Empire of Night (Age of Legends, #2)

by Kelley Armstrong

The second book in a big, breathtaking new trilogy that blends fantasy, romance, horror, and pulse-pounding action, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.
     Sisters Moria and Ashyn are the Keeper and Seeker of Edgewood. Or at least, they were.
     Their village is gone. Their friends have betrayed them. And now, they are all but prisoners in court, forced to watch and wait while the Emperor decides whether to help the children of Edgewood, who remain hostages of the treacherous Alvar Kitsune.
     But when the emperor finally sends the girls on a mission to rescue the children--accompanied by Prince Tyrus and a small band of men--the journey proves more perilous than any of them could have imagined. With lies and unrest mounting in the empire, Moria and Ashyn will have to draw on every bit of influence and power they possess to unite their people and avert an all-out war.

• ISBN10: 0385672039
• ISBN13: 9780385672030
• Publish Date: 19 April 2016 (first published 1 April 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: CA
• Imprint: Doubleday Canada
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9780385672030

Reviews

[e_rodz_leb]

Reading With ABC http://readingwithabc.com http://readingwithabc.com/review-empire-of-night-by-kelley-armstrong/I’m a big fan of Kelley Armstrong’s YA series, which thus far had been paranormal in nature. Last year when she released Sea of Shadows, the first book of the Age of Shadows series, I was thrilled. Finally a fantasy!!! I loved the first book and Empire of Night, its sequel was a great addition to the series.

This book picks up a few days after the end of Sea of Shadows and finds Moira and Ashlyn still under the Emperor’s protection. They are given a ‘quest’ by the Emperor to assess other town where the children of Edgewood were taken to. Together with Tyrus, one of prices, soldiers and advisors, they leave to complete this quest. As you can imagine, things did not go well.

Moira is the Keeper. She’s a kick-ass fighter, a protector, a strategist, trained to keep everyone safe, including herself. Ashlyn is the Seeker, she’s just as smart, but gentler, she’s a healer and has a compulsion to soothe. Again, Moira and Ashlyn are separated again for a big part of the book. They have different adventures and trials, but just as strenuous. It’s hard to know who is a friend and who isn’t, so their circle of friends gets smaller and tighter.

“She is the Keeper,” Emperor Tatsu said. “Have you forgotten that?”

Tyrus kept his gaze on his father’s sandals. “No, I---“

The emperor’s voice rose, the edge cutting through the silent palace grounds. “This is not a pretty serving girl to dally with. She is the gift of our ancestors, sent to protect their spirits and protect us from evil. She is sacred.”

Now, on to the romance. There’s a lot of romantic tension between Prince Tyrus and Moira and a bit between Moira and Gavril (yes! Gravril is in this book, but I’m not sure if it’s good or bad yet). I like Tyrus much better since he’s more sincere and seems to genuinely care for Moira. Ronan also makes an appearance, but he has made no moves toward Ashlyn and is sending mixed signals. So, as you can see there is not much romance, until almost the ending. I don’t want to give anything away though.

“He glanced up, and she recognized the shadow-shrouded shape of this features.

“Ronan?” she said. “What are you doing here?”

“Keeping the world safe for you to piss in,” he said. “Apparently, it’s a full-time job.”

The writing is amazing, as well as the world building. I love the banter between the characters, and of course the characters themselves they are very well fleshed out. Oh, the ending! That was a nasty cliffhanger! If you recall, I dislike cliffhangers a LOT.

Overall, Empire of Night was really good. It expands of the complexity of the upcoming war and the deceit of the Kitsunes. Obviously there is something else going on and I’m dying to know what it is. Thank goodness that I have an ARC of Forest of Ruin, the last book of the series, which I plan to read soon!!!This review was originally posted on Reading With ABC

[lizarodz]

Reading With ABC http://readingwithabc.com http://readingwithabc.com/review-empire-of-night-by-kelley-armstrong/I’m a big fan of Kelley Armstrong’s YA series, which thus far had been paranormal in nature. Last year when she released Sea of Shadows, the first book of the Age of Shadows series, I was thrilled. Finally a fantasy!!! I loved the first book and Empire of Night, its sequel was a great addition to the series.

This book picks up a few days after the end of Sea of Shadows and finds Moira and Ashlyn still under the Emperor’s protection. They are given a ‘quest’ by the Emperor to assess other town where the children of Edgewood were taken to. Together with Tyrus, one of prices, soldiers and advisors, they leave to complete this quest. As you can imagine, things did not go well.

Moira is the Keeper. She’s a kick-ass fighter, a protector, a strategist, trained to keep everyone safe, including herself. Ashlyn is the Seeker, she’s just as smart, but gentler, she’s a healer and has a compulsion to soothe. Again, Moira and Ashlyn are separated again for a big part of the book. They have different adventures and trials, but just as strenuous. It’s hard to know who is a friend and who isn’t, so their circle of friends gets smaller and tighter.

“She is the Keeper,” Emperor Tatsu said. “Have you forgotten that?”

Tyrus kept his gaze on his father’s sandals. “No, I---“

The emperor’s voice rose, the edge cutting through the silent palace grounds. “This is not a pretty serving girl to dally with. She is the gift of our ancestors, sent to protect their spirits and protect us from evil. She is sacred.”

Now, on to the romance. There’s a lot of romantic tension between Prince Tyrus and Moira and a bit between Moira and Gavril (yes! Gravril is in this book, but I’m not sure if it’s good or bad yet). I like Tyrus much better since he’s more sincere and seems to genuinely care for Moira. Ronan also makes an appearance, but he has made no moves toward Ashlyn and is sending mixed signals. So, as you can see there is not much romance, until almost the ending. I don’t want to give anything away though.

“He glanced up, and she recognized the shadow-shrouded shape of this features.

“Ronan?” she said. “What are you doing here?”

“Keeping the world safe for you to piss in,” he said. “Apparently, it’s a full-time job.”

The writing is amazing, as well as the world building. I love the banter between the characters, and of course the characters themselves they are very well fleshed out. Oh, the ending! That was a nasty cliffhanger! If you recall, I dislike cliffhangers a LOT.

Overall, Empire of Night was really good. It expands of the complexity of the upcoming war and the deceit of the Kitsunes. Obviously there is something else going on and I’m dying to know what it is. Thank goodness that I have an ARC of Forest of Ruin, the last book of the series, which I plan to read soon!!!This review was originally posted on Reading With ABC

[Chelsea]

Quick Thoughts
1. I almost like this book more than the first. Almost.
2. I was happy to see Tyrus play a bigger role in this book but sad Gavril didn't.
3. Can't wait to see what happens with that last plot twist!
4. The characters are all so great!
5. The plot keeps getting more intense! I want to know what's up with Gavril.

[Melanie]

3.5 stars

Review originally posted at RabidReads.com.

This is an interesting series by Kelley Armstrong, who is one of my favorite authors. I was very intrigued by the first book in this series. This series is about two twin sisters who live in a different world. They are the Keeper and the Seeker, which is a coveted position in their world. They work together to quiet the souls of the dead. They each have a bond beast that is their protector. Moria, the Keeper, has a hound. Ashyn, the Seeker, has a wildcat for her bond beast.

In the previous book, their town is destroyed. They spend the most of the book traveling to the emperor’s palace for help. Now they are almost like prisoners in gilded cages. The emperor won’t let them leave the palace area for their own safety. All the girls want to do help to find the missing children from their village. They really feel helpless sitting in the palace while others are missing.

Gavril is a boy from their village who appears to turn traitor. His father is the one who has started all the issues in the girls’ town of Edgewood. Moria got very close with Gavril in the first book and is having a hard time dealing with the idea that he turned traitor. Moria also has gotten very close with the emperor’s bastard son, Tyrus. She even goes off to help him with negotiations.

Ashyn is the quieter of the two sisters, but she is also powerful, if not as physical. She has interest in Ronan. Ronan is a boy that helped them traverse to emperor’s palace in the first book. He has no status, which makes him like a fugitive, so he is hiding from the emperor. They both have feelings for each other, but Ronan doesn’t feel he is worthy of her.

It is really hard to give you the aspects of the story without giving away spoilers. I will say that I love the premise of this story. I love the characters. I even love the overall story, even if I thought it was a bit long for a young adult story. What I didn’t like was that Moria seems to have gotten herself into a possible love triangle with Gavril and Tyrus. I’m not a fan of love triangles, and I don’t like this one. I’m not a fan of the lack of relationship between Ashyn and Ronan. I didn’t like the excuses. Also, there is a cliffhanger, grrrr. I think this will be a series that I like each book, but I love the entire trilogy.

[justine_manzano]

I tend to love Kelley's books and 9 times out of 10, I have trouble leaving the world she creates. This time was no exception. I finished the book on the subway, and when my husband picked me up, the first thing I said to him was, "I finished the latest Kelley Armstrong book, and I'm reeling. Give me a minute."

While I loved Sea of Shadows, I loved this one more. Every story thread from the first book intensifies in this one and I was scrambling to get to the end, which is just cruel, because the last page left me cursing up a storm when I turned the page to find the About the Author page. What a cliffhanger.

There is not a single character I don't love for their complexity and realism. That's one of my favorite things about Armstrong's books. Every single character is complex and real. And sometimes, shouldn't even be likable, but they still manage to be. The world she creates is real and vivid, you can see and feel it.

The pace was well measured and kept me grabbing the book at every available moment...even though I had other things I should have been doing. Definitely a must read.

Can't wait for the next book! In a year...*whimpers*