This was a very slow-burning book to get through and straight off the bat could have been shortened in order to make it more endearing for the reader. Despite this, however, the writing style of Smart is fantastic and did hold my attention as a reader.

Smart has managed to build up an intricate world full of political agendas, mystery assailants, dangerous monsters and betrayal. Most of the characters have been fully developed and fleshed out - it is clear (mostly) what their motives are and how they wish to develop them however the book still manages to provide you with twists and turns on each corner.

The first half of the book took a little bit of getting used to and I should have completed a re-read of book one before diving into this in order to get to grips with the storyline quicker however the second half of the book was faster paced and held incredible battle scenes which were meticulously written.

This was a fantastic conclusion to the duology and I look forward to seeing more of Smart’s work in the future.

Really interesting world building in the book. Lots going on in this book with a number of characters.

I loved Witches Steeped in Gold but felt this follow-up was too bloated. If it had been more sharply edited, I think the story would have stood out more rather than leaving the reader slightly underwhelmed.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

Thank you so much for this Arc to the author and NetGalley!

First of all I was so so looking forward to get this in my hand and keep reading about Aiyca. I loved the magic world inspired by Jamaican folklore and it developed even more in this book.

The middle of the book was the most action packed and totally read through it so quickly! But, I was disappointed by the ending, it felt rushed. As if 3/4 of the book things happened and on the last 1/4 we got a rushed ending. Overall I really enjoyed it!

I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I couldn't get into it at all. I can see why others would really enjoy but it just couldn't capture my attention.

So so good, one of my favorite fantasy books of this year.

It is a great continuation of the first book and I am so glad I finally got my next fix of the series. I can't wait for Smart's next book!

A fantastic sequel to a fantastic book. A very gripping and dramatic read, which I flew through. You have to read this!

I so love this book, it’s a wonderful imaginative world , full of diverse characters and I love the surprises, the twists you always think you know where it’s going to go but you really don’t, I love it when an author does that, such amazing writing and beautiful too. If you enjoyed the first book, you’ll love this

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I got through 25% and I just couldn’t continue to waste my time on something I am not enjoying.

The characters were flat, the plot all over the show with not a lot happening.

A jaw-dropping sequel to one of my favourite duologies ever! Smart’s command of the English language is unparalleled and proves a stunning end to Iraya and Jazmyne’s story.

Absolutely loved this, great follow on to the first book. I loved the plot, te setting and the characters. I highly recommend this series to anyone that enjoys fantasy

Another look into a fantastic world seeped in magic and despair. I loved everything about this from the characters to the plot. Would recommend this series to anyone who loves a good drama

I was quite excited for this one, a lush and sprawling fantasy that builds on the intrigue of Witches Steeped in Gold, giving us a chance to see how the relationship between these two girls - Iraya and Jazmyne - would evolve now their forced collaboration has borne fruit and the question remains what comes next for Aiyca. But I was really disappointed to find how slow-moving this was. I put it down multiple times, thinking perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for it, but found myself dreading going back to it. I even tried the audiobook version to see if I could keep up with the progress of the book while I was doing something with my hands, but eventually I had to admit defeat and say this wasn't for me. DNF at 35%

Saying this right at the start: this is book 2 of 2. So if you haven't read book 1 then you should (and I reviewed that here). If you decide to read on, you will encounter spoilers from the first book.
Right here is good if you need a memory refresh though, because I'm going to recap some of the things I'm thinking are probably important for this book, before I start reading.
Alright. So we left off with a lot of confusion, and a lot of different threads, some of which had been pulled together.
The doyenne is dead, long live the new doyenne: Jazmyne. Throughout the first book, she grew from totally unready to lead, to finding her power, to getting a liiiiittle bit drunk on it. Subplot ready to turn into plotplot: the pirates! She wants to be doyenne and pirate queen because otherwise the pirates will be coming, as soon as they elect one. So that's that. She's thrown in with them and they with her.
Ira - aka Iraya Adair, last scion of the Adair family Jazmyne's mother (and her Unlit buddies) killed. She had sworn herself to the Warrior cast and the super secret order of super secrecy. She doesn't want to be doyenne, she never did, but she did want to kill the doyenne who killed her parents. Here enters a whole winding tale between Ira and the Obeah and Kidan and Jazmyne as she tries to reconcile the weight of expectations placed on her the second anyone figures out who she is, with her desire to get revenge and head off again to find her super secret sect. She's softened a little, realising that had she worked with people before things would have gone better, and certain awful things wouldn't have happened. It's humbled her a little, but her arrogance won't stay away for long, I'm sure. Her biggest magical issue has been the glyphs stopping her "naevus" - the ancestral magic. Getting rid of or working around them has to be a priority, and so far she's been good at neither. Plus, whenever she pushes, destructive blinding light (hello naevus) erupts from her. This has the side effect of immediately telling everyone in the vicinity the the Lost Empress is right there.
Kirdan. Well now, he's an interesting one. Posed as a cousin if the doyenne who rules the Zesians–a people who really really want to take the Aiycan island for themselves because it's the only place where the golden conduit coins live, and magi need to use coins as conduits for their magic (except for Ira, because she is one of the Super Special Descendants with a special core of power aside from the usual). Turns out, he's the prince and firstborn. Unfortunately for him, firstborn boys are not looked upon fondly by a matriarchal society in which the passing on of magic is done by death or sharing. A firstborn boy is seen as taking magic that isn't rightly his. So they put them into the army of bastards and train them up real good to fight.
Kirdan, who had allied with Delsyn and Sham, two Obeah who Ira tried super hard to push away, wants to help Iraya but she made it lots harder for them, which was actually pretty funny. But he wants Iraya, if she won't lead, to at least revoke the law that doesn't allow a doyen, before appointing him to that post either over all, or in Zesia.
And Ira needs to decide on things soon, because the Jade Guild, assumed by all to be disgruntled Obeah, are, in fact, Unlit who are tearing holes in the Veil to let nasty beasties through. They plan to isolate all three islands (which is pretty much done), capture Aiyca for the conduit gold, then go after everything else. And having successfully propaganda’d themselves into looking like the plucky rebels, their actual Obeah ranks are swelling.
Last bit of recap: jéges. These are four mythical-but-real items, two of which can only be activated by an Adair. A locket which amplifies magic (Adair only); a tome of deep and powerful patwah spells: a mirror in two halves; one of which we have seen used and reflects back any spell that hits it, magnified x10 (Adair only); and the aforementioned Conduit Falls.
Currently, the tome and one half of the mirror are with Ira and the others. The Falls are not moveable, but nobody knows where they are without a doyenne's secret knowledge of the thing. And the others are presumably with Jazmyne.
I hope Iraya finds a way to break the traditions, to be a new type of Empress who can stand for herself, as a Warrior, as well as a ruler. Her people have this weird, compulsive, imposed fragility thing that they push upon their Empresses, and that's a big part of the problem for her–being a fighter and all.

Alrighty then, onto the book!
I am getting more and more needy about wanting to know details about this world. Everything around the story is so rich with life and history–and secrecy–this book just adds to it. I desperately don't want to be forced to leave this world behind.
Some of the writing strikes me anew. As we see Roje the pirate more, Smart uses nautical words to describe his voice, his tone, his mood. It's a neat touch, that just speaks again to the detail with which Smart has written.
The plotlines from book 1 were numerous, so the introduction of a bunch more was worrying at first. There was an awful lot happening, and it was all going kind of slowly. But suddenly you realise everything actually led somewhere and it's time for the Big Finish!
I loved these books and the world they're set in. Grab them both if you can.
Queer character info: Anya from the last book, some hints of others - definitely there. Vea has died offscreen.

Empress Crowned in Red was released on 7th June 2022. Order your copy from Amazon US or UK, or from your favourite bookseller or library.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher's for allowing me access to Empress Crowned in Red,

I wanted to continue the series to see if I could really expand on book one and gain better understanding and depth of the character but I think this one was just too long and drawn out for me. I struggled a little through book one and that made this a daunting read to begin with.

As with the first in the series, its duel POV, a favourite of mine, but I didn't find enough differences in the characters or really enough depth to either Iraya or Jazmyne.
That said I have to say that I do love Irayas sass and its back in this book so Iraya lovers will not be disappointed. In fact if you largely enjoyed book 1 you won't be disappointed at all, its a great continuation in a familiar style to Witches Steeped In Gold but I think I was hoping this next book in the series would see more development and investment in both MC's. Although there is no doubt this is beautifully written for me its almost too much and too drawn out and I just don't feel for the characters the way I have in other books of similar plots and stories. To me this defiantly reads more like an adult fantasy but I do appreciate that I prefer the very light hearted YA books the most, so this is personal preference and opinion.
Plot is good, it lacked some of the fantasy element for me too that I felt Witches Steeped In Gold had more of.
A huge bonus to this book and its predecessor, is the world building, Smart can really build the surrounding scenes and vision, with beautiful descriptive writing, helping with you feeling part of the world and envision the surroundings and also encompassing history and lore, it takes some concentration to keep up but I can absolutely appreciate the research and planning it takes to create such a world. I just felt that the characters actions and dialogue didn't always bring it home to create an atmosphere.

To summarise, if you loved book 1 (Witches Steeped in Gold) and you like your fantasy heavy on the details you will love this.

I loved book 1 but was slightly underwhelmed by this book. It felt too long and slow and I couldn’t concentrate on the plot. Despite that, this book is full of magic and awe. My only fault was that it needed to pick up the pace at certain times! 4 stars.

The world building and writing in this book are epic. Ciannon has developed an interesting and captivating world that was well developed with history and myth. There was so much potential with this series but unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me.

I found the pace too slow and because the book was so long, I'd end up putting it down for periods and forgetting about it.. Nothing really captured my attention and I had no time for Jazymen. I like Iraya more, but the short chapters made the story constantly chop around and I'd lose interest.

Witches Steeped in Gold was one of my fave recent reads, I was so excited to approved for the second book and it did not disappoint! The dual narration gave a greater in-depth view of the story, I could not put it down!

If you loved the first book, I can promise you are going to love this one even more. Iraya and Jazmyne both have beautifully haunting character arcs that I know are going to stay with me for a long time. I'm sad that I won't see certain relationships resolved and healed in a third book in the saga but I couldn't have wished for a better ending. Aiyca had the ending I had always wished for it to have.

The story was rife with tension between Iraya and Jazmyne as to who would emerge on the Golden Seat of Aiyca, although sometimes the pacing was too slow for my liking. Barring that this book was everything I wished it to be and more.