I must say that I love the selling strategy that this author is using, she knows that her books are good, so she sells the first one for free to hook readers so they'll buy the rest of them. I wish more authors would do this, as I really think it's a great way to introduce new readers, especially in the fairly new eBook digital age. Also, I'm very happy that this was free, as frankly, if I had read a sample to this book, I probably wouldn't have bought it. I say this because the intro isn't written too well, it kind of throws you right into the characters, and I was very aware of the writing, which obstructed my reading flow. I was especially annoyed by how certain things were described in the beginning, where while Amaranthe was giving a relatively highly detailed observation of the world around her, to describe herself her partner had very awkward dialogue. Specifically where he comments about how her hair was still in a tight bob, and that she was the most grandmotherly 25 year old he's ever known. However, a few chapters in I really started to enjoy the book, possibly more than I expected. The book is a little bit fluffy, being a slightly steam-punky urban fantasy world featuring one female main character view point surrounded by men, three of them causing some sexual tension. However, it's all done very well, with the female character being very interesting and original (pretty intelligent and strong but suffering from at least moderate OCD), also none of the romances are forced, they're definitely a slow burn, making you anticipate what will happen in the future books. The other main characters, villains, and small characters are all interesting & very well developed with room to grow in the following novels (if they survive).
The world building is a little thin, with the featured empire being probably the most technologically advanced in the world. The time period is around that of the industrial revolution, with a whole lot of steam power, muskets, and repeating crossbows. You could probably call it steam punk, but it is very light, and what's there isn't distracting. Their empire previously outlawed all religions, decapitating all the statues of deities in the empire. The common belief is that magic is fake, but at the same time it is illegal in the empire. The magic system so far is very generic, called the Mind Sciences, it apparently relies on mental willpower, where an experienced user can be invulnerable to attack unless they're distracted, they can immobilise other people (among other things), and they can create magical constructs/creatures after sacrificing a significant amount of human souls (these are also immune to physical damage). This could be improved in the future novels, but here it's really just used as a go to plot device.
The story is full of twists and turns that keep the reader on their toes, and it causes the book to be a real page turner. Some of the coincidences are a little goofy and forced, a non-spoiler example being how she just randomly walked around the city and found talented, loyal, and unique members for her group (similar to the beginnings of a lot of RPG video games). The Emperor's Edge is definitely light fantasy, but it is a very enjoyable read. I'd probably rate the book an 8.75 or at most 9 out of 10, but since it was free, I'm giving it 5 stars, and I would definitely recommend this book any fan of Fantasy, but especially fans of Urban Fantasy.
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Top reviews from other countries
LF
Super beginning of the series!
Reviewed in the Netherlands on September 18, 2022