Book and Audiobook Review: Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson

Hang on to your fedora. You’re in for a page-turning adventure!

Many years ago, I read the first iteration of Empire of Shadows, The Smoke Hunter. So, I had an inkling of what I was getting into when I decided to read this book.

Or so I thought.

When I started Empire of Shadows, it was through the foggy brain of a head cold, and yet it caught my attention immediately. It reached through the cobwebs of my mind and planted seeds of “what next?”

While reading, I found myself comparing it to making homemade pasta sauce on a cold winter’s day. The author started with the expected ingredients, tossed in hints of flavor to come, and brought it to a slow boil as the flavors started to meld into something new. Then she tossed in a handful of herbs and let it simmer. A few more spices, a little more heat, and the next thing I knew, it was after midnight. At that point, it was as if a handful of strong spices had been added, and the “stove” had been turned up, bringing the sauce to a rolling boil. You know, the kind where it bubbles to the top but doesn’t boil over, and you can’t leave the stove, “just in case something happens.”

When I finished it, I felt as if I had just had the most satisfying dinner, and I wondered what amazing “recipe” she’d cook up next in the sequel “Tomb of the Sun King!”

Additional rave review, this time for the audiobook, 9/2/24:

Phenomenal!

The narrator is so talented that it’s easy to forget there’s only one person behind all the voices. Her tone, her pacing, and everything else are spot on. It’s so well done that when I started listening to this, my husband (who doesn’t like audiobooks) got caught up in it, too!

Release Date Tuesday, 04/02/24

It can be found here on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. (among other wonderful booksellers!)

NOTE: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases