Empress Crowned in Red

By: Ciannon Smart

Narrated by: Nicola Lambo, Tamika Katon-Donegal

Length: 25 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir and Roseanne A. Brown, this highly anticipated sequel to Witches Steeped in Gold finds rival witches Jaz and Iraya in an alliance that hangs by a thread, with a brand-new enemy on the horizon.

The Doyenne is dead, and the throne is empty.

Iraya, her revenge taken and magic unfettered, turns her sights on a bigger goal: freeing Aiyca for the Obeah. But first she must shed the guise of the rogue warrior and become the Lost Empress her people need.

Jazmyne’s mother has been overthrown, but her people aren’t ready to call her doyenne. She’s no stranger to a fight, though, and she’s prepared to go to extreme lengths—and court ruthless danger—to secure her title.

But a new threat is awakening—an enemy with vicious intent and an army of nightmares from beyond the veil. An enemy who has waited a decade to strike, who would claim both Iraya’s birth right and Jazmyne’s bloody crown.

Trust is scarce, and betrayal a breath away. And Iraya and Jazmine must once again turn to each other—after all, better the witch you know than the nightmare you don’t.

The war has just begun.

©2022 Ciannon Smart (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Edge of my seat!

This book was amazing. I’d say even better than the first! Full of excitement and twists all the way through!

why is it over!?!

this series was/is so good! I'm so sad it's not more. I like long book series and this one right here is AMAZING! I HOPE THERE'S GOING TO BE MORE.

Truly Enjoyable

I started this series from the beginning and I honestly wasn’t sure if I would finish the first book. I powered through and got invested in the lives of the characters. I will say that I don’t really like Jasmine she was conniving and expected a lot when she brought very little to the table. I liked Araya because she was saucy and responsible even when she didn’t want to be. I knew that Kierden and Araya would be together and I was ready to be upset when I thought he would leave Araya for Jasmine. Outside of the triangle this was a rich story and I was sorry for it to end. I recommend this book.

Absolutely in love with the series! More please!

I can't get enough. I need more. it's so good. and I'm telling all my friends about it

Love the series

When is the next installment coming out? Has it been written yet? Is there a release date?

Great Book

I really loved this book. It is such a great listen. Such great character development and plot.

I loved it

I could say another about this book but I won't do it justice. you must read it for yourself go on the journey with them and at some point they will show you a bit of yourself.

Kind of slow, but love the story

I definitely think this book ended the way it should have! I found myself getting anxious with some of the story hurrying to reveal the plot. I guessed who the imposter was since the first novel though! I STAN Empress Adair!

😍 Loved every MINUTE

This story was an excellent addition to "Witches Crowned in Gold". The narrator was fluent in her accent. Each character has a purpose, Completely enjoyed the plot twist. overall I would recommend this story.

Very inventive. Better than first book

This book and the first one, "Witches Steeped in Gold" are young adult books about witches. They are very long and I think a better editor could have cut them by 20% without losing their impact. The first one spends a lot of time on world building so this book benefits from that and can concentrate more on the story which it does.

This is told from the vantage of two main characters for which each has a separate narrator. Both have heavy Jamaican accents so I asked a Jamaican for her opinion. She thought they both sounded great. I had to start with it at normal speed, but was able to speed up a little once I got used to the accents.

The use of vocabulary and language is interesting because the author uses a lot of advanced words and you could look them up and be ready for any standardized test. If you're still working on vocabulary then be ready to look a few words up. There is also some Jamaican vocabulary. I wish this had a PDF with characters and those extra words.

The plot is complex. I grew to like the characters enough that I screamed at the book a few times. I think Ciannon Smart holds a lot of promise. Will I read more of her work? I might not if they're Young Adult and have a similar theme.

These books have violence, a little sex, some colorful language, imagery like scarification, war and death. They're not for the feint of heart.