Looking across the room at someone you’ve never seen before but feeling the world go silent around you as you’re drawn into this beautiful person you’re meeting for the first time. What happens next? Where do we go from here? And how will summer school change as a result of your newfound attraction?
Empress of the World sees a group of young scholars attend a summer school, each specialising in their own subjects. Nic, who’s studying archaeology, falls in with a new group of friends, a feeling she is not used to, including a girl named Battle. The two become close friends and start to develop a relationship that pushes beyond pure friendliness, but when dynamics start to alter, will each be able to adapt, or is their romance destined to remain a summer fling?
I cannot express just how much I enjoyed reading this book. I got through it so quickly after I started because I simply could not put it down. I loved the premise (feels like Hogwarts without She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named) and the dynamics between all of the characters, particularly with Nic and Battle. You could feel the romantic tension and the slight awkwardness through the pages, and I got butterflies for these characters at least once in the pages. You felt every emotion they went through, the isolation, the heartbreak and this made each development so much more rewarding as you progress between the covers.
I also appreciated how other characters were developed as well. Whilst the focus is quite obviously on Nic and Battle, the other members of their friendship group such as Katrina and Isaac also get good exploration of their characters, as well as their own relationship dynamic. And the way this was weaved into Nic and Battle’s stories, rather than being an aside chapter or two here and there, it felt a lot more connected and intertwined with other characters than they would have if these were dealt with separately.
I felt seen in this story. I felt myself reflected in Nic’s character in this story and as one of the few books this has been the case, it has found its way to a special place in my heart. Empress of the World is a remarkably written story and one of the few books I’d love to re-read again in the future when I want a heartwarming, cute tale of love in a time of confusion and change.
Rating: ★★★★★
Empress of the World (ISBN: 0-14-250059-3) was published in 2001. A copy is available to borrow from the LGBTQ+ Lending Library in the LGBTQ+ Lounge
