“I was Death, always and forever, and that kind of power came with ghosts.”
The Empress of Time brings us back into the story of Ren Scarborough, half Reaper-half Shinigami, a decade after the events of The Keeper of Night. In this riveting sequel, her brother is no longer by her side, her fiancé was killed by her own hand, she holds a position of power that she never sought for, and Shinigami under her rule don’t respect her. As if that wasn’t enough, her struggles grow as new threats begin to emerge in Japan.
In this second, and final installment, Ren is engulfed by darkness. She has become the Goddess of Death and now rules over Yomi, the Japanese underworld. Even though her Shinigami still treat and see her as a foreigner—and continuously challenge her position of power—she is determined to bring her brother Neven back. However, greater threats arise, Reapers have started to arrive to Japan and Ren’s old enemy, also in a position of power, wants to claim revenge. To protect the country, her last hope is to seek aid from scheming gods and mischievous Yōkai to force the Reapers to go back to England. Tsukuyomi, the moon god, is sent to help her, and so together, along with two other characters, they will embark on a journey against time to change Japan’s fate.
Kylie Lee Baker’s writing is as atmospheric and visually descriptive as it was in the first book. Even though it’s also graphic and gory—as you’d expect from a tale involving mythical monsters and gods—it’s easy to fly through the chapters thanks to the flow and pace of the story. The book has a slow start but it soon picks up and there’s not a dull moment from that point on. Baker definitely knows how to keep the readers hooked: all the fights and action scenes are so well-written and absorbing. And the way the character’s ARC unfolds is also captivating and keeps one guessing until the end.
We also see a similar timeline and themes to the first book, but that doesn’t make it less interesting. At its core this is also a quest fantasy with the relationship between Ren and Neven ultimately being the driving force of the story. Baker tying colonisation with the war between Reapers and Shinigamis was a very interesting point to read about; although it would’ve been nice to see a bit more depth to it than what’s shown in the book.
As for the characters themselves, Ren is still a complex and morally grey character but utterly compelling. She scraps for every bit of respect she can find when nobody is willing to give it to her because of her roots. But no matter how harsh the world is to her she is much crueller to herself and it’s utterly heartbreaking. However, it is nice to see her development and how she little by little feels more secure in her own skin and how she is not scared to put up a fight and go after what she wants to matter what; no matter how villainous she might look to others, after all, she is the Goddess of Death. Tsukuyomi, the moon god, was such a wonderful addition to the story. It’s easy to see why Ren would not trust him because of where she’s coming from but his story is delightful to read. He has such an interesting personality as well and is so charismatic, very easy to love. Talking about the other characters would be too much of a spoiler so you’ll have to read for yourselves to find out!
Although this sequel does not have quite the impact as the first one, it still grants a great resolution. Dark, gory, and dynamic, The Empress of Time is full of action, scary spirits, and character betrayals. All in all, Kylie Lee Baker offers us the perfect conclusion to this intricate mythological story. If you are a fan of folklore and dark fantasy be sure to give this duology a try, it won’t disappoint you!
The Empress of Time is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of October 4th, 2022.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami Ren Scarborough is no longer the girl who was chased out of England—she is the Goddess of Death ruling Japan’s underworld. But her problems have never been greater. Her Shinigami see her as a foreigner on the throne. Her brother, Neven, is gone, lost in the deep darkness. And her fiancé, Hiro, has been killed by her own hand.
Then Ren receives the most troubling news yet —Reapers have been spotted in Japan, and it’s only a matter of time before Ivy, now Britain’s Death Goddess, comes to claim her revenge.
Ren’s last hope is to appeal to the god of storms and seas, who can turn the tides to send Ivy’s ship away from Japan’s shores. But he’ll help Ren only if she finds a sword lost thousands of years ago—an impossible demand.
Together with the moon god Tsukuyomi, who shares an uncanny resemblance to his brother Hiro, Ren ventures across the country in a race against time. As her journey thrusts her into the middle of scheming gods and dangerous Yokai demons, Ren will have to learn who she can truly trust—and the fate of Japan hangs in the balance.
