Jacquelyn Benson

Series Info/Source: This is the 2nd book in the Raiders of the Arcana series. I got this as an eGalley from NetGalley.

Thoughts: I loved this book even more than the first book in this series. The archaeological adventures continue with amazing historical settings, thrilling traps, high energy gun fights and explosions, wonderful characters, and a bit of romance. I am thoroughly enjoying this series and so happy to find out there will be another book in it.

Ellie and Adam are in Egypt in hopes of stopping the mysterious Jacob and crew from stealing the Staff of Moses from Ellie's brother's Egyptian dig site. We finally get to spend time with Ellie's best friend Constance, who is a force of nature and huge amount of fun (they call her the danger gnome). We also spend a lot of time with Ellie's brother, Neil Fairfax. Both of these characters were amazing additions to the story. We also get the addition of some wonderful native Egyptians who are just as bent on saving Egypt's history as Ellie is. There is some magical realism and flatout magic in here but it is fairly subtle.

This story is pure fun with fast-paced action and adventure. However, it has a lot of heart too. Neil is coming to terms with the fact he could have been more supportive of Ellie and her want to become and archaeologist. Adam and Ellie are trying to navigate their relationship. It would be easier for Adam's sense of honor if he and Ellie married, but he doesn't want to change who she is and he knows her views of marriage. Constance is under pressure to find a husband soon, and strangely Ellie's brother, who she used to terrorize as a little girl, is looking like an intriguing prospect. The crew is also realizing how horrible the English actions in Egypt really are as they befriend Egyptian archaeologists who are forced to work are foreman and watch their country's history be desecrated and shipped to England.

Meanwhile the whole group is trying to save the staff of Moses from nefarious criminals and in the process unveils both the secrets of the Tomb of Nefertiti and even more secrets around the history of religion as we know it.

It is all very exciting, very engaging, and very entertaining. The writing here is flawless and incredibly easy to read. Some of the descriptions of history and stories from the time might get a bit long for some readers, however, I love this type of stuff and ate it all up. I learned so much about Egyptian history and mythology while reading this very entertaining book.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I loved this book even more than the first book and can't wait for the series to continue. This is a truly well done series that is entertaining, thought-provoking, fast-paced, and heartwarming. I really enjoyed it a lot. If you are at all interested in a fast-paced archaeological adventure that doesn't shy away from societal issues (and has some romance) I would recommend. I am set on finding out what other series Benson has written because I would like to read those too!… (more)

“Empire of Shadows,” by Jacquelyn Benson

Ellie’s fight for women’s rights turns into an arrest that ends in her losing her job. As she is packing up her belongings from work, she comes across a map to an ancient city that has yet to be discovered. She takes a few chances, hoppes a few fences, and ends up in the jungle asking a strange guy to show her the way to the city on the map.

What a great book! It’s the mummy but in central America instead of Egypt. The two main characters are funny and adorable. The story line and world building were well paced and interesting. Perfect for a lighthearted Victorian adventure. I loved so much in this book. Well worth the read. 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.… (more)

“The world doesn’t change. Not unless we make it- you, me, everybody. We’ve got to keep rattling the bars, even though they feel like they could never possibly break. Because maybe if enough of us do, something’ll finally give.”

“Tomb of the Sun King,” by Jacquelyn Benson

What I liked about this book:
-The setting, it takes place in Egypt looks through tombs. It was way more like the movie The Mummy than the first in the series.
-Very feminist focused, even compared to the first in the series because there was a greater focus on topics like marriage.
-So adventurous, this series has so much adventure and treasure hunting, but the good kind of treasure hunting and not just stealing artifacts, and that especially has a focus in the book (the morality of archeology and treasure hunting).
-Loved the family aspect in this book with the main FMC and her brother being the main characters.
-The magic, the lore, aesthetics, the entire vibe of the book.
What I didn’t love as much:
-This book was focused on the relationships with other characters and the story of adventure, more so than the first book which had a little more romance aspect to the book.
-A little too much time spent on talking of morality of marriage than I wanted to read.
-More POV’s than the first book. Not a huge fan of book that have more than 2 POV’s.
All in all, I loved this book. I did love book 1 a little more than. 4 out of 5 stars.

-Egypt
-Multi POV
-Magic Items
-Family Conflict

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

“If one must bluff, one might as well do it wildly.”… (more)

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Raiders of the Arcana series. I got a copy of this on audiobook for review from NetGalley.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. It has a lot of story elements that I always enjoy, and it was very well done and well written. This is full of fun archaeological adventures, humor, and some romance. This is set in the nineteenth century and is a historical fantasy adventure of sorts. Although, the magic in here is very light and I would say it is more magical realism.

Ellie lost her job at university after getting arrested for protesting for women's right to vote. However, she may have nabbed a bit of a treasure map on her way out. Now Ellie is heading to Hondorus to find what she thinks may be the lost City of Eldorado. When she gets there, she realizes that she is going to need a guide and that a ruthless villain who wants what she has is on her tail. She ends up enlisting the help of Adam Bates, a surveyor, to track down the city. They start to gain great respect for each other during their travels and soon they are not only dodging ancient traps and bullets but some rather inappropriate feelings as well.

This story has so many elements that I love. It has a bit of that Victorian flare (although time-wise we are edging past that). It has a strong female protagonist that is willing to push against the limits set on her. It has a wonderfully high action archaeological adventures with some magic. In addition to all that, the dialogue is witty and fun and there is a sweet but steamy romance woven throughout the story (but it doesn't overwhelm the story at all). At of these elements are balanced to make an incredibly fun story that reminded me of Indian Jones but was even more fun because of the characters and the bits of magic. I wish there were more archaeological adventures series like this out there!

I loved Ellie and Adam as characters and the bad guy was delightfully bad. The story isn't all that complex, but I did love that some supernatural magic comes in to play. I loved the action and fast pace and just really, really enjoyed this one!

I did listen to this on audiobook and have absolutely no complaints. The narrator did an amazing job here; I felt like I was actually in the jungle with Ellie and Adam. Definitely a great one to listen to if you love audiobooks.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this one. If you enjoy Indiana Jones types of stories but in a more historical setting and with a bit of romance and some magical realism, I would highly recommend. This was a wonderfully fun archaeological adventure with some discussion of women's rights, a lot of witty banter, action, adventure and romance. I already picked up the next book, "Tomb of the Sun King", to review, and will be reading it soon!… (more)