by Kristin Cast
Publisher: Bloom Books
Pub Date: January 7, 2025
Genre: Adult, Romance, Fantasy
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Book Links: Goodreads Amazon
From New York Times bestselling author Kristin Cast comes a new tarot-inspired fantasy series. Scarlett St. Clair meets Outlander in the seductive and spellbinding world of Towerfall, starting with The Empress, a high-heat, fake marriage romantasy with a swoon-worthy, morally-gray love interest.
The Arcana aren't just figures in a tarot deck―they're real. Terrifyingly real. That's what I learned when I found a tarot card in the snow and was yanked from my world and into Towerfall. The first thing the people of this harsh, cruel realm did was try to kill me, and they probably would have succeeded if Kane hadn't taken me to his hideout in the woods and nursed me back to health.
But I don't know if I can trust him. He's too hot to be good news, he's definitely hiding secrets, and I've already seen him kill two people to protect me. If I hadn't just been helplessly dumped into his world, the scars on his hands and his dark, brooding attitude would have me running in the opposite direction.
But right now, convincing the Kingdom of Pentacles that Kane and I are married is my best chance of getting into the palace, and back to my own world.
Because there's something wrong with Towerfall. Something deeply, terrifyingly wrong. And if anyone finds out Kane and I aren't really married?
Well, then both of us are dead.
This is Kristin's adult solo debut.
I really wanted to love this book. A favorite author, adult, romance, fantasy, interesting blurb and a lovely cover.
However, it fell short for me.
Hannah drove me bonkers. She's trying but failing in work and love. She blew her chance at a promotion and walked in on her boyfriend in bed with another woman. When trying to make her way home, she misses a bus, slips on the snow/ice and suddenly she's falling down like an Alice in Wonderland moment. (Though I did like that part)
She's now in this new realm where the Empress herself chose her to heal the realms.
Meantime, she's rescued by Kane. He was cast out of the palace and looking to find his way back into the palace in its good graces. Until then he and Hannah are in a cabin where Kane tends to her and heals her.
Hanna was too immature for me the entire time. The constant scenarios she thinks off comes off too immature and the constant doing things without thinking. I just could not get myself to like her at all.
Overall, I had a hard time with this book. Mainly due to Hannah and the story at times sounding more YA than adult. I do love the author so I pushed through and it was at the halfway mark when the book finally gained my interested to get me through it.
I didn't hate the book, but I didn't love it either. It has the potential to a series I could love. The overall idea of this world is great but Hannah needs to come off more as an adult and the story written in a more adult format and just really fine tune the next book. I do want to read the next book and hope that it redeems this series for me.
My Rating:
✪✪✪
