Reviews

The Empress of Xytae by Effie Calvin

druv's review

4.0

I love this entire series, and this one brings back characters from earlier books who get their turn in Iolar's light. This book shows that the author is not afraid to move the timeline forward a bit, which is a good way of making Inthya (the world of the books) the main focal point of the books, rather than a specific character. The characters from my favorite books make another appearance, though, which I appreciate! The book continues to flesh out the theology of the world, the stakes for the gods, and the negatives that can exist with the non-chaos gods.

The one complaint I have is that it's a bit too short; I wish it had fleshed out Vitaliya's journey a bit more and had her perform her blessing more often during the journey, if nothing else as a way to get to know more of the population of Xytae. That might just be my preference for traveling in fantasy books speaking, though!

petitpoucetreveur's review against another edition

3.0

This one was a bit of a let down for me. I didn't connect with the MCs, I thought they kinda lack layers and without the return of Aelia et Orsina (which I love so much and would love to read an other book dedicated to) I would have been a bit bored. However, the plot gave us a better understanding of what the gods are up to, and I love that !! I truly love how they're written, it's like the Olympians but with more morals x)
Anyway, gonna read the next one ^^

magicaltoadhunter's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

thebells's review against another edition

4.0

Despite some parts of this book being very slow paced, I really enjoyed it just like the other books in this series (Though the first book still is my favourite). The ending was definetly the best part of the book.

chocolatemilo9's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

julie_tibbs's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

accidentalspaceexplorer's review

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Once again, there were parts of this that I really enjoyed - mostly the conflict between the gods - and most of it which I felt meh about. It's such a shame, because I love fantasy romance, but the romances in all of the Tales of Inthya just do absolutely nothing for me. I don't care about them, I'm not invested, they just feel...empty. So I'm going to finish out what's written for the sake of finding out what happens with the god conflict and then be done with Calvin, who I think just doesn't write in a way that works for me.

guerrichache's review

emotional hopeful relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

lovekarajayde's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

hornyforbooks's review

4.0

Not sure I have the right words for how delightful this book and the entire series are. People find partners that respect them, care about them and want to help them while respecting their autonomy and motivations. They genuinely help each other and don't try to fix people. People are flawed, but also full of the potential for love and compassion. These are just wonderful. I love the world they are set in and the struggles the characters deal with