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's 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 pause to officially declare 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!
