Bhinian Empire #2 Empire of Shadows

Presenting Bhinian Empire #2 Empire of Shadows by Miriam Forster.

Here is the summary of the book:

Cast out of her family three years ago, Mara turned to the only place that would take her—a school where students train to protect others. But Mara is stunned when guarding a noble girl in the Empire’s capital turns out to be more dangerous than she could’ve imagined. More shocking still, she finds the boy she thought she had lost forever outside the gates of her new home.

Mara knew her life in the dizzying Imperial city would hold dangers. How could she have known that her heart, as well as her life, would be at stake?

Empire of Shadows will take readers on a spellbinding journey into the world Miriam Forster first introduced in City of a Thousand Dolls—a world with a divided society, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and deeply laid conspiracies.

After a vividly enriching experience with City of a Thousand Dolls, Miriam Forster returns with the next book in her Bhinian Empire series. And its a trip to the past as Nisha Arvi's parents Mara and Emil take center stage. This is their story. How they meet and what circumstances prompt them to leave Nisha at the estate and explain what we saw the first time round. And Forster did not disappoint.

Told in the oscillating perspectives of Mara and Emil, Empire of Shadows is just that. A standalone. A story unto its own and our lead pair made for great protagonists. One exiled from her Tiger-sune clan & working to regain her honor. The other, the elder heir to the Arvi clan, slated to be the leader but not at all in want of the position. "City of a Thousand Dolls" gave us an express view of its namesake and "Empire of Shadows" gives us the world outside from the evergreen forests to Kamal, the largest city, the capital of the Empire.

Simply speechless. A full fledged galvanizing-ly action-packed read. Empire of Shadows has everything you want in it. Danger, secrets, conspiracies, court politics, sweet sweet romance and teeny-tiny bit of magic involved. Mara & Emil were the perfect anchors and they shoulder the responsibility of carrying over the full burden of the plot extremely well. The cover of course compliments it all pretty, deserving the attention it garners. You just can't stop admiring it can you!

A strong and resilient heroine in Mara and an intensely loyal hero and love interest in Emil. Mara is a protector. She will go to great lengths to protect the entity she cares for. Bouts of guilt and grief but she is survivor and such hard lessons have only hardened her resolve to do whatever honor demands of her. Emil was just too sweet. He respected her and opted for Mara to make up her mind, for them to have a chance.

Without any lag, the plot ploughs forward, hooking us in its throws. Unexpected twists at every turns and traitors in highly unlikely places. We meet a lot of familiar faces and read more about the Empire at large. Finishing with an epic and thrilling conclusion, the connections between book 1 & 2 are realized. Of course there is much more left unsaid and we are all the more eager to read more stories about the Bhinian Empire.

"Epic & vividly exotic adventure that will keep you transfixed till the end"

Genre :      Young Adult, Paranormal, Dystopia, Fantasy, Romance

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: 4th November, 2014

My Copy: publisher and edelweiss

Rate:              5/5 (It was Amazing)

Other Books in the series (review links):
                #1 City of a Thousand Dolls 

Buy:           Amazon | Book Depository 

Bhinian Empire #1 City of a Thousand Dolls

Presenting Bhinian Empire #1 City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster.

Here is the summary of the book:

An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure.

Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.

Before she becomes the next victim, Nisha decides to uncover the secrets that surround the girls’ deaths. But by getting involved, Nisha jeopardizes not only her own future in the City of a Thousand Dolls—but her own life.

Vividly imaginative, culturally lush and exotically enriched, City of a Thousand Dolls proved to be an epic high fantasy with the best of both world. Maintaining a murder mystery that was not only vividly recognized and kept us tethered to our seats. Miriam Forster's world truly is a sight to behold. A mix of many known religions, noteworthy was the Indian origins of many of the story's aspects. Bhinian Empire is going to be a series that would pull us in time after time and we would find new things everytime we do so.

City of a Thousand Dolls, is a lone estate and nurtured to train and care for the unwanted girls of the Empire. Music, dancing, healing, beauty and combat were some of the subjects girls are trained in and the author did a wonderful job of explaining and elaborating on each of the houses and how they worked. The mythos and the rules and regulations of this world and its history were also touched and Forster truly did not disappoint.... Of course there are talking cats too, how could we forget them. Some of the best parts involved them.

The diverse fill of characters too brought their own into this world. Nisha as the protagonist was of course the one focused upon. Belonging to none of the houses, she makes her way as the Matron's assistant. Being her eyes and ears in the City, Nisha enjoys a lot of privileges. A dreamer, ignorant of her origins, Nisha is pretty happy with her lot in life. Then she catches the eye of the noble courier and starts to fantasize about a life outside of the city. She is a free spirited teenager who enjoys what life had bestowed on her and while she knows what is expected of her, she is hesitant to inform her desires to her noble paramour.

But then close to an important celebration, murder strikes the heart of the city. One by one girls are dying, each scene more mysterious than the last, and Nisha finds herself as the investigator. And her well ordered life has turned into a chaotic mess, a simple misstep and her hopes of freedom world go up in flames.

The secondary characters too had a role to play. Be it the cats (Jerrit, Esmer), the Matron, Devan, Tanaya, Akash or the Prince Sudev they all brought a level of vibrancy to the tale. The action and adventure and the mystery of the murders and the resulting suspense were all well paced witout overwhelming the story or its readers. Miriam Forster has provided us a gem and its is only just the beginning too.

"A vivid, imaginative and culturally exotic high fantasy"

Genre :      Young Adult, Paranormal, Dystopia, Fantasy, Romance

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: 5th February, 2013

My Copy: bought (ebook)

Rate:              5/5 (It was Amazing)

Buy:           Amazon | Book Depository