Empire of Shadows

October 1, 2014
A young bodyguard in search of redemption finds love and court intrigue in this Asian-influenced fantasy. Three years ago, Mara's clan of tiger shape-shifters exiled her for committing unforgiveable crimes. She found refuge and purpose in the Order of Khatar, whose members do penance for past sins by dedicating their lives to the protection of others. Now 18, Mara is traveling to the capital when she saves a boy from a vicious tiger and forges an immediate connection with his twin, Emil. Unsurprisingly, their paths cross again in the city, when Mara's job as a bodyguard for a high-ranking noble and Emil's search for his now-runaway brother entangle both in the dangerous webs of imperial politics. While Mara and Emil are both developed as individual characters, their romance falls strangely flat, and their scenes together lack spark. The worldbuilding borrows many surface details from South Asian culture, but little is explored in much depth. Readers may struggle to keep the large cast of characters straight, even with the helpful dramatis personae at the beginning of the book. Though the novel is a prequel to Forster's debut, City of a Thousand Dolls (2013), it can be read as a stand-alone; only the epilogue will perplex readers who have skipped the first book. Uneven and unsatisfying. (Fantasy. 13-18)

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July 1, 2014

Gr 8 Up-Exiled from her Tribe and haunted by the ghosts of her past, Mara turns to the Order of Khatar, a monastic community of fighters pledged to protect the innocent, as a way to atone for her sins. Now fully trained, Mara sets out to fulfill her duty-to find the person she will dedicate her life to protect. Mara meets Emil, a lowly Wind caste boy whose touch stirs in her the longing to belong to someone, and Revathi a noblewoman of the Flower caste, who serves the Emperor himself. Once inside the innermost sanctum of the Empire's capital, Mara learns that nothing is as it seems and no one is to be trusted, while outside the protected walls of its richest citizens, the Empire is a powder keg waiting to be ignited. The explosion brings the protagonist face-to-face with the shame of her past, and jeopardizes her hope for a future with the one person who offers her a chance for redemption. In this prequel to City of a Thousand Dolls (2013), Forster creates a vast novel rich with Asian-inspired mythologies and an extensive cast of characters. While the dramatis personae helps keep characters straight, there is no denying that the author has created a grandiose plot that, at times, sacrifices well-developed protagonists for its epic scope. Fans of fantasy will enjoy the magical elements, while the subtle commentary of the novel's stratified society lends it a dystopian vibe similar to Veronica Roth's Divergent (2011, both HarperCollins) that will appeal to readers outside of the fantasy genre.-Sarah Lorraine, Nazareth Academy, LaGrange Park, IL

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2014
Grades 8-11 Forster's previous novel, City of a Thousand Dolls (2013), followed Nisha, an orphan who hopes for a better life while solving a murder and trying to keep from becoming a victim herself. This prequel focuses on Mara, who is being trained in combat at the Order of Khatar. While her story differs greatly from Nisha's, Mara is still a strong character dealing with her past and cultivating hope for her future. The fully realized Empire and level of detail makes this second novel just as intriguing as the first. Helpful for new readers is the included list of who's who and who's where in this engrossing, complicated fantasy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)