THE EMPRESS by Kristin Cast

Fiction, Fantasy, Tarot Subject

2**

He’s a ruthless, battle-scarred warrior with a dark past, and she’s stuck pretending to be his wife to save a fantasy kingdom.
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.

Thoughts: For me, the best part of this story was the Tarot connections. I liked the beginning with the Tower spread and instructions on how to use it. Unfortunately for me, that was my favorite part of the book. It’s written in first person/present tense – admittedly not my favorite POV. But the main character, Scarlett, seems more like a teen than an adult, which would be fine, but the “lust” scenes make this definitely in the adult not the YA realm, especially the first scene on the opening pages. The instant attraction between her and Kane just didn’t work well for me either. There was no getting to know each other, just instant lust.

Scarlett loses her job, her boyfriend, and is basically having a rotten day. She goes into a shop to have her future read by a seer. She gets hit by a magic card that pulls her into another realm. She’s branded a witch, injured, and running for her life when Kane grabs her. Not knowing who he is, she fights him, but is too weak to do much. He saves her life and the two enter into a quest to save the Pentacle Kingdom. Of course things don’t go smoothly, but, like most stories, they do overcome by the end.

I’m not sure if I recommend this or not. It’s a decent fantasy in some areas. Definitely not a good “romantasy” even though they end up in a HEA ending. Just be forewarned that there are some very hot scenes that are adult in nature. Caveat emptor.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book. All opinions are mine alone and are not solicited or influenced by anyone.