Echoes and Empires
Echoes and Empires
“So that’s something else we have in common, Drake. We’re both so full of magic we never asked for that it shows on the outside.” He studied me for a moment in silence, his brows drawn together. “Got to say, you’re holding up better than I thought. Overwhelmed yet?”
“I’m way beyond overwhelmed,” I replied. “Overwhelmed was hours ago. It was followed by panic, and then a large serving of denial.”
“And how do you feel now?”
“I honestly don’t know.” I couldn’t help but wonder if Queen Isadora knew any of this or had even considered that there was more to the story than all magic being pure evil.
Echoes and Empires is the first book of a magical kingdom fantasy set in a 1920’s inspired world. Josslyn is the daughter of the former prime minister, best friend of the current prime minister’s daughter, worried only about keeping her glittering position in society and getting justice for her father’s murder at the hands of a warlock.
At the Queen’s Gala, Joss interrupts a thief and is accidentally possessed by memory magic. The thief kidnaps her since the memory is what he came to steal. Joss is desperate to get the magic out of her as, according to the Queen, all magic is evil, and so she cooperates with the thief. In order to find a warlock who can extract the memory, Joss and the thief, Jericho, get themselves thrown into the Queen’s Keep. There, they uncover a number of secrets that change everything. Joss believes about herself, her Queen, and magic. By the time Joss is rescued and returned to her coveted life in the palace, she has learned that the Queen dabbles in death magic, the crown prince turns into a ravening monster every month, and Joss’ real father is the warlock who was supposed to have killed the former prime minister.
Echoes and Empires begins with fancy dresses and champagne but quickly moves into a gritty magical underworld. Jericho is a magically enhanced servant forced to do the will of a powerful witch, but Joss begins to trust him and even develop feelings for him because he didn’t choose his servitude. At the end, she helps him escape and decides to join him in seeking answers from the witch rather than resume her privileged life at the cost keeping all the Queen’s secrets.
The plot moves quickly through interesting scenarios with lots of opportunity for banter between the confident society girl and the arrogant thief. The complicated mysteries unfold at a decent pace with enough emotional heft to make readers care. The writing is somewhat bloated, but interesting characters keep the reader invested.
Echoes and Empires will appeal to readers who like enemies-to-lovers romances and high-society shenanigans.
Kim Aippersbach is a writer, editor and mother of three in Vancouver, British Columbia.