Audiobook Review – Empire of Shadows (Raiders of the Arcana, Book 1) by Jacquelyn Benson, Narrated by Alex Picard (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Gaslamp Fantasy
Length: 16 Hours, 40 Minutes
Publisher:‎ Vaughan Woods Publishing
Release Date: Sept 1st, 2024
ASIN: B0CLKYMXT2
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Raiders of the Arcana series
Source: Audiobook for Review from NetGalley
Rating: 5/5 stars

“One trifling little arrest shouldn’t have cost Ellie Mallory her job, but it’s only the latest in a line of injustices facing any educated woman with archaeological ambitions.

When Ellie stumbles across the map to a mysterious ancient city, she knows she’s holding her chance to revolutionize Pre-Colombian history. There’s just one teensy complication. A ruthless villain wants it, and Ellie is all that stands in his way.

To race him to the ruins—and avoid being violently disposed of—she needs the help of maverick surveyor Adam Bates, a snake-wrangling rogue who can’t seem to keep his dratted shirt on.

But there’s more than Ellie’s scholarly reputation (and life) on the line. Her enemies aren’t just looters. They’re after an arcane secret rumored to lie in the heart of the ruins, a mythical artifact with a power that could shake the world.

Between stealing trousers, plummeting over waterfalls, and trying not to fall in love with her machete-wielding partner, will Ellie be able to stop the oracle of a lost empire from falling into the wrong hands?”

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Raiders of the Arcana series. I got a copy of this on audiobook for review from NetGalley.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. It has a lot of story elements that I always enjoy, and it was very well done and well written. This is full of fun archaeological adventures, humor, and some romance. This is set in the nineteenth century and is a historical fantasy adventure of sorts. Although, the magic in here is very light and I would say it is more magical realism.

Ellie lost her job at university after getting arrested for protesting for women’s right to vote. However, she may have nabbed a bit of a treasure map on her way out. Now Ellie is heading to Hondorus to find what she thinks may be the lost City of Eldorado. When she gets there, she realizes that she is going to need a guide and that a ruthless villain who wants what she has is on her tail. She ends up enlisting the help of Adam Bates, a surveyor, to track down the city. They start to gain great respect for each other during their travels and soon they are not only dodging ancient traps and bullets but some rather inappropriate feelings as well.

This story has so many elements that I love. It has a bit of that Victorian flare (although time-wise we are edging past that). It has a strong female protagonist that is willing to push against the limits set on her. It has a wonderfully high action archaeological adventures with some magic. In addition to all that, the dialogue is witty and fun and there is a sweet but steamy romance woven throughout the story (but it doesn’t overwhelm the story at all). At of these elements are balanced to make an incredibly fun story that reminded me of Indian Jones but was even more fun because of the characters and the bits of magic. I wish there were more archaeological adventures series like this out there!

I loved Ellie and Adam as characters and the bad guy was delightfully bad. The story isn’t all that complex, but I did love that some supernatural magic comes in to play. I loved the action and fast pace and just really, really enjoyed this one!

I did listen to this on audiobook and have absolutely no complaints. The narrator did an amazing job here; I felt like I was actually in the jungle with Ellie and Adam. Definitely a great one to listen to if you love audiobooks.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this one. If you enjoy Indiana Jones types of stories but in a more historical setting and with a bit of romance and some magical realism, I would highly recommend. This was a wonderfully fun archaeological adventure with some discussion of women’s rights, a lot of witty banter, action, adventure and romance. I already picked up the next book, “Tomb of the Sun King”, to review, and will be reading it soon!