Empire of Night

Kelley Armstrong excels at second books, and this is no exception. The characters become much more fully realized in this book, and I find that I cannot wait for book three, which comes out in April. Apologies for brevity but there is a cat butt in my face.

This is the sequel to Sea of Shadows, a story about Moria and Ashlyn, 16-year-old twins from the village of Edgewood, abutting The Forest of the Dead, a place thick with spiritual energy from the dead criminals who have been exiled there. Moria and Ashyn have been born with the ability to communicate with spirits, and thus Moria has become a "Keeper" and Ashyn is a "Seeker," one of four such pairs of specially endowed twins in the Empire. Ancestral Spirits guide and direct them, and each girl is aided by a special beast. Moria has a Daigo, a wildcat, and Ashyn has Tova, a hound. It is thought that the spirits of former warriors reside in the beasts.

At the end of Book One, their village has been destroyed and the children taken away by show more forces directed by Alvar Kitsune, a man with powers of a sorcerer who seeks to overtake the Empire. Moria and Ashlyn set out for the imperial capital to get help. There, Moria meets Tyrus, the kind bastard son of the Emperor who is interested in Moria. But Tyrus keeps his distance; he suspects Moria fell in love with Alvar’s son, Gavril, before she found out he was working for his father. She felt hurt and betrayed and so turned to Tyrus. But Tyrus, who had been childhood friends with Gavril, can’t believe Gavril is evil like his father. He fears that if and when Gavril would come and explain himself, Moria would give in to her feelings for Gavril, and Tyrus would be hurt.

Meanwhile, Tyrus and Moira set out to find out where the children are, accompanied by Ashyn and Ronan, an exiled criminal who miraculously has survived The Forest of the Dead. They are in extreme danger, especially since Alvar has spread the story that Tyrus and Moira betrayed the Emperor and should be executed for treason; a large bounty is on their heads.

As the tension builds, Armstrong throws in two huge cliffhanger twists, making it difficult to wait for Book Three.

Evaluation: Kelley adopts some standard YA tropes, but she manages to make them fresh and entertaining, with layered characters and always, strong female heroines. This book is not a standalone, however, and it would probably be in one’s best interest to wait for Book Three before starting the series. show less

This book book had a strong "middle book in a series" feel. Moria and Ashyn are both at the Emperor's palace treated as honored guests but feeling like prisoners. Both are eager, in their own ways, to be out and doing - something. Moria is spending time sparring with Imperial bastard Tyrus. They are eager to get out to find out what has happened to the children of their town who were captured by a sorcerer who is trying to take over the Empire.

While Moria is attracted to Tyrus, her heart is still bruised from the betrayal she felt when Gavril - her traveling companion in the first book - decides to side with his father, the evil sorcerer. Davril is also Tyrus's best friend and he can't believe that he is actually working with the show more enemy.

The three - Ashyn, Moria, and Tyrus - are sent to find out what is happening in the land the sorcerer controls. Coming along is Ronan who is Ashyn's love interest. The group has adventures alone and together as Moria is captured by the sorcerer and mistreated before Davril engineers her escape. The story has all kinds of action but nothing really reaches resolution.

I'll be waiting for the next book and hoping for happy endings for all of these characters. show less

The book jacket says perfect for fans of Graceberg and Game of Thrones. Well, that might be a bit much. This has more of a Hunger Games vibe as it is definitely geared for the young adult audience. The story follows two sisters and their adventures in a well developed fictional world full of brutality and violence. There are several young men interspersed to build the sexual tension. That is what makes this a bit goofy at times. - No matter hoe dire the situation gets there is always time for a hug and/or a kiss. Got to keep those young readers titillated in the midst of a violent evil world.

I have loved Kelley Armstrong books since I started reading YA books. The Summoning series introduced me to my love of young adult readers and I've been hooked ever since. I finally managed to find Empire of Night in my TBR collection in my house so I decided to pick it up. I will admit it was difficult jumping back into the story after 8 years, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

Empire of Night is a fantasy sequel in the Age of Legends series. Sisters Moria and Ashyn are the Keeper and Seeker of Edgewood and they are now forced to deal with the fact that their village is completely gone. They are stuck in a court that might not be as trusting as they think and their friends are scattered. The two will have to venture on a journey to try show more to find the children from their village and face trials along the way.

This series is epic and thoroughly enjoyable. I honestly love the entire feel of this book and I got whisked away while reading it. You will want to read the series in order to understand this book at all though. Do not just jump into book two or you are going to be super confused. If you enjoy magic, fantasy, and of course a bit of YA drama with romance and potential love triangles, this book is for you!

My only negative? KELLEY WHY DID YOU HAVE A CLIFFHANGER. Now I need to go buy the third book...

Four out of five stars. show less

Empire of Night is the second book in the Age of Legends trilogy. The first was good but had some weaknesses, which the Empire of Night largely remedies. The world building is more complete here, as we learn more of the geography and clans, plus other kingdoms. We meet new characters and expand on the mythology of this universe, and the characters are further developed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would recommend to any Kelley Armstrong fan!

The Good Stuff

My god this women is a born storyteller (OK, I say this every time I read one of her books)
She truly has a gift when writing her series to remind you of what happened in previous books, yet not boring you if you have just read all of her books in a row
Strong female characters
Non Stop Action
Exceptional world building
Love her sense of humour
Love her wisdom and her way of writing strong female characters that teens can appreciate and learn from, but never done in a preachy way - bravo Ms Armstrong
Guin's story broke my heart
Dark an author never treats teens like they cannot handle more adult themes (hold your horses Helicopter moms - there is no sex)
So imaginative and unique

The Not So Good Stuff

Find the two show more sisters and their love interests too similar, hard to remember which is which
Dragged a wee bit
Damn you cliffhangers - I am not a patient women (Ok not a bad thing but hey, with Kelley Armstrong, you really have to dig to write something not so good LOL!)

Favorite Quotes



"The latter would suggest an interest in politics, which would suggest a lack of interest in a long life.

"The problem with having treasure is that everyone wants it."



"That had changed once they were told that the emperor wished them to stay within the court walls until this matter was resolved ... and Moira learned that the word "wished' meant something entirely different when it came from an emperor."



4 Dewey's



I received this from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review show less