Thank you to NetGalley and to Starwatch Press for the ARC of Echoes of the Imperium by Nicholas Atwater and Olivia Atwater.

In January 2023, I was lucky to receive an ARC of Olivia Atwater's The Witchwood Knot and I fell in love with her writing style and her atmospheric faerie tales. I read The Witchwood Knot in one sitting, and then did the same one night after the next for her Regency Faerie Tales trilogy. Suffice to say, I was an instant Atwater fan. Having signed up for her newsletter that same week, I was able to receive the first two chapters of what would be fully released as book 1 of Echoes of the Imperium and I devoured that too. It's now been close to ten months since my first exposure to the Iron Rose, as well as the short story The Good, The Bad and the Goblin, and the novella A Matter of Execution and I also truly love this world and what it is building. I'm not sure on the exact split/style of writing Nicholas and Olivia share together, but I would qualify them as Ilona Andrews level spectacular, where two minds truly are making a phenomenal story together. Any fantasy fan should add them to their TBR.

To some degree, the series reminds me of Scott Lynch's Locke Lamora, just in a more steampunk, Tuath Dé mythological imbued world setting. There are hijinks and heists and a world history that has put down the little guy time and time again and the ragtag crew of the Iron Rose is both intent on survival, but also on found family and helping to correct the mistakes of the past.

In Echoes of the Imperium we join Captain William Blair, Evie, Little, MacDougal, and the rest of the crew as they take on a transport job that ends up having much larger and darker consequences than intended. One attempt to score a high payday instead leads to pirates chasing their ship, a mysterious new passenger who secures an oath for passage in exchange for saving the crew, and the reveal of a new invention that could lead their world from it's 20 years of (semi) peaceful revolution back into the control of the defeated imperium.

I think the steampunk world building is absolutely top notch, and while I wish there was a bit more to help me understand the Tuath Dé mythology and how it plays into the larger make-up of how the world functions, there is a lot that can be gleaned from context in understanding the overall setting and implications.

I didn't expect the Atwaters to go as extreme as they did in the first book with the plot - but I'm not mad about it. Having had other exposure to the world/characters, I was fully onboard at the 25% mark with the book being about helping Pelaia and making small inroads into making change where it counts (I also was emotionally broken at one particular plot point I did not see coming, so the intent of the story at this point seemed like it would understandably resolve in this one space). When instead things went full steam ahead to an entire world level crisis instead of city level I was a bit shocked, but it also made total sense as the story grew and it has definitely helped set the series up for an explosive sequel.

A fabulous steampunk pirate adventure!

I loved the main character/narrator of the story - Captain William Blair, goblin airship pirate with a difficult past trying to do better. He and his found family and ragtag crew take on a perilous job that leads them towards ever increasing danger. The current day story is interwoven with the story of a younger Blair and how the Imperium he served was destroyed.

With fabulous airship fighting, a mysterious Fae helmsman, screaming shades of the dead, and hidden identities, this is a wild ride of a story!

But in addition to the swashbuckling fun there are also some deep themes - grief, guilt, remorse and ultimately redemption as the captain and his crew deal with the aftermath of a war they lost.

If you enjoyed Jim Butcher's Cinder Spires, you’ll love this first book in the Tales of the Iron Rose!

Generally speaking, I am loath to find meaning in books. I’m not here for theme and deeper understanding. I want entertainment. That said, even I could see very early on that in its heart, this book is about redemption–about being true to yourself and your understanding of right even when that understanding comes later than you might like to admit, and more especially even with it’s soul-rendingly difficult.

That said, this book is also an absolute romp. Adventure, action, humor (just saying but the scene where Blair almost loses his hat might be my favorite). The characters within these pages will become so real you forget that they’re just words on paper (or a screen, thank you technology). I’ve been a huge fan of Captain Blair and his crew since Nicholas introduced me to A Matter of Execution and, let me tell you, I had high expectations for this book. Each and every one was not just met but surpassed.

I’m not one to highlight passages in books, but if I were, this book would be a rainbow of witty banter and spectacularly worded lines. The talent and imagination of the authors is clear in every beautifully polished sentence.

Before going into this I was warned that Echoes of the Imperium was a chonky book. Despite that, plot tension and genuine curiosity kept me turning pages until the very end. If you enjoy expertly crafted worlds, intricate plots, and characters you want to invite over for tea and cocktails, this book is for you.

As one might expect in a story that involves what amounts to sky pirates living in the aftermath of a devastating war, there is violence. It’s graphic without being overdone. Be forewarned that there is a scene early on that deal with suicide–again, not horrifically graphic, but could be a problem for some readers.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a chance at reading this.

I enjoy my fantasy / airpunk stories. I liked the combination of flying warships and humans / fantasy creatures. Reminded me of Treasure Planet.

However, I only made it 20% into this book before dropping it. There was... a lot of nothing going on. One hand you got a lot of character information, but the characters weren't really grabbing me. They didn't really scream interesting or the plot itself didn't seem interesting. I also felt that outside the military aspect, you really don't understand the world they live in, its people. Everything is confined mostly to the airship.

I somewhat dislike books where all the action is confined to one spot, because you rely on the characters to make you forget that they can't move anywhere. However, when the characters themselves are boring what can you do?

3.85✨ rounded up.
This book completely snuck up on me.
You can tell that the authors spent a lot of time building their characters - they are all so unique, in the absolute best way. The found family is extremely heartwarming.
I would say that this book is action packed. I cried at 14% and I kept thinking : I can’t believe I’m crying right now! 14% is so early to be so attached to characters.

I’ve rarely read a pirate based High Fantasy - so this was a nice change. IMO - this is also Epic Fantasy. The stakes are incredibly high.

The world building is well done, though I will say that the strong suits of this book are 1) the characters and 2) the unique plot and storyline.

From 1-50% something is always happening - then it slows down a bit between 50-80%. It was mostly well balanced but sometimes it was a bit overwhelming, to be quite honest.

I loved the ending a lot. It wrapped up the story beautifully and I’m excited for book 2.