Book Review #65: The Empire’s Witch by Daphne Paige

Hello Dear Reader!

Welcome to an indie book review by the wonderful Daphne Paige! This review is on the sequel to The Heiress of Gaia, and it did not disappoint! If you have a minute, be sure to check her out @daphne.paige.books! She’s a sweetheart of a human being and an amazing street team member of mine.

The Empire’s Witch follows the story of The Heiress of Gaia, but instead of having Princess Ayne as its main character, the protagonist of this book is the only known witch in the kingdom of Zongghuo: Maya Lee. Her life gets turned in and out and upside down when Ayne becomes her new apprentice, and with the waters brewing between the kingdoms of Zongghuo, Gaia and Klymora, she receives more adventure than she bargained for.

But before I get deeper into that, here’s the back-cover summary (from Goodreads):

Threats of war, uprisings, and unexpected partnerships turn Maya's life upside down.

Maya Lee is the only known witch in Zhongguo, until her apprentice, Ayne Edelweiss, arrives at her doorstep with two companions. A blue-eyed courtier who reminds her too much of her lost love. And a little girl with a dreadful past.

In response to the emperor's outrageous demands, Maya and Ayne, with her newfound strength, take the protest to his palace gates in the form of shadows. But their carefully crafted camouflage is quickly destroyed when the emperor gives Maya a choice...

Either stand alongside him, or Ayne will never return home...

In a land full of fire, betrayal, and reflection, which will she choose?

Time for the review!

I’d like to start this one by saying I was fully expecting Ayne to be the main character of this sequel, but I guess that’s what I get for never reading the back-cover summary! I was so surprised to find that Ayne was more of a minor character in The Empire’s Witch, but that didn’t bother me in the slightest! Maya lee was such an engaging, well-rounded, and in-depth character, and learning more about her and her experiences leading up to this story was so entertaining! It was also really interesting seeing Ayne in more of an outside perspective, and I was happy to see she’s as mature and clever as ever, even from an outside perspective.

Surrounding Maya is the wonderful Princess Ayne, her new bubbly friend Lio, Ayne’s guard Mason, and her lovable monkey friend Bao. These characters make quite the wholesome group, and I loved each and every interaction they had with each other! There are also your villains, one of which I can’t reveal for spoilers’ sake. The other is the emperor, as expressed in the book’s back-cover summary, and he is definitely not the most likeable character in this book.

Paige does a wonderful job of introducing the kingdom of Zongghuo and its people and culture! They look vastly different from the people of Klymora and Gaia, and unlike those two kingdoms, this one seems to be more open to the idea of magic! A number of Maya’s neighbors know of her abilities, just not how strong they are.

I really enjoyed reading The Empire’s Witch, and there really wasn’t much that stood out to me that took me out of my reading experience. I did find I didn’t quite enjoy the romance in this one as much as I did in its prequel, but that cliffhanger ending! It definitely took me off guard and makes me wonder what kind of drama will happen in book three.

So, The Empire’s Witch rating:

5/5 and a fantastic sequel to The Heiress of Gaia! I highly recommend if you like a story full of magic and adventure, and where consequences of one’s actions exist, because boy do they play a role in Paige’s stories!

Thanks for reading!