Empire of Night by K. Armstrong

Abstract

Armstrong, Kelley. Empire of Night. Doubleday Canada, 2015.

This young ddult fantasy novel is the sequel to the book Sea of Shadows, and is the second of a trilogy. Empire of Night strongly benefits from reading the first book. It continues the story of identical twin sisters Moria and Ashyn, the Keeper and Seeker of Edgewood. In this mythical world, Keeper and Seeker are magical roles occupied by certain twin girls. They have the responsibility of quieting the souls of the damned. They are helped by a giant wildcat and a giant hound in their duties. Although close sisters, Moria and Ashyn have two very different personalities: Moria is a fiery warrior with strong talent for telling scary stories, while Ashyn is a shy romantic, more prone to thoughtful reservation.

Empire of Night picks up close to where the first book ends. Moria and Ashyn are guests at the Emperor’s court, and their village of Edgewood is destroyed. Most of their family and friends are gone, and the twins are eager to take action against Alvar Kitsune, the man who holds the remaining children of Edgewood hostage. The Emperor, however, is slow to make a decision much to the frustration of the girls who find themselves having to navigate the politics of court. Moria, in particular, finds herself befriending Prince Tyrus, the kind, illegitimate son of the Emperor, who has unmistakable feelings for her.

When the Emperor finally sends the girls on a rescue mission for the children, along with a small party of men and Prince Tyrus, the twins quickly find themselves on a perilous journey. It becomes unclear who can be trusted, even within their own group, and their mission becomes even more dangerous when Alvar accuses Moria and Tyrus of treason, putting a large bounty on their heads.

Empire of Night is not as strong as the first book in the trilogy and does feature stereotypes of the young adult genre, but it is still a worthwhile book for collections. In particular, the book is notable because outside of the two heroines, all major characters in the book are people of colour, described with East Asian features. Moria and Ashyn are in fact the racial minority in a world largely rooted in Japanese feudalism, which includes Asian-inspired food, strong themes of filial piety, and the importance of honour. In fact, the two girls frequently encounter being stereotyped due to their Northern heritage, an interesting reversal and means of social commentary.

The book suffers from a love triangle, but the other sister’s journey in navigating romance is worthwhile, as she learns how to turn down a potential suitor, and in spite of his negative reaction, remains mature and calm while also setting boundaries. These important themes for young adults are thoughtfully presented. The two main characters are also notable for being examples of two different kinds of strong females.

Some readers may be deterred from the switch between point of view in storytelling, between the two sisters. The book also ends on a large cliffhanger, unlike its predecessor.

Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars
Reviewer: Colette Leung

Colette Leung is a graduate student at the University of Alberta, working in the fields of Library and Information science and Humanities Computing who loves reading, cats, and tea. Her research interests focus around how digital tools can be used to explore fields such as literature, language, and history in new and innovative ways.