Fantasy

Echoes and Empires

Echoes and Empires

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-12-23 08:51:08
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Morgan Rhodes
  • ISBN：0593351657
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Summary

A snarky seventeen-year-old must team up with an enigmatic criminal to cure herself of dangerous forbidden magic in the first book of a new fantasy duology from Morgan Rhodes， the New York Times bestselling author of the Falling Kingdoms series。

Josslyn Drake knows only three things about magic: it’s rare， illegal， and always deadly。 So when she’s caught up in a robbery gone wrong at the Queen’s Gala and infected by a dangerous piece of magic—one that allows her to step into the memories of an infamously evil warlock—she finds herself living her worst nightmare。 Joss needs the magic removed before it corrupts her soul and kills her。 But in Ironport， the cost of doing magic is death， and seeking help might mean scheduling her own execution。 There’s nobody she can trust。

Nobody， that is， except wanted criminal Jericho Nox， who offers her a deal: his help extracting the magic in exchange for the magic itself。 And though she’s not thrilled to be working with a thief， especially one as infuriating （and infuriatingly handsome） as Jericho， Joss is desperate enough to accept。

But Jericho is nothing like Joss expects。 The closer she grows with Jericho and the more she sees of the world outside her pampered life in the city， the more Joss begins to question the beliefs she’s always taken for granted—beliefs about right and wrong， about power and magic， and even about herself。

In an empire built on lies， the truth may be her greatest weapon。

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Reviews

Lexi ，

Well…In all honesty， my notes are all over the place for this book and so are my feelings。 But， I did enjoy it so let’s dive in！ Let’s start with some good things… So first I think it’s worthy to note that I read this book and could NOT put it down over the span of 2 hours on the plane。 That’s a great sign！ One thing I loved was the plot。 I loved how every time I thought something was going to happen and would think to myself “oh so and so is going to realize they have had magical powers all alo Well…In all honesty， my notes are all over the place for this book and so are my feelings。 But， I did enjoy it so let’s dive in！ Let’s start with some good things… So first I think it’s worthy to note that I read this book and could NOT put it down over the span of 2 hours on the plane。 That’s a great sign！ One thing I loved was the plot。 I loved how every time I thought something was going to happen and would think to myself “oh so and so is going to realize they have had magical powers all along…and so on” it DIDNT。 That in of itself is amazing。 Also， I did love some of the characters writing。 I went into this book with a “trust no one” sort of mindset。 Due to the fact that this book is kind of dystopian， that was smart because well…not everyone could be trusted！ Another thing I loved was the fairy tale element。 I loved the representation of kingdoms and magic， as I feel they fit in with the plot。 I myself am an absolute sucker for fairytale book spins and this one reminded me of a modern version of rumpelstiltskin with some Cinderella elements for more reasons then one。 But， without giving too much away I’m going to not go into that further。 Also to elaborate on the magic， I think the idea of going back and seeing memories is so cool and super original！ Definitely held my interest。 When it came to world building of the stage for this book， I enjoyed the system of government as well。 I liked the modern add on of the prime minister and the monarch version of the queen。 I know in modern days both can be seen in one government， but it just felt fitting here。 Now as for the characters and the good things。 I genuinely felt pain when something bad happened。 And that， even though I’m a cancer sun， is hard to do。 The characters were really relatable and a lot of their dialogue （like Jericho’s back and forth during interrogation） was HILARIOUS and had me cracking up！！ Most of them weren’t annoying like you’re average MC （messy bun and pick me） and most showed great character development。 Albeit this， I do hope to see more I did like one character’s development that stood out to me the most and that’s Josslyn’s。 She has a good start and I really want to see where she ends up :） More on this later。 Now as for the not so good things。 One of my major irks was writing。 A couple times there were many modern aspects and elements woven into this book， some I liked and some I felt out of place。 For example， talk of cancer and security cameras and THERAPISTS （which had me dying laughing） threw me off。 It kind of made me question what time area I was in and took away from me really picturing the empire。 I couldn’t tell if it was more modern or if there were more medieval aspects。 I just felt like it snapped me back to the real world a little too much。Another writing issue I had was characters going back on dialogue and events that happened。 There would be many times with Jericho where the author would try to create a sense of mystery by having this character say something and then “you’re not ready hear about that。” This would happen with many characters too。 I feel like this got repetitive and was used too much。 At one point I did write “Why does no one in this book want to talk about anything” to accentuate my point。 One last writing issue I had was world/magic system building。 I feel like there wasn’t as large of an explanation as there should have been。 Yes， I understand the MC is still understanding magic and her powers， and maybe the author’s goal is to let us glean more as she does。 But we don’t know much about the world or the magic at all。 I don’t really think the history of the banning of magic was really talked about。 I just think we need more to go off of in the beginning。 Another thing about the world building and the settings is that it was not as descriptive as I’d have liked。 You had a lot of work to do to conjure up a picture in your head of what you think was going on and what the area looked like。 I just wish there was a little more given。 Now another major irk: characters。 I kind of got to this already， but oh well。 My only request for characters is that we get more development。 They’re on a good track now and I just want more of them！！！ Romance: now this was not an irk but I’m going to put it in here！ I thought the romance is cute and can see the little blood blooming！ It definitely is there but doesn’t take away from the plot。 Still wish there was more though！！ It’s a good start， but I can tell there’s more to come :） Ok so to wrap up: Did I enjoy this book？ YesWould I recommend it？ Yes， I think it’s cute and now I realize it gives off land of stories vibes！ So if you like land of stories， read this！ OVERALL RANKINGS: Characters- 4/5 Plot-5/5 Writing-3/5Romance-2/5Overall: 3/5 。。。more

Raji ，

Review to come

Maura ，

I'd like to talk Penguin Teen for the opportunity to read an eARC of this upcoming release！ Sadly， this one was a huge disappointment to me; I thought about DNFing it at around the 40% mark， and I honestly should have。 This was the worst world-building in a fantasy book that I've read in months。 Now， I don't know if the people shelving this book as "high fantasy" have actually read it or if they're going off the misleading description。 This is a weird， contemporary fantasy that takes places in t I'd like to talk Penguin Teen for the opportunity to read an eARC of this upcoming release！ Sadly， this one was a huge disappointment to me; I thought about DNFing it at around the 40% mark， and I honestly should have。 This was the worst world-building in a fantasy book that I've read in months。 Now， I don't know if the people shelving this book as "high fantasy" have actually read it or if they're going off the misleading description。 This is a weird， contemporary fantasy that takes places in the modern world。。。 sort of。 By that I mean there are cellphones， paparazzi， a mysterious state-controlled "newsfeed" that is frequently mentioned but never explained， helicopters， cars， boutiques filled with designer clothes， and guns。 However， there is also a queen who is the ultimate ruler over an empire of 2 billion people （apparently she and/or her predecessors conquered many lands to create this empire， but shocker， everyone in the book is white）。 She throws balls and makes aspiring members of her Queensguard compete in the Queensgames， which are duels fought with swords。 So yes， in order to be part of her modern-day army， who use guns， you need to prove your skills with a sword。 The elements that makes this seem like it might be a medieval fantasy setting are introduced in the first few pages and the modern elements come in later， which means you spend the first 20% of the book trying to figure out what the heck is happening here and what time period this story is set in。 I can't tell you anything else about this empire because nothing else was explained。 The magic system is the standard one with four elements - water， earth， fire， and air - and the only information we get about that is that earth magic can heal and fire magic sets things on fire。I could forgive some of this poor world-building if the characters were interesting， but they were all annoying and exchanged a lot of stilted dialogue filled with "snarky" comebacks instead of actually communicating with each other。 I was actually happy that Joss was interested in fashion and gossip instead of being "not like other girls" at the beginning of the book; unfortunately her only other personality traits were being a blabbermouth and a borderline alcoholic。 The amount of times we were told that her greatest asset was her charming personality was astonishing， considering the fact that I'm hard-pressed to think of one character in this story who actually liked her。 Besides the love interest， of course， a handsome rogue who spends the entire book being a total jerk to her until she falls for him。 Seriously， these two had zero chemistry and the standard "distracted by the other person's mouth" scenes get old fast。To sum it all up， the plot， relationships， characters， and magic system for this one were straight out of 2008。 I also had high expectations for Morgan Rhodes， but you can save yourself some time and skip this duology。 。。。more

Melissa Rae （raenydayreads） ，

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 ARC provided by Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers。I love the magic is evil trope and when paired with enemies to lovers， everything feels right。Josslyn Drake， a privileged and snarky 17-year-old， knows three things about magic: it’s rare， illegal and always deadly。 While attending the Queen's Gala， she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time as a thief attempts to steal a mysterious box。 The botched robbe I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 ARC provided by Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers。I love the magic is evil trope and when paired with enemies to lovers， everything feels right。Josslyn Drake， a privileged and snarky 17-year-old， knows three things about magic: it’s rare， illegal and always deadly。 While attending the Queen's Gala， she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time as a thief attempts to steal a mysterious box。 The botched robbery quickly turns Joss' life upside down， as she becomes infected with forbidden and dangerous magic。 Worried she'll be executed for treason， Josslyn makes a deal with Blackheart criminal Jericho Nox， promising to give him the magic in exchange for extracting the magic from her body。 As the two work together， Josslyn begins to discover the world isn't as black and white as she had been taught and begins to question what she thought she knew about magic， power， the empire， and even herself。 At the beginning I was enjoying the pace of the story， but as it progressed， I felt it moved very slowly。 In other words， while I loved the concept， I struggled to really engage with the characters and their arcs。 Echoes and Empires didn't go exactly in the direction I expected， despite being able to figure out some of the twists in advance; maybe I've gotten a little too used to the formatting of dystopian stories。 I felt slightly let down。 That said， I would still read the concluding book in the duology as I'm curious to see where the author takes it next。 。。。more

Kaley ，

Quick StatsAge Rating: 13+Over All: 2。5 starsPlot: 3/5Characters: 2/5Setting: 2/5Writing: 2。5/5Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an eARC of this book！ All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own。The idea behind this book was so fascinating。An modern fantasy world， ruled by an empress， where technology and magic both exist—but magic is forbidden and punishable by death。 A clueless spoiled socialite who ends up unwittingly embued with the memories of an evil warloc Quick StatsAge Rating: 13+Over All: 2。5 starsPlot: 3/5Characters: 2/5Setting: 2/5Writing: 2。5/5Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an eARC of this book！ All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own。The idea behind this book was so fascinating。An modern fantasy world， ruled by an empress， where technology and magic both exist—but magic is forbidden and punishable by death。 A clueless spoiled socialite who ends up unwittingly embued with the memories of an evil warlock。 A dark and broody， mildly murderous love interest who has to keep her safe， not because of her but because he needs the magic that is in her。It sounds so damn good。 And I wanted to like it so badly。 The writing was not the worst， but it was very info-dump heavy。 We learned about the world because Joss told us about the world via internal monologue， which often felt clunky because she lived in this world: why would she be internally monologuing about the history and mythology of the world in which she had lived her whole life？I didn’t like Joss。 Again， I wanted to， but her internal monologue was so clunky， and she often felt incredibly two dimensional。 She was bratty and spoiled， and though she did experience character growth， it didn’t feel natural。There were many plot twists and turns， but with the exception of one of them， I had already figured them out way in advance， which made them fall flat。 Like， a character who would later play a part in a plot twist？ I would guess exactly what the twist revolving around them would be from the moment they stepped onto the page， several chapters before the twist took place。 And I’m objectively awful at guessing plot twists。 It was just so obvious。I wanted to like this book so badly。 I don’t really know what else to say。 The premise was interesting， it was a fast paced read， and I finished it in only a few hours， but part of that was because I tried to read it quickly so that I could just get it over with。I did like the ending， and I’m vaguely intrigued by where the plot goes next， but I’m pretty sure I won’t be picking up the sequel。 。。。more

Gracie ，

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen and Net Galley for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！This is one of the best fantasy books I've read recently -- I've been having more trouble finding stories that I couldn't put down， but this one was awesome and had me hooked。 I liked the characters; the main character was a little annoying at the beginning but became more likable throughout the book， and I loved Jericho。 We all love the morally grey， troubled love intere Thank you so much to Penguin Teen and Net Galley for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！This is one of the best fantasy books I've read recently -- I've been having more trouble finding stories that I couldn't put down， but this one was awesome and had me hooked。 I liked the characters; the main character was a little annoying at the beginning but became more likable throughout the book， and I loved Jericho。 We all love the morally grey， troubled love interest， right？I liked the idea of outlawed magic not being as evil as the main character thought。 The whole "illegal magic" thing was done well and overall Echoes and Empires was unique。 One main thing I look for in books is that they don't remind me too much of other plots I've read， and this one definitely met the criteria。I highly recommend Echoes and Empires！ It's a great fantasy that isn't too hard to understand -- there's just enough worldbuilding without being overwhelming -- and moves quickly， and the characters are likable and interesting。 。。。more

Jill booksandescape ，

I received an advance ebook copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for review。Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes is the first book in a new duology。 It follows Josslyn Drake， who gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong at the Queen’s Gala。 She becomes infected by dangerous magic that allows her to experience memories of an evil warlock。 Josslyn knows magic is a rare and deadly thing that is illegal， so she knows she needs help。 Joss needs the magic removed before her soul is corrupted I received an advance ebook copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for review。Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes is the first book in a new duology。 It follows Josslyn Drake， who gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong at the Queen’s Gala。 She becomes infected by dangerous magic that allows her to experience memories of an evil warlock。 Josslyn knows magic is a rare and deadly thing that is illegal， so she knows she needs help。 Joss needs the magic removed before her soul is corrupted and she is killed。 She is afraid that if she seeks help she will be killed for her magic。 Wanted criminal Jericho offers her a deal: he will help her with extracting the magic and he will keep it for himself。 Joss is desperate and takes the deal， even though she isn’t thrilled to be working with a criminal。 But Joss soon grows closer to Jericho。 She also sees more of the world outside her life in the city and she begins to question her beliefs about magic。This book is a fun read。 I always enjoy a world where magic is forbidden。 。。。more

Stevie ，

Arc received from Penguin Teen for an honest review。 1。5 starsI will start with the only redeeming qualities of this book。 It was very binge-able， I read through it in less than a day。 Admittedly， I was skimming some parts。 Also the concept was interesting。 But ultimately not well executed。 There is a very loosely thought out magic system that made very little sense。 It seemed to be based on elements and combinations of them but there was really no structure。 The main character， Josslyn， is desc Arc received from Penguin Teen for an honest review。 1。5 starsI will start with the only redeeming qualities of this book。 It was very binge-able， I read through it in less than a day。 Admittedly， I was skimming some parts。 Also the concept was interesting。 But ultimately not well executed。 There is a very loosely thought out magic system that made very little sense。 It seemed to be based on elements and combinations of them but there was really no structure。 The main character， Josslyn， is described by her “friends” as a self absorbed narcissist and I completely agree。 She’s truly obnoxious。 Jericho， the love interest， was incessantly sarcastic （which I usually like in a love interest） in a way that was irritating and made him unlikable。 It was extremely difficult to see what connection they could have because Joss went from seeing him as her enemy to loving him in like two pages。 Besides the fact that arcs are unedited to some extent， the writing was dull and uninspired。 There was a really strange mix of casual and formal speech that didn’t blend together smoothly。 If you’re looking for a quick fantasy read and you like a moral， martyr kind of mc， you could like this book。 Personally I’ll take my morally grey main characters over this any day。 。。。more

Courtney Anderson ，

Thanks in advance to +Edwelweiss for an arc in exchange for an honest review。Joss has lived within the grounds of the palace ever since she was born。 She has always been a favorite of the queen's。 We also find out early on that her dad was killed on the palace steps on their way to a party。 One evening， Joss finds herself in a room with various artifacts， she is accosted by a man attempting to steal an item from the room。 In their scuffle， the box tips over and magic is released from the box and Thanks in advance to +Edwelweiss for an arc in exchange for an honest review。Joss has lived within the grounds of the palace ever since she was born。 She has always been a favorite of the queen's。 We also find out early on that her dad was killed on the palace steps on their way to a party。 One evening， Joss finds herself in a room with various artifacts， she is accosted by a man attempting to steal an item from the room。 In their scuffle， the box tips over and magic is released from the box and into her。 The boy， desperately needing the magic from that box， kidnaps her in hopes of finding someone who can eradicate the magic from her body。 Joss is totally fine with this idea as she has been taught her whole life that magic is bad。 She doesn't want anyone to find out that she has magic in her body for fear that she will be executed。 The unlikely duo work together to find someone willing and able to remove the magic from her。 Not surprisingly， it's a lot harder than it seems！I thought Joss' character development throughout the story was strong。 In the beginning of the story， she is entitled and naive。 Eating and drinking to her leisure， shopping with no limits， and flirting with whomever she pleases。 Throughout the story， the magic within her shows her glimpses into the life of Lord Banyon， the man she believes killed her father。 Joss grew from a naive and entitled girl， to someone who asked questions and fought for herself and the people she believed in。 She realized the life she was living wasn't perfect and instead， sheltered her from anything outside of the palace gates。 Where to start with Jericho。 Let's start with how great his name is！ Jericho is mysterious and broody and no wonder he is。 His parents died when he was little， he is considered a Blackheart and forced to do the bidding of his employer， and he harbors a secret that is eating away at him。 He is annoyed at Joss half the time and the other half he is worried about what happens to every time she experiences one of Lord Banyon's memories。 He is protective of her， but does his best to keep her at an arms distance because of everything he has done and has to do。I felt like the book was well paced and I enjoyed the plot twists。 There were several things I was not expecting and I enjoyed how they came to light throughout the last fourth of the book。 The book wraps itself up nicely to lead into the sequel。 There is no nail biting cliff hanger you have to worry about。 Overall， I really enjoyed Echoes and Empires。 I read it in one sitting and would highly recommend it。 。。。more

Becca Mee ，

4。5 rounded up to 5 stars: ECHOES AND EMPIRES was an absolute delight of a book where we follow the indomitable Josslyn Drake as she struggles with a magic she never asked for and finds her fate intertwined with the roguish Jericho Nox， as well as the fate of the Empire and Queen she has been taught to revere。 I LOVED Joss so much。 She's bold， funny， loud and very fierce， one of those heroines who doesn't let people push her around and has an endearing irreverence about her。 And Jericho is a per 4。5 rounded up to 5 stars: ECHOES AND EMPIRES was an absolute delight of a book where we follow the indomitable Josslyn Drake as she struggles with a magic she never asked for and finds her fate intertwined with the roguish Jericho Nox， as well as the fate of the Empire and Queen she has been taught to revere。 I LOVED Joss so much。 She's bold， funny， loud and very fierce， one of those heroines who doesn't let people push her around and has an endearing irreverence about her。 And Jericho is a perfect match and I really enjoyed seeing the two of them go toe to toe。 The budding attraction between the two of them is to die for。 There are a lot of intriguing plot twists the author employs in this book that would be super spoilery， so I won't go into those。 I will say that they checked all of my boxes that I look for in a story I love and they were really clever turns of plot that I didn't see coming， so props to Rhodes for that because it isn't often I'm taken by surprise by a book。 The worldbuilding has a more modern and dystopian feel for it （think like The Selection） but is very solidly a fantasy， so I also liked how this book really did subvert and transcend genres。 ECHOES AND EMPIRES is a 2022 release you do not want to miss。 TDon't just take my word for it， add it to your TBR and find out yourself！ 。。。more

Shante ，

*Arc provided by Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review* 5/5 stars！Yay for awesome banter， great character growth and fantastic world building！ You know when you come across a book that is so incredible that you just need a moment。 Like you put the book down and just stare off into space。 Stewing in its amazingness。 Thankful for the fact that this book came into your life？ Yea。 I had one of those moments while reading this。 In a world where magic is illegal， Josslyn Drake， the daughter of *Arc provided by Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review* 5/5 stars！Yay for awesome banter， great character growth and fantastic world building！ You know when you come across a book that is so incredible that you just need a moment。 Like you put the book down and just stare off into space。 Stewing in its amazingness。 Thankful for the fact that this book came into your life？ Yea。 I had one of those moments while reading this。 In a world where magic is illegal， Josslyn Drake， the daughter of the former prime misnister， lives a sheltered and privileged life。 That is until her world is turned upside down when she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and all of a sudden she is filled with forbidden magic。 All her life she was taught that magic is an evil disease and that anyone who came in contact with it was then tainted and infected。 Now she has to figure out a way to get rid of this magic before it corrupts her soul and kills her。 To do that， she has to trust and put her life in the hands of Jericho Nox， a wanted criminal。 As adventure ensues， they soon find themselves in a very sticky sutuation。 As Joss gets further and further away from her sheltered bubble of fancy dresses and gala parties， she begins questioning everything she thought to be true。 I loved the charcters in this book。 Josslyn is strong and doesn't take crap from anyone。 Jericho with his sarcastic， chill， laidback demeaner， absolutely stole my heart。 I've read so many amazing books this year， but this one takes the cake。 With twists and turns around every corner， this book will leave you in an utter state of OH。 MY。 GOD！ Echoes and Empires is nothing short of SPECTACULAR and I cannot wait for it to be released so that I can I have people to gush and talk about this book with。 。。。more

Sara Lavina ，

When I began this book， its setting threw me off， and the heroine？ Well， I wasn’t her biggest fan: she was annoying at best and， dare I say， childish。 But as I went on， I just couldn’t put it down。 It became nearly impossible， even to just take my eyes away from it。The overall story is wild， so intricate it makes you theorize about every word， every comma。 One of my favourite things when reading is to make up theories， to try and guess what’s coming next and what’s the big secret behind someone’ When I began this book， its setting threw me off， and the heroine？ Well， I wasn’t her biggest fan: she was annoying at best and， dare I say， childish。 But as I went on， I just couldn’t put it down。 It became nearly impossible， even to just take my eyes away from it。The overall story is wild， so intricate it makes you theorize about every word， every comma。 One of my favourite things when reading is to make up theories， to try and guess what’s coming next and what’s the big secret behind someone’s actions， but with Echoes and Empires， I was completely off: yes， I might have guessed some things， but the big twists， the ones that had my jaw drop to the floor every time， they were beyond my wildest thoughts。This is what I want， what I crave in a book: the suspense， the unknown， the big twists that I didn’t see coming， characters I will be able to change my mind about and characters I would absolutely die for。Yes， yes， I’m talking about Jericho。 And another one my heart might very much warm up to， even if I fear for their fate。 Anyway， Jericho。 He’s the kind of character created to swoon over， to love because he’s cheeky as hell and handsome， the typical hero。 He’s tormented， by way more than one secret and his dark past， but it really is his personality that makes me love him most of all。But the real growth， of course， is faced by the main character， Joss。Joss is， to put it mildly， a royal pain in the ass。 I don’t usually like characters like her， I mostly want to strangle them or smack them in the face - and boy， did I want to do that so many times。 A small part of me， though， understands what she goes through， and I can sympathize。 A little。 But I can。 What I appreciated the most about her is that， at some point， she stops being a brat， sucks it up， and puts her qualities to good use， she uses them not as a shield but as a weapon。 There’s so much potential for her， and I can’t wait to see what she’ll become in the next book when she embraces her whole self。Morgan Rhodes weaves secrets and lies in the most magical way， dragging the reader into a net they can’t escape from until they reach the very last page， where they’ll be hungering for more。 I know I am。 。。。more

Haley Renee The Caffeinated Reader ，

3。75/5 Cups of coffee from me。 What a FUN read， I think I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed reading this。 I wasn't always sure about our MC but I rather enjoy when I don't always like them; when you're not always meant to。 Joss has everything in life， she's suffered the loss of her father， but she's beloved by all， lives with her best friend and still gets to attend the fancy events in the dresses she enjoys。 Then she crosses paths with Jericho， and nothing is ever the same。I loved the pa 3。75/5 Cups of coffee from me。 What a FUN read， I think I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed reading this。 I wasn't always sure about our MC but I rather enjoy when I don't always like them; when you're not always meant to。 Joss has everything in life， she's suffered the loss of her father， but she's beloved by all， lives with her best friend and still gets to attend the fancy events in the dresses she enjoys。 Then she crosses paths with Jericho， and nothing is ever the same。I loved the pacing， it was quick and always keeping me on my toes， I read this SUPER fast and had no intention of doing so。 I love the magic is forbidden trope and Rhodes does a good job with it。 I also really liked that we could see things before Joss and were able to watch her react to information and the world around her as knowing observers。 The side characters were well fleshed out and I could easily have read books about any and all of them。Political intrigue was sprinkled heavily throughout and I loved that。 I'm so for political intrigue and when comes to that AND forbidden magic AND things not always what they appear to be， well， it's an easy win for me。The ending was on such a great note and I can't wait for the sequel already！ Guess it'll be a bit of a wait for me， but it'll be well worth it。 Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this in exchange for my honest opinion， longer review to come closer to pub date。 。。。more

Sowmya （bookishelflife） ，

Thanks to Penguin Teen for my advance digital copy"I wore read on the night I slammed headfirst into my destiny"Morgan Rhodes is a well loved author and now I know why， I really want to read her Falling Kingdoms series soon。Echoes and Empires puts an interesting twist on the magical realism genre，it is set in a kingdom where Magic or practice of magic is seriously condemned by the queen and anyone who goes against the Queen's law is executed almost immediately。 Narrated by Joselyn Drake， a 17 ye Thanks to Penguin Teen for my advance digital copy"I wore read on the night I slammed headfirst into my destiny"Morgan Rhodes is a well loved author and now I know why， I really want to read her Falling Kingdoms series soon。Echoes and Empires puts an interesting twist on the magical realism genre，it is set in a kingdom where Magic or practice of magic is seriously condemned by the queen and anyone who goes against the Queen's law is executed almost immediately。 Narrated by Joselyn Drake， a 17 year old daughter of ex-prime minister and also a Queen’s favorite is a snarky and privileged character and has no issues with being perceived as shallow in order to have a life filled with Royal regalia。 She has a set plan for her future until the night of Queen's gala， where everything starts going wrong from the minute she stumbles upon a thief， albeit a very handsome thief goes by name Blackheart stealing a magical artifact from the Queen's forbidden exhibit。In an unfortunate accident that follows， the magic from the said artifact seeps straight into the immediate available source- Joss。 She can sense that magic in her is corrupt and that it belongs to the most dangerous Warlock that has been on the run for a while from the Queen， to Joss's dismay the "magic" inside her is nothing but trapped memories called Echoes that belong to this powerful warlock。With the fear of being discovered with corrupted magic within her and subsequently facing execution or imprisonment， Joss makes a reluctant deal with the thief Jericho after he promises to find someone who will be able to extract this magic from her。 Jericho has an agenda of his own as he was hired to deliver these echoes to his master Valerie， a witch with dark magic and has the ability to control him。 However， Jericho's plan goes horribly wrong and both of them end up at in an isolated prison run by the kingdom。Joss is desperate to get the magic out of her and to get out of the prison in order to go back to her normal life but she gets a much needed reality check at the Queen’s keep where she is forced to face several shocking revelations that will change the course of her actions putting her loyalties to test！ The book is action packed and has decent twists， however I saw most of the twists coming。 I also had issues with the pacing because I felt it got little slower towards the middle and also because of the fact that the book is narrated in 1st person POV， at times Joss's inner monologue’s felt little redundant。 Another reason that this book wasn't a 5 star for me is the chemistry/romance between Joss and Jericho， it was quite confusing and even towards the end I was not able to see where they stand as a couple。 However the book ended on an interesting note and I need answers to many questions， so I will be looking forward to the next installment to see how the story takes a turn。 。。。more

Meghan Lew ，

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for providing an arc copy of this book。I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS BOOK！！！ The plot was super fun and I really enjoyed the characters。 I’m defiantly excited to see where this story goes。The plot was a nice pace for a first book。 Not to fact and not to slow。 I was defiantly on the edge of my seat excited to turn the page and see what happens next。 At first I felt the plot was a little predictable， but as the book went on I was surprised by a lot of the twist i Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for providing an arc copy of this book。I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS BOOK！！！ The plot was super fun and I really enjoyed the characters。 I’m defiantly excited to see where this story goes。The plot was a nice pace for a first book。 Not to fact and not to slow。 I was defiantly on the edge of my seat excited to turn the page and see what happens next。 At first I felt the plot was a little predictable， but as the book went on I was surprised by a lot of the twist in turns。 Even though I was surprised by things， I felt they were laid out nicely and made sense when looking back。 At times the main character Josslyn was annoying， and I defiantly wanted her to stop talking at times。 But by the end of the book I was happy with how her character arc had played out and I’m looking forward to see how she does in future books。 Jericho was defiantly my favorite character， but that is mainly because I love an angry， moody boy， who keeps secrets。 I think my biggest problem with this book is that a good portion of the magic system and world building was told to the main character。 And that the middle of the book was a little flat and felt like there was a lot of filler。 Overall I really enjoyed this book， and defiantly want to read the second one as soon as possible。 The story was really captivating and I’m a sucker for rivalries and enemies。 。。。more

Louise ，

I really want to read this， i love Morgan's writing。 I loved the Falling Kingdom series and Spirits and Thieves， but im scared of starting this due to Spirits and Thieves got canceled after book 2 :'（ I really want to read this， i love Morgan's writing。 I loved the Falling Kingdom series and Spirits and Thieves， but im scared of starting this due to Spirits and Thieves got canceled after book 2 :'（ 。。。more

Mere ，

Thank you to the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I absolutely loved Rhodes’s Falling Kingdoms series。 When I got the chance to get an e-ARC of this book I was extremely excited。 I was expecting something similar to the Falling Kingdoms series。 I was surprised though to see photography and cars in this book！ I was not expecting that， so I was a little bit nervous， because I hadn't expected that， and so I was a bit thrown off at first that this wasn’t more lik Thank you to the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I absolutely loved Rhodes’s Falling Kingdoms series。 When I got the chance to get an e-ARC of this book I was extremely excited。 I was expecting something similar to the Falling Kingdoms series。 I was surprised though to see photography and cars in this book！ I was not expecting that， so I was a little bit nervous， because I hadn't expected that， and so I was a bit thrown off at first that this wasn’t more like high fantasy and is instead “urban” fantasy。 Nevertheless， once I started reading， I had a hard time putting the book down once I got into it。 I enjoyed Rhodes’ writing in this book， but not as much as Falling Kingdoms。 The tone had a more modern feeling – and that gave it a bit more oomph for me to be believable。 I think that Rhodes’ is a great writer and her works are accessible， because she writes in a way that is easy to read。 It's often a nice change from writing that is so convoluted you want to throw the book out of a window。 I very much enjoyed that about this book。 What also worked for me was the pacing of the book。 It was a dance of precision， of keeping the mystery going as well as the action at the same time。 You have moments of “peace” and then you slip into an action heavy segment。 This works for the book as the writing gives it momentum to keep going – and I had to keep turning pages！ The plot of this book is so intriguing。 It is a bit of a mystery， so I loved to see how it was slowly unfolding and how Joss began to see what she thought was true， might not be as true as she thought it was。 This ties in with the amazing romance plot。 I am a huge sucker for enemies to lovers and that was what this book was。 It was also filled with interesting relationships between the other characters。 Joss and Jericho were such great characters， and I loved following them on their adventure！ I loved their banter with each other as well。 It was amusing to say the least。 And the romance was spot on for me。 AND THAT ENDING。 That ending was amazing！ I mean I was blown away by the ending。 This book had been a firm four star read for me， and the last 10% upped it into the five star category for me。 It was a stunning book and I am SO EXCITED to find out what happens next。 。。。more

Kera’s Always Reading ，

I loved this！ I love what it represents and how it was executed。Josslyn Drake， a gossip， a loudmouth， a shopaholic… I loved her！ She is more than all that， though。 She has a good heart that is wounded by the recent murder of her father， the former Prime Minister。 The life she lives now may be a bit superficial， but it is made to be even more exciting when she gets caught in the middle of a robbery gone wrong and becomes infected by a magical box。 She has the ability to enter the memories of a ne I loved this！ I love what it represents and how it was executed。Josslyn Drake， a gossip， a loudmouth， a shopaholic… I loved her！ She is more than all that， though。 She has a good heart that is wounded by the recent murder of her father， the former Prime Minister。 The life she lives now may be a bit superficial， but it is made to be even more exciting when she gets caught in the middle of a robbery gone wrong and becomes infected by a magical box。 She has the ability to enter the memories of a nefarious warlock， but it isn’t just the magic swirling around inside her。 Her eyes have taken on a magical glow。 Unfortunately， magic is incredibly illegal。She needs to have this magic removed to prevent the corruption of her mortal soul and the only person she can turn to for help is Jericho Nox， the man who put her into this mess in the first place。 She doesn’t want to work with the thieving criminal but she has no choice。The two embark on an adventure to remove the magic and wind up getting closer to one another in the process。 But Jericho has dark secrets he is keeping as well as a past that he isn’t proud of。 The twists and reveals in this book were insane。 I couldn’t put this one down and read it in one night。 The fantastical quest they enter into is full of surprises and danger。 And Jericho was absolutely everything！！I cannot wait for the conclusion to this magical duology。 I need more！！！！ 。。。more

Courtney ，

I know so many people are already big fans of Morgan Rhodes and her Falling Kingdoms series and now I can see why and definitely will be adding Falling Kingdoms to my to be read pile！Josslyn Drake is everything I’d want to be。 Snarky， beautiful and lives like royalty thanks to being the queens favorite！ But soon Drake’s life is flipped upside down and she must partner up with a criminal to remove the one thing that would make the Queen turn on her。。 MAGIC。 Fate has intervened and cursed Josslyn I know so many people are already big fans of Morgan Rhodes and her Falling Kingdoms series and now I can see why and definitely will be adding Falling Kingdoms to my to be read pile！Josslyn Drake is everything I’d want to be。 Snarky， beautiful and lives like royalty thanks to being the queens favorite！ But soon Drake’s life is flipped upside down and she must partner up with a criminal to remove the one thing that would make the Queen turn on her。。 MAGIC。 Fate has intervened and cursed Josslyn with the gift of magic and she must figure out a way to get rid of it before the whole kingdom finds out and turns against her。Drake is nothing if not a strong and fierce female lead and definitely someone to look up to。 Forced to look at her life differently， she pretty much takes it in stride and I just love that in a character。 Also can we talk about yummy。。 I mean Jericho？！ He’s got that whole bad guy with deep dark secrets thing going for him and I’m a huge sucker haha。 Anyway， this book has awesome characters， magic， slow slow burn romance（？）， sarcasm and a lot of shockers and I’m definitely really excited for the next book， especially because of where this one ended！ 。。。more

Kym's Open Books ，

Loved it！RTC

Maddie ，

Thanks to Edelweiss for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review。4。5 StarsFULL REVIEW TO COME SHORTLY

Mimi ，

I missed Rhodes' writing so much！！ I missed Rhodes' writing so much！！ 。。。more

Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell ，

MAGIC IS FORBIDDENMy favorite trope

Cait | GoodeyReads ，

Well I ended up loving this！！Full review to come closer to pub。

Vee_Bookish ，

hate the forbidden magic trope， love a sarcastic mc

Cary Morton ，

I received a copy of this book directly from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review。I have mixed feelings about this book。 Let's start with a caveat: I read an advanced reader's copy of this book， and there were half a dozen errors - nothing too terrible， and likely cleaned up for the final copy， so we'll disregard those。 Overall， the writing was clean and easy to read， but the pacing was a bit slow in the first half of the book。 The romance didn't kick in until late in the story， I received a copy of this book directly from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review。I have mixed feelings about this book。 Let's start with a caveat: I read an advanced reader's copy of this book， and there were half a dozen errors - nothing too terrible， and likely cleaned up for the final copy， so we'll disregard those。 Overall， the writing was clean and easy to read， but the pacing was a bit slow in the first half of the book。 The romance didn't kick in until late in the story， and its appearance was abrupt。 The romance subplot felt more like an afterthought， which was unfortunate。The overall plot of the story was interesting， probably the best part of the book， honestly。 Unfortunately， the worldbuilding was a bit unclear。 There was a strange mix of modern technology， magic， and monarchy that made it hard to pinpoint the era of the story， but it had a very 1920's feel at times with all the glitz and glamour， socialites， and nobility。The most disappointing part of the story， however， was the characters。 There was very little character growth for any of the characters that what little there was， didn't appear until the very end of the book。 Joss was insufferable as a main character。 She was an entitled， bigoted socialite with few friends and too much snobbery。 I greatly disliked her， and she made it hard to like the story。 I very nearly DNF'd the book just because of her。Luckily， the book did get better as time wore on， and though I'd guessed most of the major plot points before they happened， there were a few surprises to keep me going。 In the end， the book was okay。 Without Joss， it probably would have been better。 I will warn readers: the ending is abrupt and felt very unfinished。 If cliffhangers bother you， you are going to be upset。 If you like magical realism， fantasy， and socialites， you might like this book。 Emphasis on the socialites。 。。。more

pages。and。quills ，

I've been saying a lot that you should DNF books that you genuinely aren't enjoying， and so， after a little over 100 pages， I have decided that I am going to DNF this one。 Since this was an ARC， I am just going to give a quick review on why I was not enjoying it， and my reasons for putting it down。 I am not going to give this one a star rating， because I don't believe it's fair because I did not finish the story。 The things that I was enjoying: The enemies to lovers， and the idea of the magic pa I've been saying a lot that you should DNF books that you genuinely aren't enjoying， and so， after a little over 100 pages， I have decided that I am going to DNF this one。 Since this was an ARC， I am just going to give a quick review on why I was not enjoying it， and my reasons for putting it down。 I am not going to give this one a star rating， because I don't believe it's fair because I did not finish the story。 The things that I was enjoying: The enemies to lovers， and the idea of the magic passing between people。 The reasons why I am DNFing: First， the writing。 Going into this book I had read one of the author's other works: Falling Kingdoms。 I suppose I expected something similar to that writing style， but this writing style didn't click for me。 It felt very choppy and， especially in the main character's dialogue， very childish。 The next reason， the main character。 While I did understand from the premise of this one that the main character was supposed to be very fortunate in wealth and status， that didn't mean that she had to be as closed minded or arrogant as she was。 I know that characters are supposed to be unlikeable， but the materialistic personality of this main character was just something that really bothered me。 I also was slightly confused on the time period of this book， the fact that it has elements of older times such as monarchies， and yet， there are also cars and phones。 I'm not stating in any way that there couldn't be both， but it just wasn't something I was a fan of。 。。。more

Cassandra ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Okay， I flew through this so quick I'm almost impressed with myself。 I usually have a harder time committing to fantasy books at first but this one sucked me in right away。Josslyn Drake has grown up alongside her makeshift family that doesn't really want anything to do with her other than Celina， her best and only true friend。 A family that is held in high respect by the Queen， who has taken a considerable interest in Josslyn， especially recently， and shares an equal amount of respect for her in Okay， I flew through this so quick I'm almost impressed with myself。 I usually have a harder time committing to fantasy books at first but this one sucked me in right away。Josslyn Drake has grown up alongside her makeshift family that doesn't really want anything to do with her other than Celina， her best and only true friend。 A family that is held in high respect by the Queen， who has taken a considerable interest in Josslyn， especially recently， and shares an equal amount of respect for her in return。 Queen Isadora is determined to rid their lands of the magic that has killed so many innocents and Joss can't help but agree。。。 until she finds herself in possession of magic unexpectedly。 Now， terrified of what she could become， she follows the instruction of the one at fault for her new and unwanted life and is set out to find someone who could remove it from her。 You cannot trust anyone who spends their time making deals with criminals， and now Josslyn and Jericho are faced with yet another deal that they'll need to see to the end in order to get themselves out of their current predicament。 The longer that Joss is away， the more the truth is unveiled and her world is turned on its head。 Jericho may be on his own mission， but it looks like Joss has found her own as well。I CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK TWO。 Seriously， this stole all of my attention away when I was looking through ARCs because this cover is beautiful but now that I've read it？ Wow， I really didn't know what I was asking for here。 I have enjoyed Morgan Rhodes' books before but I think this one has opened up a whole new door that I am thrilled about。 NOW I JUST WANT TO GO BACK AND REREAD THE FALLING KINGDOMS SERIES LMAO。 UGHKNJASDAJSK。 The writing was wonderful and the imagery was so vivid for me。 I felt like I was right there with the characters as the story moved on。 I can't believe this comes out in January。。。 I want to see this cover in action now。 Thank you so much Edelweiss+ and Razorbill for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 。。。more

Jessica （a GREAT read） ，

Review to come December 27th

Eitan ，

When one of your favorite authors releases a new sci-fi mixed with fantasy。。。 AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IM SO EXITED！！！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Echoes and Empires

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Echoes and Empires&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Echoes and Empires&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0