[Review: Empire Of Shadows by Miriam Forster]

"Empire of Shadows"
Author: Miriam Forster
Series: Bhinian Empire #2
Pages: 496
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Date Published: November 4th, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review

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Summary:

Cast out of her family three years ago, Mara turned to the only place that would take her—a school where students train to protect others. But Mara is stunned when guarding a noble girl in the Empire’s capital turns out to be more dangerous than she could’ve imagined. More shocking still, she finds the boy she thought she had lost forever outside the gates of her new home.

Mara knew her life in the dizzying Imperial city would hold dangers. How could she have known that her heart, as well as her life, would be at stake?

Empire of Shadows will take readers on a spellbinding journey into the world Miriam Forster first introduced in City of a Thousand Dolls—a world with a divided society, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and deeply laid conspiracies.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Empire of Shadows,

Hey book, look at you with your gorgeous cover and your thick amount of pages. To be completely honest I would have been fine with you being about a hundred pages longer, but you weren't. You were full of mystery and death and swoony love. I'm not sure what is a better combination than those things, so you made me very happy. I'd like another book in this series, because God knows how much I adore companion novels that can stand on their own legs. 

-The White Unicorn

It's well known that I loved Forster's City of a Thousand Dolls, so I was elated to learn that there was going to be a companion novel. Forster, feel free to keep writing them, because if you do, I will read them! I really liked the cast of the first book, so I was curious to see who Forster was going to focus on this time around, and I have to admit that I fell in love with this cast just as much as the old one.

Forster is a master story teller. She weaves both of her novels together seamlessly. In a way that really works. She's the master of mystery and intrigue, blending characters and stories together in way that makes you realize that she really puts her work into planning her books out. She makes sure that no little detail goes untouched. And the best part is that it doesn't matter which book you read first, or if you read them both (but please read them both).

Empire of Shadows is a book that's told through duel POV. This keeps the book moving in a forward motion and also keeps the mystery hidden till the correct moments. I found both Mara and Emil's voices to be interesting and captivating. And their love story didn't seem to get in the way of the bigger picture either, which is always a plus. 

Mara is an interesting character. She carries a chip around her shoulder that's almost as big as the secret that she's a Sune (shifting human). The book is about her redemption in more ways than one. She's trying to make up for the wrongs that she's done in her past by becoming a warrior, sworn to protect one person till death. She's so multifaceted that she keeps you reading her story till the end. 

Emil is the perfect love interest for Mara. He's equally as loyal as she is, but in a sweeter, less feral way. The contrast really works well. Seeing things from his POV also lightens the book a tad, which is nice. They're really cute together and it's nice to see that their beginning leads to so much in the end.

The mystery and pacing of this book are also to be praised. As well as the large cast of secondary, cross over characters between both of Forster's books. It was so delightful to get to learn more about the people in Nisha's life (the main character in City of a Thousand Dolls). 

To end this review I'm just going to say that you should read these books. It doesn't matter how you read them or what order you read them in, it just matters that you read them!

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW! 

[Review: City Of A Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster]

"City of a Thousand Dolls"
Author: Miriam Forster
Series: Bhinian Empire #1
Pages: 359
Genre: YA, High Fantasy
Date Published: February 5th 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format Read: Hardcover from the library

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Summary:

An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure.

Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.

Before she becomes the next victim, Nisha decides to uncover the secrets that surround the girls’ deaths. But by getting involved, Nisha jeopardizes not only her own future in the City of a Thousand Dolls—but her own life.

-Goodreads 

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To City of a Thousand Dolls,

You book, are what a high fantasy should be. You delve into a whole bunch of things, but never feel too muddled. You actually (almost) got away with stumping me on the murderer as well, which is a pretty hard to do. Maybe it was because the riddle was easier than normal and I was caught up in your world building, but I think you totally worked as a murder mystery. And your world, let's talk about that-so wonderful. And I was rooting for Nisha from the beginning, so that's good too. Thanks for being solid. Go you!

-The White Unicorn

I went into City of a Thousand Dolls with leery eyes. I had seen some, not so flattering, reviews and yet I was pulled in by the cover and the fact that it was pitched as a murder mystery/high fantasy hybrid. I love when a book mixes two unlikely things and so I was sold and threw my hesitations out the window and dove into the pages. I have to tell you that I'm so glad that I did. I was blown away by this book. There were a few little things that I thought wrapped it up a bit too easily, but in the end that didn't affect how I felt about the overall story.

Forster's world building is top notch. She creates a kingdom with messed up politics and brings them to the forefront. She uses a strict 2 child per family policy which spills over and leaves girl babies in peril. So as an author she created The City of a Thousand Dolls and the rules that live there, along with all of the unwanted females of the Bhinian Empire. There are rules which are written out for us as readers and there are some that are simply implied, but all of these things come together to give us a well rounded city that is both a safe haven and a pit of misery all at once. 

I like that Nisha (the heroine) didn't have a caste that she falls into. It kept her displaced in a place that should have felt like her home. The rest of the girls know what they are good at and where they belong and yet Nisha finds herself the Matron's assistant. It was a great call for Forster as a storyteller. It makes you feel for her as a character early on and it helps you get behind some of her not so great ideas. She's young in some of her actions, but she's also wise beyond her years in other ways. She's an interesting character to study, that's for sure.

The murder mystery was a fun element to add into this story. You have all the politics and the drama created by a city full of females and the power struggles happening and then you add death into the mix. Brilliant. It keeps you on your toes and allows the characters to grow as well. Forster did a grand job of withholding the right clues till the last minute and that made it a little tougher to figure out what was going on. With so many things going on, there are so many options about what could be happening. Plus, there is also the mystery surrounding Nisha and who she really is, which serves as a story builder as well as a distraction.

The romance was a little weird for me, but then again that wasn't what it seemed to be either. I liked that Devon didn't end up being Nisha's saving grace. The little bit I learned about him didn't make him my favorite, so I didn't mind how things ended up going.

Throw in some talking cats, that I can't really talk about and you've got an awesome high fantasy novel. Seriously though, the talking cats were weird for me at first, but I ended up loving them in the end and I liked that Nisha had such a bond with them. 

If you like high fantasy and murder mysteries then this book is totally for you. 

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this one now!