Empire of Shadows: Raiders of the Arcana, Book 1

Ruxandra

Brace for fast-paced adventure, scholarly romance, and ancient relics galore

"I love the worlds and characters Jacquelyn Benson imagines, and Empire of Shadows is no exception. If you are looking for wonderful characters with exploding chemistry, fast-paced adventure, an exotic backdrop for the story, intriguing bits of history, and a pair of villains one cannot help but hate profusely, then Empire of Shadows should be next on your TBR list. Ellie and Adam are a lovely pair, who complement each other and learn to understand each other through the adventure they are experiencing together. Their relationship evolves naturally (their first encounter is one of my favourite scenes in the book), and, even if I had a few moments when I could not agree with Ellie and let out a few exasperated grunts, in the end all her decisions (and trust issues) were understandable and worked as a catalyst for her character development. I absolutely loved the dialogue between Ellie and Adam, witty banter at its best. Who would have thought scholarly jargon or Latin declensions could be so sexy? We have already met Ellie in The Stolen Apocalypse, the prequel novella to the series. She has a brilliant mind, extensive knowledge, and aspirations which, unfortunately, do not match the reality of the society she lives in. She is not perfect, has her own issues to face and makes her own share of mistakes - but all that makes her even more relatable and realistic as a character. As for Adam, just imagine a shirtless rogue with a sexy mind and a passion for maps. Enough said. Though the story is a delightful adventure driven by lovely characters, the dark undertones and heavy themes so typical for Jacquelyn Benson’s books do not miss from Empire of Shadows either. The limited possibilities available for women in the 19th century, the effects of colonialism upon the ancient civilisations, the biased lens through which those ancient civilisations are documented - the author weaves many such aspects into the story, giving it weight and showing excellent understanding of history and a keen eye for research. I highly recommend Empire of Shadows, and am totally looking forward to book two of Raiders of the Arcana. ["

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April 3, 2024 Verified Purchase

Amazon Customer

Great time!

"4.5 stars This book was so good I had a great time reading it. The main characters I felt were very well developed the story line was captivating and kept me hooked the whole time. It reminded me of a mix of The Mummy and Jungle cruise. ["

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January 25, 2026 Verified Purchase

A. Chan

Anti-imperialist adventure ROMP.

"I mean, c’mon! What’s not to like here? I saw the billing as “lady nerd meets machete-wielding tough guy” who can’t seem to “keep his dratted shirt on,” and I thought to myself, “Um, yes please.” And more, that it is a speculative historical adventure that fits within the canon of The Mummy and Romancing the Stone. Having grown up on Romancing the Stone, I can concur with this assessment. It is an adventurous and romantic ROMP through the Honduran rain forest, with all of the witty banter and kicking-and-screaming romantic subplot you could ask for. Reading this book gives that giddy feeling of having drunk a TINY but too much champagne. You’re giddy and wicked and a bit devil-may-care, but you’re not in the tank. It’s just so much fun. I’m an archaeologist and so I also appreciated the nuanced treatment of looting of antiquities and the anti-imperialist bent here. WITHOUT becoming anachronistic and heavy-handed. Benson just blended those things seamlessly right into the story line. But I noticed and I applaud it. Needless to say, I cannot wait to read the other books in this series. Ellie and Adam are seriously dreamy. And laugh out loud hilarious, too. ["

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December 1, 2025 Verified Purchase

Valerie - vanelena.reads

Adventurous and Romantic Tale

"I loved this adventurous and romantic story! Empire of Shadows is a richly imagined tale that I find hard to classify - it is a sweet historical romance, with a touch of fantasy and plenty of feminism and anti-colonialism, wrapped up an archaeological adventure. If you enjoy The Mummy, Uncharted, or Indiana Jones, you will love this book. It was an absolute delight! This story follows Ellie Mallory, a spunky and intelligent young woman who is stifled under the patriarchal society of late 19th century England. She is a scholar of ancient history, but her gender relegates her to specific roles in society, preventing her from reaching her full potential. As a suffragette, she is arrested and subsequently fired from her job, But before she leaves, she spies a mysterious map and artifact on her bosses desk. Swiping the items, she narrowly escapes a villainous figure who is also searching for the map. Travelling to British Honduras, she teams up with roguish American surveyor Adam Bates to travel into the Cayo, the “unexplored” interior in search of a lost Mesoamerican city. There is plenty of adventure and a bit of romance while the pair navigate the wilderness in search of the lost city, all while avoiding the villain Jacobs and Professor Dawson, who has trailed Ellie from London, also seeking the lost city with seemingly unlimited resources at their disposal. While the adventure and romance elements of the story were excellent, what I really enjoyed was how this book handled issues of feminism and anti-colonialism. The time period of the late 19th century was rife with those fighting for women’s rights, as well as those in the British colonies fighting for independence. Additionally, the author touches on the "virgin land” issue, while also acknowledging that there were in fact many, many native settlements in areas where Europeans had not yet explored. Tied into these issues is the how at that time archaeology as a science and discipline was seen as glorified treasure hunting, and while there were archaeologists who really wanted to protect artifacts and cultural heritage, that often meant shipping artifacts back to museums in Europe, rather than keeping them in their home countries. I think this book handled these issues rather well, both by framing these notions that would be appropriate for people in the time period, while also expressing the sentiments that would be seen somewhat in conflict, like women as scholars, anti-colonialism, and protecting cultural heritage by leaving it in the hands of the descendents rather than supposing European superiority. I really enjoyed Empire of Shadows, and I look forward to more adventures with Adam and Ellie in future books! Thank you to NetGalley and Crimson Fox Publishing for the advanced copy of this book! ["

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April 2, 2024 Verified Purchase

matt

The Mummy Inspired Read

"My wife was curious about this book series and asked to order this. She says it’s The Mummy movies mixed with Jungle Cruise. She said the book was a fun read and the characters were good but needed a bit more flushing out to develop more than they did. The theme is light and interesting and the story is easy to follow and enjoy. She is excited to read the next books in the series. ["

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April 16, 2026 Verified Purchase