Serena’s Review: “Empire of Shadows”

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Book: “Empire of Shadows” by Jacquelyn Benson

Publishing Info: Crimson Fox Publishing, April 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: One trifling little arrest shouldn’t have cost Ellie Mallory her job, but it’s only the latest in a line of injustices facing any educated woman with archaeological ambitions.

When Ellie stumbles across the map to a mysterious ancient city, she knows she’s holding her chance to revolutionize Pre-Colombian history. There’s just one teensy complication. A ruthless villain wants it, and Ellie is all that stands in his way.

To race him to the ruins—and avoid being violently disposed of—she needs the help of maverick surveyor Adam Bates, a snake-wrangling rogue who can’t seem to keep his dratted shirt on.

But there’s more than Ellie’s scholarly reputation (and life) on the line. Her enemies aren’t just looters. They’re after an arcane secret rumored to lie in the heart of the ruins, a mythical artifact with a power that could shake the world.

Between stealing trousers, plummeting over waterfalls, and trying not to fall in love with her machete-wielding partner, will Ellie be able to stop the oracle of a lost empire from falling into the wrong hands?

Empire of Shadows is the first book in Jacquelyn Benson’s smart, swashbuckling Raiders of the Arcana series. Read it now and dive into a rip-roaring historical fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Romancing the Stone and The Mummy.

Review: After the letdown that was “What the River Knows,” especially after learning that book had been hyped as a read-alike for “The Mummy,” I’ve found myself with a hankering to truly find a book that meets that bill. But while in the past this urge would typically draw me back towards whatever book comes next in the Amelia Peabody list, I strayed upon this book when perusing NetGalley and low and behold! There was “The Mummy” right there in the promotional material! And, luckily for me, this one more closely hit the mark, if not quite perfectly.

There are a few core pieces that I think readers are looking for when they pick up a book like this: action-packed adventure, a healthy dose of comedy, and a sweet, slow burn love story. This book delivers on all fronts! I will say that the book does take a bit to really get going, but when it does, boy, does it move. I think from a structure point, the book might have been better served if it had started a bit more forward in the story with some of Ellie’s backstory about how she came to be where she was being told through flashbacks. As it stands, it takes several chapters and a fairly significant chunk of text to get to the real meat of the story. I think the character work and overall comedic tone of the writing is strong enough to carry readers through, but I’ll admit to a temptation to skip ahead to the part where she finally gets to South America and meets Adam.

But like I said, once they team up and get started on their adventure, the pacing really moves. There are plenty of side adventures and mini action-packed set pieces that sweep the reader through the book, never knowing what will come next. There was also a good balance of action driven from the environment through which they’re travelling as well as from the villains of the story that they are racing from and against. On the last point, I was surprised with some of the directions the story took with this regard. There was a mid-point switch in the book that definitely took me by surprise, but I think worked very well to change up the structure of the story.

And, of course, I very much enjoyed both Ellie and Adam as characters. Again, I think Ellie’s backstory could have been given to us in a different manner, but I still liked what we got from her: a woman who is dissatisfied with the choices in front of her and, fairly recklessly but bravely, decides to take things into her own hands at last. Adam’s story is more subtle, but I also enjoyed some of the details of his own history and the way his life up to this point impacted his choices and priorities after meeting Ellie. I also really enjoyed their sweet, slow-burn romance. There are a few obstacles here and there, but this definitely falls on the cozy side of the genre, and I really loved it.

Overall, this was a thrilling adventure, and I loved every minute of it! I think it truly will appeal to fans of “The Mummy” and other romantic adventures of its ilk. Just make sure to give it a shot for the duration of the slightly slow start.

Rating 8: With adventure around every river bend and a swoon-worthy slow-burn romance at its heart, this book is sure to please readers looking for a “The Mummy” read-alike!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Empire of Shadows” isn’t on any Goodreads lists but it should be on “The Mummy” Inspired Books.