще лучше.
"Ровно год назад, в эту самую ночь, ваш отец, премьер-министр Луи Дрейк, был убит на этих самых ступенях, ведущих на Бал Королевы. Вся Империя Регара хочет узнать: как чувствует себя Джосслин Дрейк, бывшая Первая Дочь Айронпорта?"
Ух блин, хочу, хочу экспозицию словами сказать, и чтоб сразу на голову вылить. И причину эмоций словами сказать хочу, чтобы не отыгрывать, а то долго. И вообще историю всю словами, прямо с пояснениями, чтобы прямо для читателя, а не в мире книги, прямо разжевать хочу экспозицию всем.
Сеттинг сомнительной понятности. Нет, все просто, но у нас же две составляющие мира — абсолютная современность и магические лорды. И как бы они не перемешиваются. Читаешь про бал, Королеву, злого мага, чемпиона арены, ХЛОП бутики мобильники машины, ХЛОП чёрная тьма, супер-крутые воины, сосущий труп. Будто разные слои.
Я когда-то писала твиттер-тред о штампах или просто элементах фэнтези и фантастики, которые мне поднадоели. Так вот, одним и пунктов было то, что подавляющее большинство зарубежных авторов воспринимают слово "империя" как-то альтернативно, и у них стабильно всплывает такой титул как Король Империи.
Так вот... да, у нас тут есть Королева Империи хд
Так, вообще, пройдемся по персонажам.
Тут злодея зовут Banyon, и клянусь, я каждый раз читаю его как "Байрон". Помимо Байрона-Бэниона есть Джосслин Дрейк (гг) – дочка бывшего, ныне покойного премьер-министра; Джерико Нокс (ну, потому что он вор. Поняли? Вор? Темнота?? НОКС???), загадочный и вообще весь такой «плохой» и таинственный; Королева Империи, стартующая как надежная опора и ориентир для гг (угадайте поворот); мертвый сын Королевы Империи, которого все поминают; красивый коммандер Витя (эпизодник для важных моментов), подруга гг и дочь нынешнего премьер-министра, который гг не любит. Есть еще, но они уже для сюжета не важны.
Героиню можно не разбирать – она дерзкая красавица, у которое случилось событие, ломающее всю ее жизнь, и обстоятельства, сталкивающие ее с Джерико, всем таким опасным.
Джерико. Король сарказма, ни одной фразы не сказал как человек. В серьёзной книге это был бы цирк дурацкий, но поскольку все остальное довольно слабенькое и ник��кое, Джерико крадет шоу и в принципе оживляет все.
Остальные у нас немного шаблонные НПС, но все же хочу отметить кое-что:
"Его звали Виктор Рейден.
Коммандер Виктор Рейден.
Самый молодой — всего восемнадцать — кто смог достичь такого высокого ранга, во всей Регарианской Империи, за все времена.
Два года назад его назвали первым чемпионом полугодовых гладиаторских Королевских Игр. Это моментально сделало его знаменитостью во всей Империи. Виктор — сирота, из ничего поднявшийся до небывалых высот и добившийся всех наград, побеждая каждого, кто выступал против него в бою. Побеждали только сильнейшие и смелейшие, никто не выиграл только матчей, сколько выиграл Виктор. Если вдаваться в подробности, семнадцать матчей подряд, в мероприятии длиной в четыре дня."
ИШЬ ТЫ ПОДИШЬ ТЫ восемнадцать, лучший из лучших, такой крутой и красивый и благородный и вообще, я ща усну от скуки и банальщины.
ЛУЧШИЕ ИЗ ЛУЧШИХ СЭР КАПИТАН ИМПЕРИЯ
И да, Виктор там как бы не просто так. Героиня в начале хочет склеить Виктора-коммандера, но он её отшивает. Подумав, она решает попытаться ещё, но путает его со спины с очень похожим парнем (Джерико).
Позже, в незаконном месте, она натыкается на Виктора — у него тут рейд на преступников. Вдруг оказывается, что Джерико и Виктор знают друг друга ну прям очень хорошо, зовут по сокращенным именам и явно с полуслова друг друга понимают.
Цитируя гг, кто они друг другу? Угадайте поворот. И если какая-нибудь зараза скажет, что это спойлер, ну уж извините, тогда для вас и респавн Иисуса спойлером будет.
Взаимодействие Джос и Джерико, как бы вам сказать… немного цирк с конями. Джерико подается как крутой, а на деле выходит комедия. Героиня второй раз встречается со всем таким опасным вором, который всех усыпляет, ворует и фэйлит. Она пытается удрать от него, он её ловит, и дальше происходит потрясающей естественности диалог.
С��ммирую.
Гг: ��то тебе надо?! Ты работаешь на убийцу моего отца?!
Вор: ??!?!?!!! Ты думаешь, я работаю на него! Да я никогда, да я его ненавижу, вот моя мотивация вся, вот, смотри, все эмоции свои объясню, левая девица, которую я вижу второй раз в жизни!
Гг: как не он?! Кто ещё мог нанять тебя, гад преступный?!
Вор: меня нанял мой наниматель! Совершенно другой человек! И мне так важно все сделать, потому что вот мои мотивы, хочу прочь из города, вот интонациями тебе покажу, как это место ненавижу, видишь, у меня бэкграунд драматичный!
Как разжевать экспозицию диалогом, часть вторая))
У них вообще диалоги от бога, что-то типа:
— Тут плохо.
— Ага.
— А тут темно.
— Темно.
— Это дым от сигарет.
— Да.
— Мы в бойцовском клубе.
— Ага.
Просто... капитан констатация и вор-пофигист.
При всем моем желании иронизировать в сторону этой книги, не могу не отметить, что Джерико крадёт шоу. У него нет ни единой нормальной, обычной фразы — он язвит, играет словами, плещет сарказмом. Он, блин, книгу вывозит на себе, потому что сюжет тут — какая-то квестовая беготня, а гг только следует и смотрит.
Плюсик Родес хотя бы за то, что умудряется всю книгу сыпать джериковскими словесными выкрутасами.
Но вот во что я в этой книге терминально влюбилась, так это в романтическую линию, я давно ничего такого смешного не читала. Итак, первые намёки на романслайн подъехали аккурат на середине книги. Как и следовало ожидать, ни с фига.
Ситуация: чтобы помочь гг и Джерико с их проблемой, важная личность дала им задание, которое надо будет выполнить через две недели. Джерико, как по команде, стоило ему и гг остаться наедине, ВДРУГ морщится и трогает руку. Эта сцена нужна, чтобы гг вытрясла из него, что вот он опоздал к своей злой нанимательнице, теперь будет нарастать боль. Диалог вывел на то, что Джерико спросил, причиняет ли гг боль её непрошеная магия. Не физическую боль, говорит гг.
Джерико тогда её утешает, трогает за волосы, за шею, у гг дыхание сперло, она смотрит на него, он на неё, искра буря безумие, он смотрит на её губы, она заворожена — и он отшатывается, говоря что-то типа "извини, это все неправильно и не должно быть".
Ну не классика ли?)
Был ли между ними теншен до этого?.. ну, разве что у Джерико был теншен с самим собой. Ему и одному норм, он один может все диалоги вести, гг и так пассивна.
Дальше лучше. Теперь гг подсела на недовечеринке в тюрьме к Джерико, который весь такой скрывает боль, стала гладить его по всем злым татуировкам как бы чтобы просто узнать, и её мысли — восторг:
"Я всегда с лёгкостью раскалывала людей ,ну вот прям как орешки, но... Джерико Нокс... тайна для меня, энигма, загадка... его чёрные глаза смотрели на меня, я не могла его прочитать..."
Обожаю, блин хдд
"Я пыталась занять мысли хоть чем-нибудь, пока не пересекусь с Джерико, чтобы мы могли поговорить о том, что случилось ночью, когда я спьяну решила залезть на него, будто он черноглазое сварливое, но шикарное девятнадцатилетнее дерево."
Ору
Во-первых, да, суперкрутому Джерико девятнадцать. Ммм, янг-эдалты мои любимые.
Во-вторых, это сравнение огнище, потому что терминально усугубляет картину случившегося (гг просто его поцеловала).
И да, я понимаю, что книга небольшая, но блин, это переобувание просто что-то с чем-то.
Гг: Джерико был мне дорог. Но какая-то ужасная тайна отталкивает его от меня, тайна, которую он никогда и ни за что мне не раскроет...
*следующая глава*
Джерико: отвали
Гг: ты мне дорог! Хватит!
Джерико, драматично смеясь: ах так! А вот тебе моя ужасная тайна, довольна?
Восторг.
А вообще, в принципе, книга строится так:
Джерико: сарказм
Гг: ок
Джерико: фэйлит
Джерико: сарказм
Гг: тык тык ты ничо
Джерико: !!! Сарказм *уходит*
И дальше тупо схема Джерико сарказм — гг отвечает — Джерико уходит из кадра.
Сюжет полон такой очевидности, что это уже просто смешно. В этой империи к магии относятся на уровне "ууу сатана, зло во плоти, сжечь всех", королева это всячески культивирует.
Лорд Байрон... простите, Бэнион, по слухам, убил не только отца героини, но и сына королевы. В воспоминании лорда гг видит, как страж королевы избивает лорда и говорит фразу типа "дай магию, срочна, пока он не вернется/будет восстановлен".
Знатоки: каков поворот сюжета?
Бтв, это происходит на начало книги.
Гг немного двигается по течению и реагирует мысленно, ничего не пытается делать, с миром не взаимодействует. Куда Джерико, туда она на поводочке. Иногда немного переживает, как по расписанию. В остальное время норм. Единственное, когда она выразила инициативу, когда, напившись, обтрогала руку Джерико, а потом побежала за ним и поцеловала его после недоссоры.
Это надо читать не ради мира и сюжета. Это классические АХ КАКОЙ ПОВОРОООТ и классическая же романтическая линия.
А вообще весело было. Нет, в смысле, реально. Офигенно весело и ненапряжно. Глупо, простенько, но иногда это чрезвычайно кстати, так что сиквел жду.
March 22, 2023
Reseña en breve.
February 1, 2022
When an avowed critical skeptic of YA Fantasy such as myself rates a book in the genre 5-stars, you have to sit up and take notice.
You have to sit up and take notice, not of my humble self, of course, but of the author who chose to bless our hungry reader minds with a superb feast.
For that is what Echoes and Empires is: a feast of brilliant twists and enthralling suspense!
I've read Morgan Rhodes before, so I was going to be partial, going into this read, despite a relatively low 3.7 average rating on Goodreads.
Falling Kingdoms was a great YA fantasy series, even though I didn't finish it. But it was great enough to ensure that the author remained in my mind, and at the very tip of my tastes. So, when I discovered this book, the decision to read it was a no-brainer. After all, I had sampled her unique offerings before, so I knew exactly what to expect.
And Morgan Rhodes did not disappoint!
YA Fantasy today is very cliché. There are simply too many Holly Blacks, Sarah J.Maas', and Cassandra Clares for my liking. It's almost like authors don't want to write about anything that's not about vampires, Fae, angels and demons. While these tropes aren't all that bad, they tend to carry certain associating traits that eventually become the accompanying storyline. Eventually, you have more or less the same story written by different authors, often over multiple books.
Annoying, isn't it?
Echoes and Empires does away with all the tropes, infusing the grim ruthlessness that is Morgan Rhodes unique signature: suspense like no other!
I'll admit that it started off a bit boring: we had a whiny princess (sorta), overspoiled and all. But then the twists started coming. The action wasn't very intense, coming only in short and sharp bursts, but the aftermath and implications were always game-changing.
Here, I will paused to officially declared Morgan Rhodes as the Queen of Twists.
I mean, you can't weave a twist as thick as this- this is as thick as twists go, and that's an understatement.
But I will leave you to your discretion as you ponder (if you haven't read this) on whether to pick this up.
If you want a fast-paced page-turner that will literally make your heart thud in irrepressible anticipation, Echoes and Empires is yours for the taking- and the reading.
I eagerly anticipate the next book!
You have to sit up and take notice, not of my humble self, of course, but of the author who chose to bless our hungry reader minds with a superb feast.
For that is what Echoes and Empires is: a feast of brilliant twists and enthralling suspense!
I've read Morgan Rhodes before, so I was going to be partial, going into this read, despite a relatively low 3.7 average rating on Goodreads.
Falling Kingdoms was a great YA fantasy series, even though I didn't finish it. But it was great enough to ensure that the author remained in my mind, and at the very tip of my tastes. So, when I discovered this book, the decision to read it was a no-brainer. After all, I had sampled her unique offerings before, so I knew exactly what to expect.
And Morgan Rhodes did not disappoint!
YA Fantasy today is very cliché. There are simply too many Holly Blacks, Sarah J.Maas', and Cassandra Clares for my liking. It's almost like authors don't want to write about anything that's not about vampires, Fae, angels and demons. While these tropes aren't all that bad, they tend to carry certain associating traits that eventually become the accompanying storyline. Eventually, you have more or less the same story written by different authors, often over multiple books.
Annoying, isn't it?
Echoes and Empires does away with all the tropes, infusing the grim ruthlessness that is Morgan Rhodes unique signature: suspense like no other!
I'll admit that it started off a bit boring: we had a whiny princess (sorta), overspoiled and all. But then the twists started coming. The action wasn't very intense, coming only in short and sharp bursts, but the aftermath and implications were always game-changing.
Here, I will paused to officially declared Morgan Rhodes as the Queen of Twists.
I mean, you can't weave a twist as thick as this- this is as thick as twists go, and that's an understatement.
But I will leave you to your discretion as you ponder (if you haven't read this) on whether to pick this up.
If you want a fast-paced page-turner that will literally make your heart thud in irrepressible anticipation, Echoes and Empires is yours for the taking- and the reading.
I eagerly anticipate the next book!
January 23, 2022
Having read and enjoyed Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes I went into this expecting to enjoy it, and I did. But having also tried and failed to read the follow up Spirits and Thieves series, I was a touch hesitant. I enjoyed Echoes and Empires, it was an interesting concept and a well executed fantasy. I did find it a tad predictable at times, but I am also outside of the target audience so that's not unexpected.
CW: death of a parent (off page prior to start of book), murder, death, violence, consumption of alcohol, torture, bullying (minor)
Josslyn was an interesting character, her character went through a lot of growth throughout the novel. Her motivations always made sense, and she stayed focused on them for the most part. She started off the nvoel super self absorbed and a vigilant believer in everything that the Queen says. But watching her as she's infected with magic and goes on an adventure to get rid of it was so fun. She was a very strong willed character who fought for what she believed was right and truthful.
Jericho Nox was a very intriguing character, though his name sounds absolutely ridiculous to me for some reason. Logically I know all names are mae up in general, and that book names are created by authors, but eeeesh what a name. I liked how his character was built, and found his backstory super compelling.
The plot of this was fun. Following Joss and Jericho as they adventure together to try and rid Joss of the magic, and the trials they faced along the way was really interesting. I liked the world a lot. I think technology forward fantasies can be tricky, but this was well done. There wasn't much travel, so I didn't miss there not being a map. I think worlds that have magic outlawed are really interesting, and I loved this one.
Overall I found this to be a good book. It felt fun and fresh, reading non-Medieval fantasy can be so fun. The characters were well built, the world was interesting, and I'm excited for book two. The only thing I didn't love is that some of the twists didn't surprise me, but for the most part this was a nice little fantasy read.
CW: death of a parent (off page prior to start of book), murder, death, violence, consumption of alcohol, torture, bullying (minor)
Josslyn was an interesting character, her character went through a lot of growth throughout the novel. Her motivations always made sense, and she stayed focused on them for the most part. She started off the nvoel super self absorbed and a vigilant believer in everything that the Queen says. But watching her as she's infected with magic and goes on an adventure to get rid of it was so fun. She was a very strong willed character who fought for what she believed was right and truthful.
Jericho Nox was a very intriguing character, though his name sounds absolutely ridiculous to me for some reason. Logically I know all names are mae up in general, and that book names are created by authors, but eeeesh what a name. I liked how his character was built, and found his backstory super compelling.
The plot of this was fun. Following Joss and Jericho as they adventure together to try and rid Joss of the magic, and the trials they faced along the way was really interesting. I liked the world a lot. I think technology forward fantasies can be tricky, but this was well done. There wasn't much travel, so I didn't miss there not being a map. I think worlds that have magic outlawed are really interesting, and I loved this one.
Overall I found this to be a good book. It felt fun and fresh, reading non-Medieval fantasy can be so fun. The characters were well built, the world was interesting, and I'm excited for book two. The only thing I didn't love is that some of the twists didn't surprise me, but for the most part this was a nice little fantasy read.
April 2, 2022
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