Empire of Exiles

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.

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.

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.