Title: Empire of Shadows (Raiders of the Arcana 1)
Publisher: Crimson Fox Publishing
Author: Jaquelyn Benson
Pages: 478pp

Ellie Mallory is a woman trapped in a man’s world. Intelligent, curious, and well-educated, she wants nothing more than to put her degree in archaeology to good use; to find something extraordinary. Something that will change the world. Unfortunately, her supervisors do not appreciate Ellie, her intelligence, her ambition, or her support for universal suffrage. And so, when Ellie stumbles across a strange old journal and map, she seizes the opportunity and runs — all the way to Central America and into the roguish, reluctant arms of Adam Bates. Instant dislike. But Adam is the only person who can lead Ellie into the interior and to a lost city that hasn’t been seen in centuries. Between the snakes, the waterfalls, and the villains hot on their trail, will Ellie survive long enough to reach the lost city? And why oh why does Adam have to keep taking off his shirt?

I came across Empire of Shadows on kickstarter. Somehow I missed the release of the original book, and only discovered it when Benson set out to fund a special edition hardcover. As much as I really, really wanted that hardcover, I could only afford the new, illustrated ebook. I still want the hardcover, but dang is that ebook pretty.

Empire of Shadows is a wild ride of an adventure. This book is definitely a love letter to Indiana Jones, The Mummy, and all those old pulpy lost civilization movies. It is also deeply feminist and wholly anti-colonialist. Ellie is firmly on the side of the oppressed women of England. Adam is firmly on the side of the oppressed peoples of colonial Honduras. Over the course of their adventure together, they realize how much they have in common and how much their mutual passion for justice and fairness overlaps. They discover in one another their perfect partner, someone who matches them in intelligence, curiosity, bravery, and honor; when Ellie is frantic, Adam is calm; when Adam is angry, Ellie remains thoughtful and cool.

Also, did I mention the hidden magic? The long-dead priestess who keeps appearing in Ellie’s dreams? The secret society bent on dominating the world with arcane objects? The giant, man-chomping bats? The labyrinth of booby traps?

Yep. All that, too.

Benson just released book two in the series, Tomb of the Sun King, with book three slated for publication in November. Readers who sign up for her newsletter also get a free digital copy of the prequel, The Stolen Apocalypse.

Highly recommended to fans of Romancing the Stone, as well as What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez, Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura, The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, and Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson.

[Reviewed by Rebecca Buchanan.]