Empire of Exiles

Books of the Usurper #1

by Erin M. Evans

Magic, mystery, and revolution collide in this fantasy epic where an unlikely team of mages, scribes, and archivists must band together to unearth a conspiracy that might topple their empire.

"What makes this book special, even by Erin’s lofty goalposts, is the world she weaves around the characters. Detailed and mysterious, a place to explore and relish. Empire of Exiles is highly recommended!” – R.A. Salvatore, author or “The Legend of Drizzt” and the DemonWars novels

“The beginning of a truly epic tale. Deft worldbuilding and wonderful verbal fencing that is a delight to read. In these pages, you are in the hands of a master.” - Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms and internationally bestselling author

Twenty-seven years ago, a Duke with a grudge led a ruthless coup against the empire of Semilla, killing thousands. He failed. The Duke was executed, a terrifyingly powerful sorcerer was imprisoned, and an unwilling princess disappeared. 

The empire moved on. 

Now, when Quill, an apprentice scribe, arrives in the capital city, he believes he's on a simple errand for another pompous noble: fetch ancient artifacts from the magical Imperial Archives. He's always found his apprenticeship to a lawman to be dull work. But these aren't just any artifacts — these are the instruments of revolution, the banners under which the Duke lead his coup. 

Just as the artifacts are unearthed, the city is shaken by a brutal murder that seems to have been caused by a weapon not seen since the days of rebellion. With Quill being the main witness to the murder, and no one in power believing his story, he must join the Archivists — a young mage, a seasoned archivist, and a disillusioned detective — to solve the truth of the attack. And what they uncover will be the key to saving the empire – or destroying it again.

“Empire of Exiles has it all: characters I love, intertwined compelling mysteries in the past and present, plot twists that keep coming, and a unique and fascinating world and magic system!" – Melissa Caruso, author of The Obsidian Tower

“Beautifully wrought and equally ensnaring, this book lived up to and then surpassed all my expectations.” – Cat Rambo, author of You Sexy Thing

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Adult, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Magic

378 pages, Paperback

First published November 8, 2022

Reviews

[Allen Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up to 5⭐

Full review at https://youtu.be/lA-P08FKafI

I enjoyed how different this book felt while still also having familiar tropes to latch on to. One of the coolest settings in recent memory with a great wall of Salt surrounding the kingdom, protecting the people from the Changelings beyond the wall. The names, setting, etc. reminded me of the Byzantines or the Persians, and the main characters are all scholars + one detective. The magic, which allows specialist archivists to determine the nature of their aligned material (bronze, ink, bone, wood, glass, etc.) was also fantastically realized.

The murder mystery and conspiracy at the heart of the book kept me turning the pages and, while not a perfect book, it is certainly one that ticks a ton of my own personal boxes (detectives, scholars, historicity, political conspiracies, mystery element, etc). If you're in the mood for something a little different, something simultaneously a slow-burn and an avalanche, definitely put this on your TBR.

[Nick Borrelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admittedly I'm a sucker for a fantasy story that involves mysterious artifacts and a richly developed history of both the characters involved and the world. And this book has that at the highest levels. So I knew right away that I was going to be completely drawn into Erin M. Evans' EMPIRE OF EXILES from the very start.

As the story unfolded it also became pretty clear that this is the kind of book and series that is epic in scope. The cast of characters is daunting to say the least and the maps are breathtaking and expansive, but this kind of story requires both as you will soon find out. There's a lot of history as I mentioned and being able to get a grasp on how we got to this point is essential to fully appreciating the amazing tale that Evans has delivered with this spectacular opening entry in the Books of the Usurper series.

The thing that captivated me the most about EMPIRE OF EXILES was the mystery of the changelings, a group of beings who forced a number of kingdoms to flee to the very end of the continent where a salt wall was erected by a martyred sorcerer to help protect the newly formed protectorates from further encroachment. But the changelings are still there at the doorstep of Semilla waiting for their chance to strike and looking for any vulnerabilities in the wall. Couple that with the natural frictions and animosities that come with different groups of people being forced to live in a fairly limited space within close proximity to each other and you have the makings of a powder keg waiting to blow at any moment.

This was such a cool concept to me and the threat posed by the changelings kept me turning the pages feverishly because I just craved to find out more and more about these enigmatic supernatural foes. Evans has really hit on something here that is truly unique as I've not come across this type of "antagonist" before in my previous fantasy reading.

Another aspect that I found really enjoyable were the characters and how each has their own story that must be peeled back in layers to try to ascertain their motivations and roles in the overall scheme of things. These characters do not always behave the way you would expect and I found myself being constantly kept on my toes as there's no way to tell whose actions come from a place of sincerity or betrayal. To be able to pull something like that off and surprise the reader at every turn is a testament to Evans' skill of storytelling.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the incredible magic system. I found it to be one of the more dynamic magic systems in any fantasy book to be quite honest. The idea that people can have certain affinities that connect with physical material like wood, ink, and bone, and they derive powers of manipulation in conjunction with these things is just so fantastic and I was mesmerized by this whenever it was described. And it is also, by the way, the means by which the salt wall was erected. So kudos to Erin Evans for hatching such an amazing magic system through which the entire story benefits greatly.

I can't emphasize enough how much fun I had reading this and I recommend everyone put this one at the top of their TBR. It's a book that is well worth the reading investment and I am totally on the Erin M. Evans bandwagon going forward. Don't be intimidated by the character list and maps, this is a magnificent book that will have you caught up in its intrigue and mystery from the first page to the last. The good news is you don't have very long to wait to be able to purchase it as it will be released on November 8th. Be sure to get your copy immediately because this is the beginning of what I believe will be one awesome fantasy series!

[Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evans has once again graced us with a wonderous tale mixed with fictional/historical fantasy and elemental magic that is beyond fascinating. Amongst this all, Evans throws in a peppering of mystery, murder, and treachery, bringing us to the question of "WHODUNNIT?"

"Now, when Quill, an apprentice scribe, arrives in the capital city, he believes he's on a simple errand for another pompous noble: fetch ancient artifacts from the magical Imperial Archives. He's always found his apprenticeship as a lawman to be tedious work. But these aren't just any artifacts — these are the instruments of revolution, the banners under which the Duke lead his coup.

Just as the artifacts are unearthed, the city is shaken by a brutal murder that seems to have been caused by a weapon not seen since the days of rebellion. With Quill being the main witness to the murder, and no one in power believing his story, he must join the Archivists — a young mage, a seasoned archivist, and a disillusioned detective — to solve the truth of the attack. And what they uncover will be the key to saving the empire – or destroying it again."

Quill is an innocent apprentice when the attack happens, although he bears witness and is yet a dependable witness.
Resolute as he may be the murder weapon had not been seen since the rebellion. Yet, the real people in power feigned disinterest in hearing the truth and claimed Quill was mistaken; he had a hallucination.
But Quill is determined; he knows what he saw precisely. So, to him, why say he is reliable if people of power are not going to believe him anyway?

Quill goes to the only place where he knows he can turn. He turns to the Imperial Archives to request their help.
It is the Imperial Archives where Quill will gather the team of Amadea, Yinii, and Richa in his entourage. Will this team of Scholars be able to take on the Empress and the Kirazzi family?
The same family who tried to overthrow the throne before and failed?
Will Amadea's past cause her to lose focus on the task at hand?
How will they be able to beat a murderer who can change like the wind and remove all you know?

Evans presents the most satisfying, fantastically imaginative read in a good while.
Her stellar word building is well-tuned, hence making the flow eloquent and finely polished.
Evans's Beautiful daydreamlike, chimerical world is beyond envisaging. However, her world is one you want to get lost in exploring.
You do not want to be part of it, but you would like to witness the salt wall, and the changeling army, with the 12 protectorates. Evans's imagination is mind-blowing, to say the least.
Then there are her characters, "brilliant," you instantly feel connected to them, making them feel authentic.

Evans has done a fantastic job with Empire of Exiles, and I am totally here for it.

I cannot wait to see what she has in store next, but I will be coming for the ride.

It was extraordinarily done!

"ENCHANTING"

"ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!"

Thank you, NetGalley/Erin M. Evans/Orbit Books.Orbit/ For this wonderful eARC to review for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.

#TEAMORBIT

#ORBITROCKS

[Tammie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've tried and tried to get into this book, but I just can't. That's a shame too, because this is a mashup of two genres that I love, fantasy and mystery. Right off the bat, I didn't care for the writing style. This is an incredibly slow book, and I found it dull and boring. I kind of liked the main character, Quill, but didn't care enough about the characters to keep trudging through the slow and sometimes confusing story. I don't think the setup for the story was very good. There's a lot of info dumping while not enough explanation about the magic system and other political things that are going on. At least for a large part of the book. I'm giving up on this one, at least for now.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.


Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange)]

3.0 stars
This book had a lot of elements that I normally love. In many ways, this was my biggest challenge of the book. I felt that it was doing too much in this debut novel. The characters and plot were good, but not particularly unique or special. I always hope that an Orbit debut will be a favourite. This ended up being fine, but not particularly memorable.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[The Speculative Shelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ruined civilization. A sequestered city. And a story told through the eyes of archivists who study the collected works of those cultures lost to time and war. 

You can tell that Evans poured all of her nerdery into this book and it’s impressive to behold. She throws everything under the sun into the worldbuilding and while that sometimes overshadows the murder mystery and character work, it all gels nonetheless.

The world Evans has built up feels ripe for exploration and it’s setting up for a great trilogy. With the murder mystery solved and a larger conspiracy laid bare, I’m intrigued to see what shape the next book will take.

The book is worth it for the incredible maps by Francesca Baerald alone.

See this book's true fractional star score and more reviews at The Speculative Shelf.

[Mogsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2022/12/20/...

Twenty-seven years ago, there lived a ruthless duke who led a coup against the Empire of Semilla. Thousands died in the four-year rebellion, but in the end the duke was vanquished and put to death. A generation later, his overthrow attempt is still in the memories of many, but for the most part the people of the empire have put the conflict all behind them. Today, a young apprentice scribe named Quill arrives at the capital city to help collect and catalogue old artifacts for his supervisor at the Imperial Archive, not knowing what his findings will ultimately reveal.

Most of the artifacts Quill has been tasked to work with turn out to be instruments of the duke’s rebellion, though nothing stands out as too significant to begin with. But not long after he begins his work, a shocking murder leads Quill to examine the artifacts a little closer, as the secrets to a forgotten weapon may have been uncovered. Being young and inexperienced, Quill fears his witness testimony will not be taken seriously, leading him join forces with more seasoned archivists Amadea and Yinii as well as a detective named Richa. Quill also has a personal stake in this quest, as the killer implicated in the crime was a friend whom he believes was innocent. Something very strange is happening, and Quill and his new allies are determined to find out what it is.

I make it no secret I am a big fan of mysteries set in fantasy worlds, and for that reason I had thought Empire of Exiles would be right up my alley. Unpopular opinion time though, as it seems this novel has been very received by most readers, but I just struggled to form any kind of connection with it at all, despite it having a lot going for it.

My troubles began early, as I had several false starts. Simply put, I found it difficult to concentrate with the combination of info-dumping and the awkward writing style. The book introduces a large number of characters right off the bat, and the world-building was confusing. Not a great way to kick off a mystery plot, even if I understood why all this set up was required, but I definitely felt like the intro could have been better executed.

Things improved slightly once the murder took place, but it would take a lot to overcome the rough start. And while I thought the mystery was intriguing, the way it laboriously unfolded by splitting its focus into the past and present became too much of a drag on the pacing, which is a shame because I probably would have enjoyed the story a lot more if it hadn’t been so slow. In fact, I was truly quite interested in finding out more about Amadea’s secretive past of romance and scandal, but once again the details were revealed too slowly with so many interruptions by meandering POVs that it’s almost as if the book was actively sabotaging itself.

In a similar way, I found the world-building fascinating but somewhat difficult to envision in my mind. Compounding the issue was that certain parts of the novel were too wordy when it came to descriptions while other parts were aggravatingly sparse when I wanted more detail. Based on the descriptions of the different characters’ features and social habits, many different races populate the Empire of Semilla, and there apparently several magic systems involved as well. And yet, all of this meshes together rather poorly, like only having a few random pieces of a bigger jigsaw puzzle and trying to jam them together to make them fit without knowing the full picture. The result doesn’t feel like a fully realized setting or a true living and breathing ecosystem.

Unsurprisingly, I also felt little connection to no to the characters. For the most part, they were bland and unrelatable. Which pretty much sums up how I felt about this book—I didn’t love it, but I also didn’t hate it. It was a decent read if slightly unpolished, which made it a middle of the road fantasy for me. I wish I had enjoyed it more, I wanted to enjoy it more, but despite the ambitious mystery plot and the ostensibly epic scope of the world, I just didn’t feel the magic.

Perhaps other readers will have better luck with Empire of Exiles than I did, and judging by some of its rave reviews, many others have. There’s no denying its merits, and to be honest, even though I had my issues with the book, admittedly almost all of them had to do with the technical aspects of the way the book was written and put together, and I actually found the overall story to be quite good. Something was just missing for me though, and who knows, should I decided to continue the series, maybe I’ll find it in the sequel.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fantastic, character-driven epic fantasy novel with a mystery plot on par with mystery genre greats. It has a truly unique magic system that seems almost like a panic disorder. Add to that fantastically well-written main characters and villains, and you’ve got one of my new favorite books. (Bonus points for being cliffhanger free, a good sense of humor, and having no petty antagonism between female main characters over men.)

MAGIC SYSTEM:

Each magic user has an affinity for a particular material: bronze, bone, ink, iron, salt, paint, etc. Magic-users can manipulate and connect with the material they have an affinity with, but this comes with dangers. During typically-cyclical episodes called alignments, their connection with their affinity material is so strong that they are vulnerable to panic-attack-like downward spirals where they can lose themselves in their material. They can lose themselves in their magic and even end up entombing themselves in their magical medium. But, their abilities are also temptingly strong during alignments. In addition, emotional turmoil can trigger an alignment out of the cyclical pattern. Finally, sorcerers have constant access to immense power over their affinity material because they are constantly in an alignment. Hence, they are constantly on the edge of a spiral and are constantly at risk of losing themselves in their affinity material.

This magical ability is very reminiscent of panic disorders. Some people are constantly on the verge of a panic attack. Some people get occasional panic attacks or clusters of panic attacks. Some people become prone to panic attacks in times of emotional stress. Some people aren’t prone to panic attacks at all. Except, in this book, magical power and emotion are entangled to the point in which emotional turmoil and magical strength are fused.

PREMISE:

The book followed an eclectic bunch of characters (including a young scribe, a few magic-users, an archivist, and a detective) caught up in a murder with mysterious ties to a failed coup two decades before. Despite there being half a dozen witnesses to the actual murder and a confession, the seemingly open-and-shut case just made less and less sense the more the characters investigated. Soon the characters found themselves on the trail of a very dangerous plot that could endanger their fragile society. A society protected from an outside world overrun with changelings by only an iron wall.

PLOT:

A fantastically twisty mystery plot with all the clues, misdirects, and detective work you’d expect from a great mystery writer. It started a bit slow, but it really picked up and had plenty of action once things got rolling. I was absolutely captivated by the mystery from the beginning, spinning numerous theories. There were so many twists that I never saw coming. The reader has a sporting chance at predicting some of the twists. Each twist made things make more and more sense as the pieces of the puzzle came together. Even the clues that seemed like red herrings at first turned out to be significant. The mystery ended up being quite complex, but it never came off as needlessly or excessively complicated. In the end, the solutions and explanations made sense and rang true.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:

I grew to love each of the many main characters (even the ones I wasn’t sure about at first). Even better, I ended up finding all the major characters impressive. Even the villains. Especially the villains. There were some brilliant and rather terrifying villains. The villains were so diabolically smart that it was just plain fun to figure out their schemes. Honestly, a lot of the good guys could be rather terrifying themselves. The main characters all turned out to have a bit of a morally gray edge. Yet, they never lost their likeability or empathy.

All the characters changed over the course of the story. Even the bad guys, in their own scary way. All of them made mistakes. Every character managed to surprise me without breaking character.

The main characters were both terrifyingly impressive and plagued with anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD, or heart-wrenching grief. The strongest main characters (female and male alike) were survivors of trauma, resilient, and sometimes deserving of a little extra care. Many of them were impressive because of their resilience in the face of these emotional struggles. To balance out all that heartache, the book had some wonderful examples of healthy and supportive attitudes regarding mental health. You saw characters employing calming, panic-attack-averting mental techniques. You also saw characters helping each other with empathy and understanding. There was a lovely theme of characters helping each other remember not to lose themselves. There was a lot of maturity, self-reflection, personal growth, and listening to the special kind of friends that tell you things you need to hear, but don’t want to hear.

I was so impressed by the skilled portrayal of panic attacks, anxiety/panic disorders, and PTSD in the main characters for this book. These psychological troubles were seamlessly worked into the story in a way that furthered the plot, without ever calling them out by name. Some of the characters even used classic grounding and management strategies to stave off panic attacks or flashbacks.

Peeks into the characters’ thoughts drew me into each characters’ state of mind better than any description could. Grief, panic attacks, anxiety/panic disorders, and PTSD were quietly incorporated into the story through the characters’ thoughts. Nothing conveys barely restrained panic quite like a character silently naming the colors of objects around them in their minds to stave off a panic attack. Nothing quite conveys empathy and kindness like characters reminding themselves (and each other) that everyone is deserving of a little extra care sometimes.

The most impressive part: none of the characters that struggle with grief, panic attacks, anxiety, or PTSD are portrayed as weak. All of them were portrayed as all the more impressive for it. For many characters, these struggles were tied to their strengths. For some, it was because of the sheer emotional resilience and strength of mind required to survive with their struggles. For some, it was because their anxiety/panic attacks and magic were entangled to the point of them being at their most magically powerful when on the verge of losing themselves in a psychological downward spiral (and vice versa). For all of these characters, much of their strength of character lies in their ability to pick themselves up and come back from a psychological downward spiral instead of completely losing themselves to it.

There’s nothing like a character that regularly fends off panic attacks being the only one able to keep their cool enough to competently handle the toughest and scariest crises because they have the most practice at successfully fending off panic. The particular brand of confidence that comes from knowing you can fend off panic is both beautifully ironic and incredibly compelling. I’ve never before seen an author believably make a character formidable because of their panic disorder, anxiety disorder, or PTSD. Typically, characters are portrayed as formidable despite their panic disorder, anxiety disorder, or PTSD.

WORLDBUILDING:

Great building, it just took a while to get there. You’re thrown right into the deep end of a high fantasy world with multiple species and a magic system unlike any I’ve read about before. The world got filled in as the plot progressed, instead of having big info dumps. It was occasionally a little confusing without having had all the different species (and their traits) explained upfront, but things never got too confusing. The world had a rich history. It had complex politics befitting a world that once held many, many countries. The world also expanded beyond the scope of the story’s immediate setting.

ENDING:

It didn’t end on a cliffhanger, but there are still antagonists undefeated. There were still dangers left. There’s plenty of material for the sequel and character arcs to be continued. Things didn’t end with a perfect happily ever after, but they also ended fairly happily. A few smaller mysteries were left open and all the revelations brough new questions. The ending was satisfying, but also left my itching for a sequel.

Warnings: death, violence, suicide, panic attacks, PTSD, flashbacks, mind control, kidnapping, drugging.

I received a free eARC of this book via NetGalley. I am writing this review completely honestly and voluntarily.

[Jordan (Forever Lost in Literature) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.75
Find this review at Forever Lost in Literature!

Empire of Exiles starts out when Quill, a new apprentice scribe, travels to the capital city on yet another errand for the nobles that he assumes will be just like the previous ones. His job is to assist the Primate in retrieving ancient artifacts from the Imperial Archives at the request of various nobles. Unbeknownst to Quill, things are about to get much more interesting with his latest request, and things takes an even bigger turn when he stumbles upon a murder that just may have something to do with this latest artifact request...

First, I have to say that I loved what we got to know of this setting so far, and I thought it had so many cool elements about it. For instance, there is a Salt wall encompassing the entire kingdom to safeguard against beings known as Changelings that roam outside of the kingdom. Changelings are pretty intense-sounding creatures that can essentially infiltrate a person's body and/or take their form and use them at their will, which I'm sure you can understand the dangers with that. I'm a little unclear on all of the details about them, but from what we see of them in Empire of Exiles, I, too, would create a wall of Salt if needed to keep them out.

I found that the setting itself and the names used seemed to have a nice mix of different cultural inspirations and it made for a really beautiful experience. I loved how absolutely vibrant and detailed this world's backstories and descriptions of different lands, cultures, and peoples were. The only possible downside or negative I can mention is that if felt like the majority of this book really took place in only one or two main areas and we didn't get to explore this world all that much. However, I feel like I can safely (?) assume that future books in this series will be exploring more and I look forward to that. Additionally at this point in time it makes sense that you can't explore more of the world because the whole idea is that everyone is essentially trapped within the Kingdom because of the Salt wall and Changelings.

There’s a fairly large array of characters that we are introduced to, and fortunately there is also a very handy character list at the beginning of the book to help you keep track of all of them. Our main protagonist is Quill, but we also get some POV shifts within each chapter between some additional prominent characters, such as Amadea, Zoifia, Yinii, and Richa. I loved getting to know all of these characters and I think the author did a really good job of crafting their personalities in a way that really made them stand out from one another and also made me want to learn more about them and follow them in this story.

I liked Quill’s innocence and almost naïveté with both his job, the Imperial Archives, and some aspects of the world around him. He’s incredibly youthful and so eager to learn new things, which was a delight to be a part of on his journey. He has a very endearing wonder about the world around him, and particular the Imperial Archives, that made him a perfect protagonist.

And speaking of the Imperial Archives, once I learned what they were I was almost as excited as Quill was to explore them. We spend a lot of time visiting the Archives and the archivists working within, and it is a wondrous and fascinating place if you are at all interested in old artifact and history. There are ancient artifact from various kingdoms and families, and it basically sounds like chaos inside because it’s become nearly impossible for the archivists to keep up with cataloguing all of them, especially when they keep getting interrupted by requests from nobles and have to stop what they are doing to locate whatever artifact is requested.

The Imperial Archives also brings me to one of the most interesting parts of this book, and that is the archivists and their ‘specialties.’ Each archivist working in the Archives has some type of affinity for a specific material, such as Yinii’s affinity for ink or Zoifia’s for bronze. Because of these specialties, archivists can provide incredibly detailed information about objects with them, but they also have to be very careful not to get ‘lost’ within their affinity. It’s a little hard to describe in a review, so I’ll leave you to discover what exactly it means for an archivist to spiral or get out of alignment, but I promise it’s a really fascinating part of this book and I loved learning more about it.

Empire of Exiles is a very character-focused story, which worked well for the style of writing and the murder-mystery style plot as well–with a huge side of conspiracy to make things even more interesting. The pacing is on the slower side and it took me a while to get through this book, but I didn’t mind because I was enjoying every second of it. There’s a lot of information to take in and that slowed me down a bit, but fortunately it was always interesting information presented in an engaging manner and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Overall, I’ve given Empire of Exiles 4.75 stars! This was such a unique and exciting new fantasy story and it really took me back to those cozy, excited feelings I used to have reading a new fantasy while growing up, like you’re stumbling onto something new and special and can’t believe your luck. I truly cannot wait for the sequel!

[Elena Linville-Abdo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars: 4 out of 5

Sometimes you pick up a book because you like the cover or the blurb and discover a hidden gem. This is what happened to me with Empire of Exiles. I haven't read other books by this author, so this book was a surprise hit for me. Now I have a new series to look forward to and a new author to follow!

I loved how complex and "lived in" this world feels. There is history there. There is a past. The different races feel distinct but also plausible, with their own religions, philosophies and physical attributes that don't feel shoehorned into the story just for the sake of diversity. I would love to explore Semilla more in future books. 

The empire itself is an interesting construct. Like the title of the book says, it's an empire of exiles or of refugees, since all the races who call it home fled their native lands facing extermination by a common enemy - the changelings. Desperation and the threat of extermination are sure to force people to cooperate, but I love what they created out of the ashes. An empire that assimilated all these religions and philosophies and let them coexist. 

This world wouldn't be as memorable if it wasn't populated by such vivid characters. I loved all of the protagonists in this story. They felt real. Sure, they had their quirks and their moments of weakness, but they always felt like people. I couldn't help but feel Quill's pain and confusion when his best friend dies in front of him after committing a crime that was completely out of character for him. I rooted for Amadea the more I discovered the depth of horror her childhood has been. Seriously, how did she manage to piece herself together and remain a functional human being after everything she'd been subjected to? I loved all the specialists in the archives and was truly worried about them when their affinities seemed to overwhelm them.

Speaking of the Archives, what a wonderful concept! A central repository of all the knowledge those fleeing nations brought to Semilla when they arrived ahead of a horde of changellings. Where all scrolls, works of art, religious text and everything else is perfectly preserved for future generations.

The magical system is also rather unique. I would like to learn more about it in future books. Especially what differentiates a specialist from a sorcerer, and is that what Yinnii is now? How would that affect the rest of her life?

My only complaint about this book is that the budding love stories feel forced. I mean, there is way too much blushing and stuttering during conversations. I would understand that from teenagers like Quill and Yinnii, but Amadea is in her thirties, so why does she behave like a hormonal teenager who never had a crush? That read so false that it took me out of the story.

Other then that small complaint though, I absolutely loved this book. I can't wait to explore this world more in the next installments. There are still a lot of questions left unanswered, after all. Like is the world behind the Salt Wall really as desolate as we are lead to believe? What really happened with the changellings? What was the Usurper's endgame and why did he need Amadea for it? I'm definitely picking up the next book.

PS: I received an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

CHARACTERS
🔲 mary-sue party
🔲 mostly 2D
🔲 great main cast, forgettable side characters
🔲 well-written
✅ complex and fascinating
🔲 hard to believe they are fictional

PLOT
🔲 you've already heard this exact story a thousand times
🔲 nothing memorable
🔲 gripping
✅ exceptional
🔲 mind=blown

WORLDBUILDING
🔲 takes place in our world
🔲 incoherent
🔲 OK
🔲 nicely detailed
✅ meticulous
🔲 even the last tree in the forest has its own story

ATMOSPHERE
🔲 nonexistent
🔲 fine
✅ immersive
🔲 you forget you are reading a book

PACING
🔲 dragging
🔲 inconsistent
🔲 picks up with time
🔲 page-turner
✅ impossible to put down

So much fun!

[Sahitya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m really regretting not reading this book before the release despite having an arc but I couldn’t help it coz I was sick for many days. Even when I started and found myself completely engrossed in it, I couldn’t finish it quickly coz the cold weather has been hard to manage and I was finding it hard to hold the book for a long time with freezing hands. But here I am with a review because I somehow managed to finish it and I’m just so so happy that I got to read it.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this book since the first time I saw it. And then we got the lovely cover and also the arc which had the stunning map as the temporary cover, and it all made for great anticipation. And wow was I glad to see that all my expectations weren’t wrong. The author has created a very ambitious world with multiple kingdoms (or protectorates), cultures, species and infused this book with all their histories and lore, while never being infodumpy. I can’t say I understood or remember all the details but if you go checkout the author’s Twitter page, you’ll definitely understand a lot. But what amazed me more is that in this epic fantasy world, the author gives us a murder mystery - a mystery that may have empire level consequences, conspiracies abound with interconnecting threads to an old coup attempt, and a group of characters each with their own motivations trying to unravel it all. The writing is engrossing right from page one and if I wasn’t having trouble with the cold, I would have finished this book in one sitting.

The magic system with affinities towards materials, specialists who need to be protected from going to spiral and becoming one with their material, and sorcerers with powers beyond just understanding materials - it’s very unique and interesting and the way it’s written just makes for extremely compelling reading. We only meet a few characters with affinities like bronze, ink and glass but the way their spirals are written is wow. The author called it a magic system resembling anxiety and I think that’s a perfect description. And that’s another thing I felt the author wrote very well - characters suffering from ptsd and anxiety, both related or not to magic, making all the stakes feel very very real.

How can I not talk about the amazing characters too when we have so many of them. Amadea is a superior generalist of the Imperial Archives - calm and capable one who can bring down her specialists from any bad spiral, the strong and observing kind who remembers everything, gets things done, and protects everyone under her charge. But how she hides all her past anxieties under this cool facade, just hanging onto the threads of the present so that her traumatic past doesn’t wreak havoc on her mind - it’s all written very well and makes her a very compelling and easy to love character. The author peels the layers of her character chapter by chapter, which is very much integral to the whole mystery of this story and it’s just masterfully crafted.

Then there’s Quill who starts off the book by being amazed at being able to get a tour of the archives (and I was amazed along with him) but is suddenly thrust into a murder mystery and the death of his friend - he might not understand what’s happening but he is determined to get to the truth of it all come what may. His strong convictions and sometimes impulsive nature made him such a fun person to follow along.

Yinni is the only specialist we actually get a pov of and it was such a unique experience getting to understand the magic system through her. The way the ink makes her feel, how every element around her is calling her to become ink, how she is struggling all the time to not give up control, while also battling the expectations of her family - but ultimately she is also invested in the mystery and just wants to protect her friends, even if it means she might spiral bad.

Finally we have Richa to round off this cast, who is a vigilant or investigator who encounters obstacles whenever he is trying to solve this murder mystery but is persistent enough to pursue the truth, even when it puts his job in jeopardy. He doesn’t know exactly whom to trust but is won over by Amadea’s protective nature and Quill’s passion and he also takes his oath to protect the empire seriously, even if the imperial family itself is ready to stop him.

Along with this unforgettable cast of main characters, we also have many other side characters like the other specialists at the archives, the main suspects of the murder from various protectorates, the members of the imperial family who we don’t know much about and may or may not be related to our main cast; and Redolfo Kirazzi who may not be technically present but his past coup attempt against the imperial family is the main undercurrent of this entire story, the consequences of his actions so vast that no one is even in a position to comprehend them all.

In the end, I don’t know if I’ve articulated properly but I want to emphasize again that I adored this book. The author gives us a perfect blend of both the epic fantasy and murder mystery genres, a great multicultural and queernorm world, a unique magic system, and a cast of characters immensely memorable. I was thoroughly entertained and intrigued, and that little sneak peak of the next book at the end is already making me all excited for the sequel. I’m gonna have so much trouble making my end of the year favorites list next month but I feel strongly that this book will make its way onto it.

[jordyn ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

For more of my reviews, check out my blog.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Empire of Exiles is one of the most wildly original fantasy books I’ve read in a long time. I had no idea what this book was really about when Orbit sent it my way, but wow. Take the typical fantasy novel, add a dash of locked-room, a dash of murder, and a splash a mystery and you’ve got this book.

So — a murder mystery set in something like a locked-room.

Is your interest piqued? How about I tempt you further?

Humans are, but one type of being in this world. There are beings with tentacles, beings with horns, and beings that I think can see in the dark? I’m not sure on that one, it wasn’t explained in detail. And lastly — there are beings called changelings who can turn into anyone. At all. At will. (See why the murder mystery is extra interesting in this one?) Basically — the world of Empire of Exiles is wildly diverse, and the beings included are so very different to what I’m used to in my fantasy books. It’s so refreshing to have some different types of beings than the usual elves, dwarves, orcs.

The setting itself is fascinating, and I really, really wish we had seen more of it. We really only see one corner of one city, and that’s it. Everything we see is set inside a massive salt wall and no one is allowed to go outside it. The wall was put up long ago to magically to protect everyone from the changelings. The changelings were taking over, and causing havoc, and so the wall was built to keep them out, forever.

And the magic system? Talk about another absolutely unique point to this book. Those who have magic are usually called ‘specialists’ and they specialize in one particular thing — some seen directly on page are bronze, glass, ink, or bone. Their abilities wax and wane throughout the year, and at certain times they are in danger of ‘spiralling’ — when their power goes extremely out of their control and they attempt to turn into whatever their medium is. It’s dangerous, and the author does a fantastic job of showing how this feels.

The characters are another great piece to this amazing puzzle, but I really don’t want to spoil too much about them for anyone so I’m going to sum them up very quickly: Quill – naïve boy who wants to help, Amadea – extreme mom friend, Yinii – precious cinnamon roll who I would protect with my life, Richa – a ‘detective’ type with actual morals. There are others, but these have the most page time, and they all are so fantastically well done.

It took me a tiny bit to sink into the book — you have to really follow what Evans sets up carefully — but once you’re there, you’re there. I loved this, and I can’t wait to see where Evans goes in the next one.

[Kahlia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the characters but the world-building was overwhelming to the point of distracting. So many random things thrown in that had me going “what?” to the point of ruining my immersion in the story.

[Grace Dionne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️

Very unique and ended up being a fascinating read! I really enjoyed the characters, as well as the build of the plot which led to some wild reveals to set up the next book! Can’t wait to pick that up sometime soon

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would never have picked this up, except I had to read the sequel for an award thingy and I had to get through the first book first.

It took a hot minute to get into, and honestly I thought I was going to DNF, but I'm happy that I stuck with it because it ended up being pretty good! The basic storyline is pretty...basic, but the world-building is cool and the twist with the changelings is neat.

And now I'm on to push through book 2, for the award thingy.

[L'encre de la magie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avis Lecture 🧐 📖 "Empire of Exiles", Books of the Usurper tome 1, Erin M. Evans 📜🩸
@alltheerinyes
Avis vidéo en story à la une 👍

English below ⬇️

Il vous arrive d'avoir des coups de cœur pour des personnages ? C'est ce qui m'est arrivé avec ce tout premier roman de série ! ❤️❤️❤️

La cité Impériale de Semilla est une fédération de protectorats et duchés, une cité état d'exilés, de peuples de toutes races et cultures, un véritable melting pot! Séparée du reste du monde par un mur de Sel (vestige du sacrifice de millier de sorciers), érigé pour empêcher l'invasion des terribles Changelings, la ville est gouvernée par une Impératrice et les survivants des anciennes maisons nobles de chaque peuple. Le jeune scribe Quill est missionné par la maison Kirazzi, pour récupérer un artefact des Archives Impériales ; un artefact lié au coup d'état raté, mené par le duc Kirazzi 23 ans plus tôt. Là il va faire la connaissance d'Amadea, Archiviste supérieure et Yinii, spécialiste possédant un don la liant à la matière d'encre.
Complots, meurtre, mensonge, nos héros vont devoir dénouer le vrai du faux, dans un univers où la confiance est un luxe, où la menace des changelings, des êtres pouvant voler votre identité, est bien réelle. Mais si les apparences sont parfois trompeuses, pensez vous pouvoir vous fier à votre mémoire... Si tenté qu'elle soit bien la vôtre... 🤫

C'est un premier volume extrêmement solide que nous offre Evans 😱 tout est parfaitement bien ficelé, les informations nous sont données tout au long du récit, construisant le worldbuilding et nous permettant de comprendre ce système de magie totalement ORIGINAL ET INGÉNIEUX 😱❤️
Mais le cœur du récit reste ces personnages, magnifiques et très bien écrits, d'une profondeur psychologique poussée pour un premier volume. Ce sont des perso qui ont du cœur et ça fait du bien !! 🤩 Quill est un idéaliste, Yinii manque de confiance en elle et Amadea s'occupe de tout et tout le monde, une façon détournée d'oublier ses propres problèmes.
Rien n'arrive gratuitement aux personnages qui seront confrontés à leurs propres faiblesses.

[H.M. Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, okay. This one took me a minute to wrap my head around (there's a broad cast of characters and a huge, detailed world - I recommend the print version so you can reference the gorgeous map, etc), then it proceeded to sweep me away and worm into every corner of my mind. Awesome worldbuilding, wonderful characters, a found family that made my heart ache in the best way, and an absolutely delightful mystery to unravel. I loved it!

[Moa - Moaschapters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would I describe myself while reading this book with just one word I would say Confused. The book has its shimmering moments when I’m thinking “wow this can turn out to be great after all” but most of the time I have no clue what the heck it is that I’m reading.

It’s a mix of murder mystery in a high fantasy world, with absolutely no introduction to the world system, history or magic.

A bit bored, a bit confused and a bit relieved that the book finally is finished

[Rodger’s Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up. This book was just a fun romp, however it didn’t leave a massive lasting impact. If you want a murder mystery that is setting the stage for a much bigger conflict to come in a Dungeons and Dragons-esque world with some really cool magic…then look no further. With where this book left off I am really excited to see what happens next. The major drawback is I just never felt anything for any of the characters, I was just here for the fun mystery and world.

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empire of Exiles attracted me with a combination of a great name, a cool cover, and an awesome premise. While I have some small gripes with the book, I did overall really enjoy it and definitely recommend it.

I started out a bit confused because there are a lot of different names to keep up with for places and people. Eventually though you get used to that. It continues throughout the book but in time you start to pick out which ones are more important to keep track of and which ones aren’t quite as important.

The archives make a very intriguing center point for the story to revolve around. Between the information found there, the people being trained or coming to get help there, and the relationships forming there, there are always more layers of intrigue being peeled back. It’s also the place where we experience and learn about much of the magic, which is different to me from anything else I’ve read. I’ve always loved magic having a cost to the user and this one is quite interesting.

I really liked the characters. Quill feels pretty realistic. His age shows through his overeagerness and righteousness in a way that experience burned out of some of the other characters. He is excitable in a way that doesn’t always benefit his character and steers him wrong a couple of times but that just endeared him even more to me and made him feel more lifelike, which is important in more ways than one in this story.

He isn’t the only character that makes mistakes sometimes but what I love about this book is that this is often pointed out by others or makes sense in the situation due to the emotions the characters are experiencing. They’re so deeply affected that it’s difficult to see past their fears or other feelings in a way that feels relatable. The frantic energy of spiraling in particular is conveyed really well.

I did sometimes find this book a little bit too convoluted. There is a lot of intrigue and I loved learning about the political machinations but sometimes it was really difficult to keep up with the small details that seem to make all the difference. I also felt that sometimes the characters focus on clues that feel rather flimsy in the situation but it is convenient to do so to move the story forward. In contrast to that though, it also stunned me a couple of times in a good way. I love it when a book takes me off guard and makes me go OOOHHHH out loud. This one actually managed that more than once.

So while there were a couple of things that didn’t completely work for me, overall the positives heavily outweighed those. I wanted to read this book any chance I got because I had to know what would happen next. I love how the action is mixed up with the intellectual in this story and can’t wait to read the next one.

[Nichole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect blend of fantasy and mystery. I love that it's very character driven, but also has a fantastic plot. All the characters are great. There's even a sprinkle of humor here and there.

We start out following Quill, an apprentice scribe. He's been sent by a noble to the Imperial Archives to retrieve some relics. These relics belonged to a very powerful family. The relics would be dangerous in the wrong hands.

Quill's request will have to wait because people with ties to the Archives specialists are turning up dead.

Talk of the relics is dredging up the past. Specifically the coup that failed 27 years ago and killed thousands.

Are these things all tied together? Did I mention changelings?

I loved this book. I loved the world. I can just picture the salt wall keeping the changelings out. The cast of characters is fantastic. I'm very excited for the next one.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

[The Reading Ruru (Kerry) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though it took a couple of chapters to get going for me but once I was hooked I powered through this in an afternoon.
Great intrigue, political plots, interesting magic systems, poisons and shape changers.
If the next books are as good, this could become an great series.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a big fan of Evans since 2017, when I read Brimstone Angels. I went on to read all 7 of her Forgotten Realms novels, and so was very excited to see that she had a novel being published by Orbit. While not D&D related, it is fantasy and first in a series.

This is a very character focused fantasy, somewhat reminding me of Lynn Abbey. It’s also a sort of mystery, and some things are murky even at the end. This mystery revolves around changelings, which as per folk tales, are a sort of doppelgänger. This leads to confusion on identity sometimes, and coupled with magic that resembles anxiety, I feel this is very modern but excellently executed.

A Mediterranean slash middle-eastern slash south/southeast Asian inspire sort of fantasy feel, with a early modern, late Renaissance sort of feeling, since wallpaper and gunpowder exists. Though I guess I shouldn’t be too quick to try to find real world analogues. It’s a hodgepodge, and the title of is very fitting.

There is a salt wall, erected 100 years ago that goes around the Imperial Federation of Semillan Protectorates, making the country relatively recently formed, and old families having older connections. The old kingdoms outside the wall are in ruins, a changeling army having brought them to ruin. There are 12 of these protectorates, and in a way the place reminds me of the New World or the United States, in the unity but with racial diversity and intermixing and ancestry not mattering to some but mattering to others.

Decent amount of cursing, some in world or made up, some not, specifically a good amount of “f bombs”. This, along with food from our world with almost contemporary (though still alien) characters, makes it seem almost like urban fantasy, though it’s a secondary world.

[Wouter Stevens · Rating 1 out of 5]

A beautiful cover, one of the most splendid maps ever seen in a boom, a story that draws tears from your eyers…in a very bad way.

Okay, full disclosure. I really disliked this book. And it’s all my fault. Many people love this book and i’m happy they do. It just did not click for me.

First of all the writing is very confusing. The books start off introducing the amount of characters you seen in a Malazan book in 20 pages. The names in the book are very strange often consisting of 4 or 5 words. Then there is an info dump about the world. The world is original an nice but there is little need for it at that point in the story where other things are left unexplained.

Then there is the pacing. The book takes it’s time, then there happens something intersting and then slips back in tedious descriptions and weird chapter build ups. And it accumulates in som sort of finale that I didn’t care for anymore. The characters who some call larger then life felt unrelateable (except Yinnji whom I liked). Also the plot i did not like…

So, i almost DNF-ed this book. I pulled through. I’m glad it’s over and I will not finish the series. The book will be donated to someone who is able to appreciate the work that has gone into this work more.

Overall Rating 1,5/5
World Building 3/5
Writing Style 1/5
Plot Development 1,5/5
Originality 3,5/5
Engaginess 1/5
Pacing 1/5
Enjoyment 1/5
Production value 2,5/5

[Savannah (forest_reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off not super great. The writing felt unnatural and confusing, the world building was complicated, and there was tons of info dumping. Lots of characters introduced right at the beginning too. Basically, I was expecting to DNF this by 100 pages.

But then the murder mystery plot began, and I was somewhat intrigued. I was able to settle into the characters' points of view and suspend my confusion about the magic system and world. And then, basically nothing happened for 200 pages. It was such a SLOW mystery with nothing happening to ramp up the tension. When I read fantasy, I expect there to be some action. But the action didn't come until the last 100 pages with the climax.

I will say that the climax was good. It had some plot twists and hidden identities. It clarified a few things. But after the ending, I was left with an underwhelming feeling of meh. I don't really care about the characters. I still have so many questions about the magic and the world and the history. (And also I was very confused why two of the characters had either tentacles and horns and no one else did. Did I miss an explanation of a different race?) Anyways, this just wasn't my thing.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 2
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 3
Overall: 3

Thank you, Orbit Books, for the ARC!

Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, suicide, kidnapping, poisoning

[spencer wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of this book's strongest points is that several of the main/significant characters are archivists and scribes. The class of people usually relegated to the background of any fantasy novel, and often portrayed as 'boring' or 'lifeless'. Instead, this novel places them in the front, has them make significant world altering decisions, and creates a fantasy world built around dangerous archives and ancient documents. It works incredibly well, and serves as a fresh take on the fantasy genre.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

based on the synopsis, this should have been a slam dunk, but it's a touch... overwhelming, i guess? the prose is very good and the world is interesting, but it moves so slowly and the chapters are very, very long (which is fine but i struggle to concentrate on chapters that are like 82 minutes long!!!). i did struggle to keep track of the characters and it was easy to get a little lost in the world building, which is not my preference. there were flashes of brilliance but for the most part, i just didn't gel with this book that much, and i'm not sure if it's a me problem or a current headspace problem. i don't think this is a book to read during hibernation season, at least not on audio. i'll eventually pick up the second book, but as for now this had neat ideas but i just didn't connect

[Birte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun book!
Admittedly, the beginning confused me a lot, but when I got more into it, I was really intrigued. The mystery was well built, and while I was confused most of the time, it was a good confusion, because I partially suspected each and every character.
I loved all the main characters, although Quill tested me sometimes. His behaviour made sense, but I sometimes wanted to smack some sense into him.
The way the mystery is solves was really cool in my opinion and I'm looking very much forward to see how the story continues.

[Joey Stettnisch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those were some seriously great characters