Empire of Shadows

by Miriam Forster

Overview

Perfect for fans of romantic fantasies like The Girl of Fire and Thorns and Graceling, Empire of Shadows takes readers on a spellbinding journey into a world with a divided society, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and deeply laid conspiracies.

Cast out by her family three years ago, Mara turned to the only place that would take her—an order where students train to protect others. But Mara is stunned when guarding a noble girl in the Empire's capital turns out to be more dangerous than she could've imagined. More shocking still, Mara finds the boy she thought she'd lost forever outside the gates of her new home.

Mara knew the dizzying capital city would hold dangers. How could she have known that her heart, as well as her life, would be at stake?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062121356
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	11/04/2014
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	496
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	13 Years

About the Author

Miriam Forster is a recovering barista and former bookseller who is obsessed with anthropology, British television, and stories of all kinds. She lives in Oregon with her husband and her cat. City of a Thousand Dolls was her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

07/01/2014
Gr 8 Up—Exiled from her Tribe and haunted by the ghosts of her past, Mara turns to the Order of Khatar, a monastic community of fighters pledged to protect the innocent, as a way to atone for her sins. Now fully trained, Mara sets out to fulfill her duty—to find the person she will dedicate her life to protect. Mara meets Emil, a lowly Wind caste boy whose touch stirs in her the longing to belong to someone, and Revathi a noblewoman of the Flower caste, who serves the Emperor himself. Once inside the innermost sanctum of the Empire's capital, Mara learns that nothing is as it seems and no one is to be trusted, while outside the protected walls of its richest citizens, the Empire is a powder keg waiting to be ignited. The explosion brings the protagonist face-to-face with the shame of her past, and jeopardizes her hope for a future with the one person who offers her a chance for redemption. In this prequel to City of a Thousand Dolls (2013), Forster creates a vast novel rich with Asian-inspired mythologies and an extensive cast of characters. While the dramatis personae helps keep characters straight, there is no denying that the author has created a grandiose plot that, at times, sacrifices well-developed protagonists for its epic scope. Fans of fantasy will enjoy the magical elements, while the subtle commentary of the novel's stratified society lends it a dystopian vibe similar to Veronica Roth's Divergent (2011, both HarperCollins) that will appeal to readers outside of the fantasy genre.—Sarah Lorraine, Nazareth Academy, LaGrange Park, IL

School Library Journal

Fans of fantasy will enjoy the magical elements, while the subtle commentary of the novel’s stratified society lends it a dystopian vibe similar to Veronica Roth’s Divergent that will appeal to readers outside of the fantasy genre.” — School Library Journal

“An engrossing, complicated fantasy.” — ALA Booklist

“An infusion of Asian elements and rich details bring this fantasy world alive.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

Praise for CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS: “A strong debut [and] fresh fantasy/mystery crossover. Set in a magically isolated Empire, Forster’s well-crafted story and confident prose are rich, packed with small details that immerse readers in her sumptuously imagined world.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A fantastical murder mystery with a creative premise, heart-pounding pacing, and characters with secrets to keep.” — Cinda Williams Chima,author of the best-selling Seven Realms series

“With fantastic world building and a wonderful heroine, CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS intrigued me from the first page.” — Cindy Pon, author of Silver Phoenix

“The mystery here is a fine one, and the concept of the City is well-executed. As Nisha must choose between remaining within the cloistered safety of the City or taking her chances with the outside world, her dilemma will be familiar with teens looking toward adulthood.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

An engrossing, complicated fantasy.

ALA Booklist

The mystery here is a fine one, and the concept of the City is well-executed. As Nisha must choose between remaining within the cloistered safety of the City or taking her chances with the outside world, her dilemma will be familiar with teens looking toward adulthood.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

An infusion of Asian elements and rich details bring this fantasy world alive.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

With fantastic world building and a wonderful heroine, CITY OF A THOUSAND DOLLS intrigued me from the first page.

Cindy Pon

A fantastical murder mystery with a creative premise, heart-pounding pacing, and characters with secrets to keep.

Cinda Williams Chima

The mystery here is a fine one, and the concept of the City is well-executed. As Nisha must choose between remaining within the cloistered safety of the City or taking her chances with the outside world, her dilemma will be familiar with teens looking toward adulthood.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

2014-09-14
A young bodyguard in search of redemption finds love and court intrigue in this Asian-influenced fantasy. Three years ago, Mara's clan of tiger shape-shifters exiled her for committing unforgiveable crimes. She found refuge and purpose in the Order of Khatar, whose members do penance for past sins by dedicating their lives to the protection of others. Now 18, Mara is traveling to the capital when she saves a boy from a vicious tiger and forges an immediate connection with his twin, Emil. Unsurprisingly, their paths cross again in the city, when Mara's job as a bodyguard for a high-ranking noble and Emil's search for his now-runaway brother entangle both in the dangerous webs of imperial politics. While Mara and Emil are both developed as individual characters, their romance falls strangely flat, and their scenes together lack spark. The worldbuilding borrows many surface details from South Asian culture, but little is explored in much depth. Readers may struggle to keep the large cast of characters straight, even with the helpful dramatis personae at the beginning of the book. Though the novel is a prequel to Forster's debut, City of a Thousand Dolls (2013), it can be read as a stand-alone; only the epilogue will perplex readers who have skipped the first book. Uneven and unsatisfying. (Fantasy. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews