Seas of Crimson Silk

Burning Empire, Book 1

By: Emma Hamm

Narrated by: Alison Campbell, Andrew Kingston

Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

A dragon can be loyal forever, if you tame her first. But Sigrid would sooner be dead than tamed.

Dragon shifter Sigrid of Wildewyn has spent her life in a cage, quite literally. Whether she's hidden from her own people, or masked so they cannot see her face, she's dedicated her life to her country and king. But, when her king promises her to a rival warlord and Sultan of a country she hates, her loyalty is tested.

Nadir of Bymere was the boy king no one ever thought would sit on the throne. And though he knows his country is ruled by corrupt advisors, he's lost himself in the glory of being Sultan. When they force him to marry a masked woman from the country who murdered his brother, he's set to torture her for a lifetime.

Both hiding their own secrets, the two slowly realize there is more to both their kingdoms than they originally thought. With many in the kingdom who need help, Sigrid and Nadir must choose who they truly ally with: each other...or their kingdoms. Their choice will put either their hearts or their lives at risk.

©2019 Emma Hamm (P)2019 Emma Hamm

Amazing

Amazing book. I was so engaged. The characters are phenomenal and the plot is enthralling. I adore this author and would read anything she writes. 10/5 stars.

Great shifter book

I felt the story was kinda slow in the beginning, and picked up more towards the middle. Once wit picked up, I really enjoyed the story and need book 2 to find out what happens.

Engaging Characters

The characters are lovely. They are true. They made errors, made mistakes, won and lost. They knew they weren’t perfect, but they were true to their hearts. I love this audio!

a sensational book

I loved every minute of this book a captivating book from start to finish .
This book had me from the beginning with the characters mysterious forms.
I could almost feel the emotions of the characters as if I was there a must read book you will not be disappointed.
I would love a sequel if ever there was to be one.

Absolutely Wonderful

This is absolutely wonderful. This story makes you think about how it was long time ago. It will make you imagine about everything that happened in the story. I love the setting as well as the characters!

Forbidden Love.. or is it?

I absolutely LOVED listening to this book. The story line is impressively well written and the narration was absolutely perfect. Kudos for finding the perfect two to read the parts of Sigrid and Nadir.
The ONLY thing I would change is the new name for the boy king. Sure, God King has a majestic ring to it, but DRAGON King is a much better fit.
I also hope to see the dragon mates reunite in book two. 🥰 It breaks my heart that they both let pride get in the way of something beautiful.

Unique, but slow

This was an entertaining story that I found unique. It does have some twists and turns, but overall everything just moves slowly. I enjoyed the story, and if book 2 were available on audio, I might give it a go. However, I don't think I'll continue the series. While the story is engaging, it's just not quite enough to get me to keep reading.

I really liked the narration. I thought it fit the characters well and brought the story to life.

Quick & Dirty Details:
- Fantasy - shifters
- Enemies-to-lovers
- M/F Romance - main characters are 19 and 20 years old
- Young Adult (not steamy)
- Multi POV

Disappointed with the ending

I really enjoyed the first part of the book a lot. I liked how the characters interacted with each other and the lore. I thought bother narrators did a pretty good job with the story, even with slightly different accents. However, the second half of the book seemed off. The story seemed to completely shift and both characters made decisions that didn't seem to follow their character values. There were a lot of unanswered questions and some things really just don't make sense. One thing that really bothers me was the mask. During most of the book, wearing masks is such a huge deal and then all of a sudden Sigrid could care less about covering her face. It was never explained why wearing a mask was important in the first place. The ending was honestly depressing. Hopefully the next book will be more like the first part of this book.

A untold gem

Such a captivating and wonderful adventure. This narrator draws you into the story , and honestly I didn’t want to stop.
Told in different POV this story follows Sigrid and nadir.
Sigrid is a woman , a beast kin . The last of her kind. A race of people who hold both a woman and a animal under her skin and in her soul. A dragon . She wants blood and battle , freedom. Unfortunately she is just a pawn.
Nadir is a boy king . A sultan who is also a pawn to others . His advisors make the decisions and war is close between his and Sigrid lands.
A peace treaty has been made. Sigrid will be nadir’s second wife as a peace offering . They have much to learn ... From each other. Will Sigrid kill him as a infiltrated spy or will Nadir surprise us with secrets of his own.

Shape-shifters Meet Romeo & Juliet

Romeo & Juliet is a tale as old as time.

Such is a tragic love story that can also be found between Sigrid and Nadir. However, as much as I disliked the popular Shakespearean romance in highschool, I think the relationship was forced in Seas of Crimson Silk. In more ways than one.

When Nadir firs meets Sigrid, she's been promised to him like a bargaining chip, a ward given away to ensure peace between two countries living in tentative peace. In this encounter, Nadir specifically stated that he will make Sigrid submit to him as his wife and as his lesser. From that moment on, I spent the entire time disliking Nadir. And also from the moment on, the book made every attempt to redeem his character. But when that's the first impression a reader receives, there's no redeeming that character. That is who he will continue to be in my mind's eye.
as the romance between the two protagonists hops off and they find that they're even more similar in more ways than one, I couldn't get behind it. The entire story started to lose its meaning for me as it left Sigrid's struggles in a foreign land, and settled on her affection for the sultan and his Bymirian people and her loyalty to her own kind.

Alison Campbell and Andrew Kingston brought all the characters to life. It was as if I were actually privvy to observing the events unfold from the most prime position. Kingston is especially talented for his portrayal of the little dove girl.