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Battle Hall Davies #1
Empress of the World
Nicola Lancaster is spending her summer at the Siegel Institute - a hothouse of smart, articulate, intense teenagers living like college students for eight weeks. Nic's had theatre friends and orchestra friends, but never just friend friends. And she's certainly never had a relationship.
But on the very first day, she falls in with Katrina the Manic Computer Chick, Isaac the Nice-Guy-Despite-Himself, Kevin the Inarticulate Composer... and Battle.
Battle Hall Davies is a beautiful blond dancer from North Carolina. She's everything Nic isn't. Soon the two are friends - and then, startlingly, more than friends. What do you do when you think you're attracted to guys, and then you meet a girl who steals your heart?
But on the very first day, she falls in with Katrina the Manic Computer Chick, Isaac the Nice-Guy-Despite-Himself, Kevin the Inarticulate Composer... and Battle.
Battle Hall Davies is a beautiful blond dancer from North Carolina. She's everything Nic isn't. Soon the two are friends - and then, startlingly, more than friends. What do you do when you think you're attracted to guys, and then you meet a girl who steals your heart?
290 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2001
103 people are currently reading
20342 people want to read
About the author
Sara Ryan
39 books193 followersI write books and comics for teens and others. Reviews and star ratings make me anxious, but I'm reporting what I read here.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 503 reviews
May 24, 2009
I have no idea what Nic supposedly did wrong. Hell, I over-analyze all the time! What's wrong with it? NOTHING. She was just asking a damn question, Battle! Shut your damn mouth!
Sorry. Sometimes I become somewhat of an advocate for certain book characters.
Sorry. Sometimes I become somewhat of an advocate for certain book characters.
August 25, 2007
As with pretty much everything I read, I found the ending to this a little unsatisfying, a little too contrived in too short a space, but the path to the ending was well worth it. Nicola, the narrator, is a sharp, funny, observant kid, even in her own confusion about her sexuality, and Battle is both a fantastic foil and a fantastic love affair for Nicola. The dynamics and the emotions in this one rang very true for me on all levels.
It pleased me to learn, just recently, that Sara Ryan has written a second novel about Battle; while Empress of the World is Nicola's story, it was ultimately Battle that I wanted to know more about.
It pleased me to learn, just recently, that Sara Ryan has written a second novel about Battle; while Empress of the World is Nicola's story, it was ultimately Battle that I wanted to know more about.
April 30, 2008
Empress of the world by Sara Ryan is a very moving meaningful story that deals with very touchy subjects. Such as love, friendship, and finding yourself. This book should have more exposed due to the fact that now a days teenagers have to deal with these kind of things more and more in todays life style and society which is so open and free to whatever. This country's youth should be more educated of these things.
Empress of the world is about two young girls and how they spent there summer at Siegal Summer Program for Gifted Youth. Nicola Lancaster who is there to study her intrest for archaeology, finds another intrest in a beautiful blonde young lady. Battle Hall Davis a dancer from North Carolina who is everything Nic isn't. There is other characters such as Katrina who is a computer geek, Issac the nice guy, and Kevin the kaid back composer. The group gets along right of the bat. But soon the connection for one other gets stronger especially with Nic and Battle who fall in love. It's filled with what love has to offer and shows how love can change people with it's bumpy ride, up's and down's and the true color of friendship0.
Empress of the world is one of my favorite book's because I can relate to it so well. I fell in love with my best friend that is a girl and I would of never guessed I would ever find myself in such a very strong friendship and connection. It was very confusing at times but it all worked out in the end. I stayed up for two days just so i can get to the end of this book the author had me hooked. This book is so inspiring it gives me a good feelings inside everytime I hear it's name. It is defently hands down, a must read to confused teenagers trying to find themselves or find love.
Empress of the world is about two young girls and how they spent there summer at Siegal Summer Program for Gifted Youth. Nicola Lancaster who is there to study her intrest for archaeology, finds another intrest in a beautiful blonde young lady. Battle Hall Davis a dancer from North Carolina who is everything Nic isn't. There is other characters such as Katrina who is a computer geek, Issac the nice guy, and Kevin the kaid back composer. The group gets along right of the bat. But soon the connection for one other gets stronger especially with Nic and Battle who fall in love. It's filled with what love has to offer and shows how love can change people with it's bumpy ride, up's and down's and the true color of friendship0.
Empress of the world is one of my favorite book's because I can relate to it so well. I fell in love with my best friend that is a girl and I would of never guessed I would ever find myself in such a very strong friendship and connection. It was very confusing at times but it all worked out in the end. I stayed up for two days just so i can get to the end of this book the author had me hooked. This book is so inspiring it gives me a good feelings inside everytime I hear it's name. It is defently hands down, a must read to confused teenagers trying to find themselves or find love.
August 16, 2014
So. This is the second review in a row in which I did not have my thoughts completely together in the beginning of my writing it. Does this mean my opinions are getting more complex? Or does it mean that I'm getting bad at reviewing?
So, anyway, this was an overall cute, fun novel. It was one of the first to paint LGBT characters in a positive light, when these kind of novels were just starting to become more normal. I thought that I would have to remind myself constantly that parts of the novel weren't cliched when the book first came out, and although there was a little of that, there was little enough that I wasn't really bothered.
The writing was really good. Ryan's prose is descriptive and surprisingly atmospheric for a realistic fiction book that focuses on romance. For the most part, I bought that this was how Nic would speak - descriptive without ever being purple. That being said, I did think that the 'field notes' written by Nic that were sprinkled throughout the novel were a bit unnecessary - I didn't really see much of a reason for Nic to be writing them, as it didn't fit her personality. They sometimes conveyed interesting ideas, but they mostly felt unnecessary.
But speaking of Nic's personality, it was well-rounded and believable, as was Battle's. Both characters felt a little too perfectly molded into their rolls (more on that later), but that didn't stop them from feeling completely fleshed-out and real. Likewise, Katrina was a rather unique character, and very interesting. Issac was a bit underutilized, as he obviously had more personality than we were seeing, but he felt real in the few scenes he appeared in.
However... it took me a while to figure this out, but the characters were molded to fit perfectly into the wish-fulfillment. Because that's basically what this is - wish-fulfillment for gay teenagers. There's nothing wrong with wish-fulfillment as a concept - Parrotfish, for example, pulled it off almost flawlessly - but when it becomes everything in a story, it can often have unbelievable consequences. Here, the problem was the heroine (Nic) and her love interest (Battle). First, Nic felt blatantly calculated so that gay teens could relate to her. She doesn't think she's pretty, but Ryan makes it clear that she actually is. She's stated to be shy and not to have many friends back home, but she makes four friends immediately upon coming to the stay-away camp where the story takes place. She has a lot of interests that are traditionally 'geeky' (theater tech, art, playing the viola), but nobody gave a fuck where she was. (Incidentally, she seems to be incredibly good at all three - where she finds the time to do all that, I don't have a fucking clue.) Do you see the problem? There was nothing about her that would make me think she was actually as friendless and lonely as she was stated to be, because Ryan doesn't want her audience to think that there's anything like that about them. You're supposed to insert herself into her and share her feelings, but it doesn't work, because her feelings are so blatantly manufactured for that actual purpose. The only real flaw I could find in her - interior or exterior - was that she over-analyzed things (which bit her in the ass believably and interestingly), and even that was solved for her in the end.
Likewise, Battle was the perfect love interest. She didn't entirely have her shit together in terms of her relationship with her parents, which managed to keep her out of Manic Pixie Dream Girl territory, but damn, did she come close. She was a beautiful dancer, she was nice, and she was attracted to our heroine. Once again, it seems like this was written specifically to give gay people hope - "you could meet someone like this one day!" Because of that, it never descended into something really believable for me.
But in spite of these problems, I still managed to enjoy Nic and Battle's relationship. It was sort of rocky, which managed to keep it out of wish-fulfillment territory so that I could appreciate how tender and realistic it was, even if the characters behind it weren't. The relationship was a slow-burning one, and Nic and Battle never quite knew where they stood with each other. Moreover, Nic's infatuation with Battle at the beginning, infused with her shock at being attracted to a girl, was perfectly and accurately rendered.
Another thing that was perfectly and accurately rendered was the effect that parents can have on kids - and in a book that takes place at a sleep-away summer camp, no less. Battle and Issac's parents played constant roles in shaping their personalities and character arcs. The subplots involving the parents were probably my favorite part of the book. Issac's parents had a very fighty relationship, and they divorced while Issac was at the camp. His reaction to this (accurately portrayed), along with the fact that his friends were kind of assholes about it without meaning to be (sad, but accurately portrayed) made the entire subplot moving. Likewise, Battle's dealing with her over-religious father and the mysterious disappearance of her brother (and naturally, Nic being an asshole about it without meaning to) felt poignant and altogether awesome.
However, I wasn't a big fan of the resolution of these subplots - or the lack of it, thereof. The only message I could draw from this was that if your parents are having a negative effect on your life, there's nothing you can do about it - you just have to put up with it and hope you turn out okay anyhow. The characters become happier people at the end, but it has nothing to do with their parents - they're happy in spite of them, instead of because of them. This does a huge disservice to anyone who has parents that they're unsatisfied with, and it kind of ruined the whole subplot for me.
As for the plot... well, not a whole lot happened in this book. It was mostly focused on character relationships. There was no real dramatic structure - things just happened, and they connected to each other, but not in the way a traditional plot would. Was this realistic? Hell yes. Did it make for an interesting read? I'm not entirely sure. I was only bored a couple times, but I still feel like Ryan could've done better with a real plot.
But as an LGBT novel, it does its job well, other than the wish-fulfillment aspects. It's surprisingly uncliched for a novel that supposedly set up the cliches in LGBT novels. There's no predictable coming out story, Nic never angsts about having a crush on a straight girl that's resolved when she finds a lesbian girl, and issues of homophobia are dealt with minimally and believably. Moreover, I liked how little time the novel spent preoccupied on giving the quiltbag characters labels. Nic spends a little time wondering if she's lesbian or bisexual, but she doesn't come up with anything definitive, nor did she really care to. Moreover, Battle's sexuality wasn't discussed at all - all we know was that she was romantically attracted to at least some girls. I felt like this dodged a huge bullet by not letting itself be predictable the way it might've, and by letting the character relationships take the center stage instead of angst.
So overall, this novel was a bit too heavy on wish-fulfillment and a bit too light on plot, but it had some lovely writing and character relationships. There are better LGBT novels out there, but there are also much, much worse ones. I decided on a 4-star rating, but I still think it might be 3. I'm not sure. But you can judge for yourself! Does this review tempt you to buy the book? Help me sort my thoughts out with my answer in the comments! Please?
So, anyway, this was an overall cute, fun novel. It was one of the first to paint LGBT characters in a positive light, when these kind of novels were just starting to become more normal. I thought that I would have to remind myself constantly that parts of the novel weren't cliched when the book first came out, and although there was a little of that, there was little enough that I wasn't really bothered.
The writing was really good. Ryan's prose is descriptive and surprisingly atmospheric for a realistic fiction book that focuses on romance. For the most part, I bought that this was how Nic would speak - descriptive without ever being purple. That being said, I did think that the 'field notes' written by Nic that were sprinkled throughout the novel were a bit unnecessary - I didn't really see much of a reason for Nic to be writing them, as it didn't fit her personality. They sometimes conveyed interesting ideas, but they mostly felt unnecessary.
But speaking of Nic's personality, it was well-rounded and believable, as was Battle's. Both characters felt a little too perfectly molded into their rolls (more on that later), but that didn't stop them from feeling completely fleshed-out and real. Likewise, Katrina was a rather unique character, and very interesting. Issac was a bit underutilized, as he obviously had more personality than we were seeing, but he felt real in the few scenes he appeared in.
However... it took me a while to figure this out, but the characters were molded to fit perfectly into the wish-fulfillment. Because that's basically what this is - wish-fulfillment for gay teenagers. There's nothing wrong with wish-fulfillment as a concept - Parrotfish, for example, pulled it off almost flawlessly - but when it becomes everything in a story, it can often have unbelievable consequences. Here, the problem was the heroine (Nic) and her love interest (Battle). First, Nic felt blatantly calculated so that gay teens could relate to her. She doesn't think she's pretty, but Ryan makes it clear that she actually is. She's stated to be shy and not to have many friends back home, but she makes four friends immediately upon coming to the stay-away camp where the story takes place. She has a lot of interests that are traditionally 'geeky' (theater tech, art, playing the viola), but nobody gave a fuck where she was. (Incidentally, she seems to be incredibly good at all three - where she finds the time to do all that, I don't have a fucking clue.) Do you see the problem? There was nothing about her that would make me think she was actually as friendless and lonely as she was stated to be, because Ryan doesn't want her audience to think that there's anything like that about them. You're supposed to insert herself into her and share her feelings, but it doesn't work, because her feelings are so blatantly manufactured for that actual purpose. The only real flaw I could find in her - interior or exterior - was that she over-analyzed things (which bit her in the ass believably and interestingly), and even that was solved for her in the end.
Likewise, Battle was the perfect love interest. She didn't entirely have her shit together in terms of her relationship with her parents, which managed to keep her out of Manic Pixie Dream Girl territory, but damn, did she come close. She was a beautiful dancer, she was nice, and she was attracted to our heroine. Once again, it seems like this was written specifically to give gay people hope - "you could meet someone like this one day!" Because of that, it never descended into something really believable for me.
But in spite of these problems, I still managed to enjoy Nic and Battle's relationship. It was sort of rocky, which managed to keep it out of wish-fulfillment territory so that I could appreciate how tender and realistic it was, even if the characters behind it weren't. The relationship was a slow-burning one, and Nic and Battle never quite knew where they stood with each other. Moreover, Nic's infatuation with Battle at the beginning, infused with her shock at being attracted to a girl, was perfectly and accurately rendered.
Another thing that was perfectly and accurately rendered was the effect that parents can have on kids - and in a book that takes place at a sleep-away summer camp, no less. Battle and Issac's parents played constant roles in shaping their personalities and character arcs. The subplots involving the parents were probably my favorite part of the book. Issac's parents had a very fighty relationship, and they divorced while Issac was at the camp. His reaction to this (accurately portrayed), along with the fact that his friends were kind of assholes about it without meaning to be (sad, but accurately portrayed) made the entire subplot moving. Likewise, Battle's dealing with her over-religious father and the mysterious disappearance of her brother (and naturally, Nic being an asshole about it without meaning to) felt poignant and altogether awesome.
However, I wasn't a big fan of the resolution of these subplots - or the lack of it, thereof. The only message I could draw from this was that if your parents are having a negative effect on your life, there's nothing you can do about it - you just have to put up with it and hope you turn out okay anyhow. The characters become happier people at the end, but it has nothing to do with their parents - they're happy in spite of them, instead of because of them. This does a huge disservice to anyone who has parents that they're unsatisfied with, and it kind of ruined the whole subplot for me.
As for the plot... well, not a whole lot happened in this book. It was mostly focused on character relationships. There was no real dramatic structure - things just happened, and they connected to each other, but not in the way a traditional plot would. Was this realistic? Hell yes. Did it make for an interesting read? I'm not entirely sure. I was only bored a couple times, but I still feel like Ryan could've done better with a real plot.
But as an LGBT novel, it does its job well, other than the wish-fulfillment aspects. It's surprisingly uncliched for a novel that supposedly set up the cliches in LGBT novels. There's no predictable coming out story, Nic never angsts about having a crush on a straight girl that's resolved when she finds a lesbian girl, and issues of homophobia are dealt with minimally and believably. Moreover, I liked how little time the novel spent preoccupied on giving the quiltbag characters labels. Nic spends a little time wondering if she's lesbian or bisexual, but she doesn't come up with anything definitive, nor did she really care to. Moreover, Battle's sexuality wasn't discussed at all - all we know was that she was romantically attracted to at least some girls. I felt like this dodged a huge bullet by not letting itself be predictable the way it might've, and by letting the character relationships take the center stage instead of angst.
So overall, this novel was a bit too heavy on wish-fulfillment and a bit too light on plot, but it had some lovely writing and character relationships. There are better LGBT novels out there, but there are also much, much worse ones. I decided on a 4-star rating, but I still think it might be 3. I'm not sure. But you can judge for yourself! Does this review tempt you to buy the book? Help me sort my thoughts out with my answer in the comments! Please?
November 19, 2018
i really enjoyed nic as a character and have to say i could relate to her and her struggle with coming to terms with her bisexuality a lot.
however, i had a few problems with this book which is why it took me a while to get throught it.
1.) i honestly didn't like battle. might be because of the biased view we get of her but to me she seemed like the regular "mysterious girl with tragic past". The way she treats nic and how it is resolved in the end didn't make me root for them... which is what i guess the book intended?
2.) the over the top use of the d slur by mainly straight characters and the bi-erasure. I understand this book was written over a decade ago and that it tried to be realistic about its portrayal of bisexuality and the biphobia and homophobia teenage girls face but when it happens almost every page even by people nic considers her friends and they don't learn even after she corrects them? if those were true friends they'd love and respect her and i honestly don't understand why she, or i as a reader, should keep up with this.
all in all, i feel like this book for its time may have been progressive and i still think it's a nice read if you look at it critically but i also think to young bi people it sends a message of "your sexuality isn't valid and your friends saying so shouldn't bother you" which is dangerous in times where our community is often still ignored, stereotyped and mislabeled.
however, i had a few problems with this book which is why it took me a while to get throught it.
1.) i honestly didn't like battle. might be because of the biased view we get of her but to me she seemed like the regular "mysterious girl with tragic past". The way she treats nic and how it is resolved in the end didn't make me root for them... which is what i guess the book intended?
2.) the over the top use of the d slur by mainly straight characters and the bi-erasure. I understand this book was written over a decade ago and that it tried to be realistic about its portrayal of bisexuality and the biphobia and homophobia teenage girls face but when it happens almost every page even by people nic considers her friends and they don't learn even after she corrects them? if those were true friends they'd love and respect her and i honestly don't understand why she, or i as a reader, should keep up with this.
all in all, i feel like this book for its time may have been progressive and i still think it's a nice read if you look at it critically but i also think to young bi people it sends a message of "your sexuality isn't valid and your friends saying so shouldn't bother you" which is dangerous in times where our community is often still ignored, stereotyped and mislabeled.
July 24, 2016
3.5 stars
I think I might be getting a little old for YA. I mean, I'm a young adult. But I'm not a Young Adult . So that's probably why I didn't like this as much as I may have a couple years ago.
The characters were rather bland and generic but still moderately likable. Also, pretty sure Battle Hall Davies was a precursor to John Green's "mysterious" female love interests.
The dialogue flowed well and it was at least interesting enough to make me read a majority of it in one sitting. I kept expecting something big to happen, but this was a very tame book. Coming from someone who reads mostly sci-fi and horror.
I did like that the characters were unapologetically bisexual and no one harassed them about it. There were some homophobes in this, of course. But that was far from the focus of the story and they weren't specifically biphobic. Also, hooray for the .
So not the best LGBTQ book I've read and not the worst. Pretty average without being absolutely mundane.
I think I might be getting a little old for YA. I mean, I'm a young adult. But I'm not a Young Adult . So that's probably why I didn't like this as much as I may have a couple years ago.
The characters were rather bland and generic but still moderately likable. Also, pretty sure Battle Hall Davies was a precursor to John Green's "mysterious" female love interests.
The dialogue flowed well and it was at least interesting enough to make me read a majority of it in one sitting. I kept expecting something big to happen, but this was a very tame book. Coming from someone who reads mostly sci-fi and horror.
I did like that the characters were unapologetically bisexual and no one harassed them about it. There were some homophobes in this, of course. But that was far from the focus of the story and they weren't specifically biphobic. Also, hooray for the .
So not the best LGBTQ book I've read and not the worst. Pretty average without being absolutely mundane.
March 25, 2014
There’s a hole in popular young adult fiction, specifically romance. I’m so tired of the typical boy girl-boy love story that is so pervasive in YA lit.
Where are the teen lgbt stories? Not the one where the hetero girl has the flamboyant, all-knowing, gay, male friend that helps her through her romantic crisis, but the one where the protagonist is experiencing their own crisis, with someone of the same sex. I’m not saying that these stories don’t exist (Will Grayson, Will Grayson / Blue is the Warmest Colour/etc), there just aren’t enough of them. A good coming of age story is a good story, regardless of the central characters. Empress of the World looked like it was worth a read.
Complete review at http://hellphiesfiendishfiction.wordp...
Where are the teen lgbt stories? Not the one where the hetero girl has the flamboyant, all-knowing, gay, male friend that helps her through her romantic crisis, but the one where the protagonist is experiencing their own crisis, with someone of the same sex. I’m not saying that these stories don’t exist (Will Grayson, Will Grayson / Blue is the Warmest Colour/etc), there just aren’t enough of them. A good coming of age story is a good story, regardless of the central characters. Empress of the World looked like it was worth a read.
Complete review at http://hellphiesfiendishfiction.wordp...
October 21, 2014
It was an enjoyable read, but it didn't have much of a plot. There really wasn't a whole lot going on in this one. It was interesting and was easy to sit and read almost cover to cover, but at the end I felt like nothing was ever accomplished.
There were a few story threads I was invested in which were just never followed up on or resolved. This was rather disappointing.
There were a few story threads I was invested in which were just never followed up on or resolved. This was rather disappointing.
February 23, 2020
This book saved my life when I was a confused 16 year old bisexual in the library looking for validation. I'm really glad I got to reread it all these years later. It's certainly dated, but man did this book hit me right in the feels. 💕🏳️🌈
June 18, 2017
Author Sara Ryan deftly captures the sweetness and uncertainty of a young girl’s first love in her 2001 debut. Empress of the World celebrates adolescent romance and budding sexuality in all of its sticky, modern complexity.
While studying archeology at an academic summer camp, fifteen-year-old Nicola ‘Nic’ Lancaster becomes embroiled in an on-again, off-again romance with the implausibly named Battle Hall Davies, a beautiful North Carolinian wildflower with electric green eyes, blond hair, and a rebellious streak. Nic approaches her homosexual proclivities with surprisingly little angst and introspection, self-identifying as bisexual in light of past dalliances with boys. Save for a pair of overt homophobes in Nic’s archeology class, Nic’s and Battle’s same-sex liaison isn’t dogged by prevailing cultural forces. In fact, their closest peers hardly bat an eye and are quite supportive, while the more angst-addled pupils react with tacit approval. Things are going well until their fledgling relationship is curtailed by an ill-conceived gift that's coupled with Nic’s compulsion to dissect and categorize emotions. Turned off by her girlfriend’s taxonomic obsessions, Battle quickly resorts to dating Kevin, a spacey music geek and mutual friend of Nic’s. Teen drama naturally unfolds as the pair struggles to find balance in their relationship.
Perceptive and witty, Nic Lancaster is a likeable heroine whom the author depicts in language that's both respectful and accessible to teenage audiences. Ryan peppers the narrative with anxious musings—or “field notes”—from Nic’s diary, further evidencing the character’s strong sense of self and her need to deconstruct relationships in order to understand how they function. Refreshingly, Ryan doesn’t grapple with the issue of sexual orientation to the same extent as other like-minded novels, but rather the ordinary drama and anguish of teen romance—which makes Nic's affection for Battle seem organic and true-to-life.
Although unlikely to leave any lasting impressions, Empress of the World is well-paced and touching in its simplicity. Young readers with liberal social values will delight in this uplifting tale that’s streets ahead of the usual frothy summer romance fare.
While studying archeology at an academic summer camp, fifteen-year-old Nicola ‘Nic’ Lancaster becomes embroiled in an on-again, off-again romance with the implausibly named Battle Hall Davies, a beautiful North Carolinian wildflower with electric green eyes, blond hair, and a rebellious streak. Nic approaches her homosexual proclivities with surprisingly little angst and introspection, self-identifying as bisexual in light of past dalliances with boys. Save for a pair of overt homophobes in Nic’s archeology class, Nic’s and Battle’s same-sex liaison isn’t dogged by prevailing cultural forces. In fact, their closest peers hardly bat an eye and are quite supportive, while the more angst-addled pupils react with tacit approval. Things are going well until their fledgling relationship is curtailed by an ill-conceived gift that's coupled with Nic’s compulsion to dissect and categorize emotions. Turned off by her girlfriend’s taxonomic obsessions, Battle quickly resorts to dating Kevin, a spacey music geek and mutual friend of Nic’s. Teen drama naturally unfolds as the pair struggles to find balance in their relationship.
Perceptive and witty, Nic Lancaster is a likeable heroine whom the author depicts in language that's both respectful and accessible to teenage audiences. Ryan peppers the narrative with anxious musings—or “field notes”—from Nic’s diary, further evidencing the character’s strong sense of self and her need to deconstruct relationships in order to understand how they function. Refreshingly, Ryan doesn’t grapple with the issue of sexual orientation to the same extent as other like-minded novels, but rather the ordinary drama and anguish of teen romance—which makes Nic's affection for Battle seem organic and true-to-life.
Although unlikely to leave any lasting impressions, Empress of the World is well-paced and touching in its simplicity. Young readers with liberal social values will delight in this uplifting tale that’s streets ahead of the usual frothy summer romance fare.
August 21, 2011
There's not one thing that makes this book good. It's a bunch of smaller things that I really liked that made it into a book I'd recommend.
Nicola, the main character, is a likable character and certainly relatable. She's knows she's not gay, she knows she's not straight, but she feels uncomfortable with the bisexual label. She gets bullied because of her relationship with the Battle. She has a lot of different interests and talents- theatre, music, art, a touch of science. She has friends but no real 'friends' friends. She is definitely someone I could see myself knowing.
The friends she makes at camp (is that the right word? I don't know) are a little more one-dimensional, particularly Katrina. But Nic admits that maybe she didn't get to know all of them as well as she could have. I liked Isaac the most, if only because I got the feeling he just wanted to have a girlfriend, and it didn't matter if it was Katrina or Nic. Again, realistic.
Battle I had the most problems with. Firstly, her name. Now, those of you who follow my reviews closely (har har) will know names matter a lot to me. 'Battle' just seems way too bizarre for her parents to have chosen. We didn't really get to know her at all. She was just there, very aloof. I also got the feeling she didn't care at all for Nicola. She struck me, unfortunately, as one of those faux-bis- lead a girl along to get a guy's attention and to say she's been with a chick. And what's the deal with making out with Kevin? Low blow, Battle, way to break the budding lesbian's (?) heart.
I understand Sara Ryan wrote a sequel to this book, so I hope some of Battle's characterisation issues were worked out.
I also felt that Nic and Battle's relationship moved way, way too fast. It spanned only two weeks and already there were declarations of love and heartbreak and cheating and adultery and oh my! I'm of two minds about this: one, it can be read as realistic. Teen relationships can move very fast. But on the other hand, I like my novel relationships to tread a little slower.
So having mused on all this as I've written my review, I believe the reason I'm rating this book four stars is because of our main character, Nic. She's just a believable person to read about. She has her flaws, yes, and she has also has a couple of informed flaws that I didn't really see. I didn't see her over analyising her situation with Battle at all, which Battle (and Katrina, quietly) accused her of. I thought she was just wondering why Battle liked her- a fair thing to wonder about. Nic, as far as I can tell, never had a mutual crush on a girl, and she wanted to know how Battle felt. That's a fairly realistic thing to want. So yes, Nic is the reason I like this book, I think.
There's also a shout-out to Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat series for all you FLB fans. Nice!
Nicola, the main character, is a likable character and certainly relatable. She's knows she's not gay, she knows she's not straight, but she feels uncomfortable with the bisexual label. She gets bullied because of her relationship with the Battle. She has a lot of different interests and talents- theatre, music, art, a touch of science. She has friends but no real 'friends' friends. She is definitely someone I could see myself knowing.
The friends she makes at camp (is that the right word? I don't know) are a little more one-dimensional, particularly Katrina. But Nic admits that maybe she didn't get to know all of them as well as she could have. I liked Isaac the most, if only because I got the feeling he just wanted to have a girlfriend, and it didn't matter if it was Katrina or Nic. Again, realistic.
Battle I had the most problems with. Firstly, her name. Now, those of you who follow my reviews closely (har har) will know names matter a lot to me. 'Battle' just seems way too bizarre for her parents to have chosen. We didn't really get to know her at all. She was just there, very aloof. I also got the feeling she didn't care at all for Nicola. She struck me, unfortunately, as one of those faux-bis- lead a girl along to get a guy's attention and to say she's been with a chick. And what's the deal with making out with Kevin? Low blow, Battle, way to break the budding lesbian's (?) heart.
I understand Sara Ryan wrote a sequel to this book, so I hope some of Battle's characterisation issues were worked out.
I also felt that Nic and Battle's relationship moved way, way too fast. It spanned only two weeks and already there were declarations of love and heartbreak and cheating and adultery and oh my! I'm of two minds about this: one, it can be read as realistic. Teen relationships can move very fast. But on the other hand, I like my novel relationships to tread a little slower.
So having mused on all this as I've written my review, I believe the reason I'm rating this book four stars is because of our main character, Nic. She's just a believable person to read about. She has her flaws, yes, and she has also has a couple of informed flaws that I didn't really see. I didn't see her over analyising her situation with Battle at all, which Battle (and Katrina, quietly) accused her of. I thought she was just wondering why Battle liked her- a fair thing to wonder about. Nic, as far as I can tell, never had a mutual crush on a girl, and she wanted to know how Battle felt. That's a fairly realistic thing to want. So yes, Nic is the reason I like this book, I think.
There's also a shout-out to Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat series for all you FLB fans. Nice!
August 1, 2012
Two high school girls have a romance while they're taking college classes at a summer camp for gifted kids. The only way this could have possibly been more up my alley would have been if "gifted" was in the "Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters" sense.
Nicola, amateur artist and aspiring archaeologist, narrates the book in first person, with occasional excerpts from her diary, also in first person but with a different typeface and no capitalization. This may sound annoying, but it's actually adorable. Here's an excerpt from her diary. The "angst crows" are Goths, and the context is that she's looking around campus to see if she can spot any other queer kids:
and there's another boy i've seen, i think he's in katrina's class, who often wears long velvet skirts and lots of black eyeliner. but i believe this to be a fashion statement rather than a declaration of sexuality, since i have observed him making out with various angst crows.
i suppose he could like boys, too, though.
i of all people should remember that.
Though the romance between Nic and the remarkably named Battle Hall Davies is the main plotline, Ryan spends a lot of time on an ensemble of new friends, their friendships and romances and individual character growth, classes and picnics and dances. The emotions are realistic and sometimes angsty, but the whole summer has a shimmery nostalgic glow. The book is also very funny. Ryan has a great gift for comic setup/payoff, of which one of my favorites, a small moment but one which made me laugh and laugh, involved a boy's attempt to bypass the disgusting cafeteria food by claiming to keep kosher.
On the one hand, this is a perfect little book. On the other hand, I wish it had been longer. Battle had a lot of stuff going on that I got, but would have liked to have seen explored more. Also, I just wanted to keep on reading.
It reminds me a bit of Maureen Johnson's The Bermudez Triangle
, another very funny book which mostly takes place over a summer and involves female friendship, female romance, and the complexity of sexual identity.
Nicola, amateur artist and aspiring archaeologist, narrates the book in first person, with occasional excerpts from her diary, also in first person but with a different typeface and no capitalization. This may sound annoying, but it's actually adorable. Here's an excerpt from her diary. The "angst crows" are Goths, and the context is that she's looking around campus to see if she can spot any other queer kids:
and there's another boy i've seen, i think he's in katrina's class, who often wears long velvet skirts and lots of black eyeliner. but i believe this to be a fashion statement rather than a declaration of sexuality, since i have observed him making out with various angst crows.
i suppose he could like boys, too, though.
i of all people should remember that.
Though the romance between Nic and the remarkably named Battle Hall Davies is the main plotline, Ryan spends a lot of time on an ensemble of new friends, their friendships and romances and individual character growth, classes and picnics and dances. The emotions are realistic and sometimes angsty, but the whole summer has a shimmery nostalgic glow. The book is also very funny. Ryan has a great gift for comic setup/payoff, of which one of my favorites, a small moment but one which made me laugh and laugh, involved a boy's attempt to bypass the disgusting cafeteria food by claiming to keep kosher.
On the one hand, this is a perfect little book. On the other hand, I wish it had been longer. Battle had a lot of stuff going on that I got, but would have liked to have seen explored more. Also, I just wanted to keep on reading.
It reminds me a bit of Maureen Johnson's The Bermudez Triangle
, another very funny book which mostly takes place over a summer and involves female friendship, female romance, and the complexity of sexual identity. 
May 21, 2012
I read this book in nearly a day. It has won various prizes in young adults category and reading it I can understand why. If you are a teenage and looking for a romance suited for your age then definitely go for it.
I'm not teen aged any more but can realise the appeal that this book can have for this very delicate age group. It is simple and straight forward where everything is all or nothing.
Everything revolves around a particular event. Everything is Important. Yes there is tomorrow or the future but it is something hazy. Everything is possible. Everything feels so right that no one can stop you.
Well in this book Nicola's life stops to revolve round one special summer that eventually will change her life but she doesn't know it yet. The past and the future are not important. All importance is given to this summer, notated in a dairy with not only the date but also the precise time of its writing (something which I remember quite well doing).
All ingredients are there to convey the immediateness, the voracity and the vastness of that single one moment in time...of that one summer which we all, teen or not can some way or another relate to.
What I think this book lacks is a more detailed insight of the characters involved, a more refined story telling techniques, a maturer way of writing a book....which however as teenagers or young adults few of us had!
So what I can say about Sara Ryan in this book is work in progress.
I'm not teen aged any more but can realise the appeal that this book can have for this very delicate age group. It is simple and straight forward where everything is all or nothing.
Everything revolves around a particular event. Everything is Important. Yes there is tomorrow or the future but it is something hazy. Everything is possible. Everything feels so right that no one can stop you.
Well in this book Nicola's life stops to revolve round one special summer that eventually will change her life but she doesn't know it yet. The past and the future are not important. All importance is given to this summer, notated in a dairy with not only the date but also the precise time of its writing (something which I remember quite well doing).
All ingredients are there to convey the immediateness, the voracity and the vastness of that single one moment in time...of that one summer which we all, teen or not can some way or another relate to.
What I think this book lacks is a more detailed insight of the characters involved, a more refined story telling techniques, a maturer way of writing a book....which however as teenagers or young adults few of us had!
So what I can say about Sara Ryan in this book is work in progress.
August 10, 2016
rating: 3/5
The plot reads basically like so many teen books/movies these days. Students at an academic summer camp spend the summer figuring out their futures and themselves. This is where Nicola meets Battle and a friendship develops that leads her to question her sexuality and her life.
Nicola is funny and witty as we enter her mind and navigate through finding her academic interests and romantic feelings for Battle. The story is short and easy to read. It is composed of an interesting mix of first person POV and journal entries. It is well written but the ending leaves a lot to be desired, it is abrupt and doesn't seem, uh, realistic.
The relationship with battle develops slowly as Nicola learns who she is. However, the plot is composed of typical teenage girl drama and is very simplistic, even for a YA novel, and so is the character development. I couldn't connect emotionally with the characters.
At the same time, I would recommend this to younger teens looking for a lesbian romance or struggling with their sexual orientation. My review is biased from an adult reader perspective and I'd never know how I would have felt had I read this 15 years ago.
The plot reads basically like so many teen books/movies these days. Students at an academic summer camp spend the summer figuring out their futures and themselves. This is where Nicola meets Battle and a friendship develops that leads her to question her sexuality and her life.
Nicola is funny and witty as we enter her mind and navigate through finding her academic interests and romantic feelings for Battle. The story is short and easy to read. It is composed of an interesting mix of first person POV and journal entries. It is well written but the ending leaves a lot to be desired, it is abrupt and doesn't seem, uh, realistic.
The relationship with battle develops slowly as Nicola learns who she is. However, the plot is composed of typical teenage girl drama and is very simplistic, even for a YA novel, and so is the character development. I couldn't connect emotionally with the characters.
At the same time, I would recommend this to younger teens looking for a lesbian romance or struggling with their sexual orientation. My review is biased from an adult reader perspective and I'd never know how I would have felt had I read this 15 years ago.
July 30, 2007
so far i like it -- i was inspired after having read Bloom to try more YA, especially if they have good queer subplots or storylines. but all i found at first were the uber-boy ones, like Rainbow High. this feels more like a smart kid South of Nowhere so far.
now that i'm done: i liked it okay -- a nice unfolding of the story and teenage angst, a lot of kids who sounded like actual people and not marketing demographics. the end was kind of abrupt and overall just ended up feeling like a "one time at smart kids camp we all grew and changed and know ourselves better," which is fine, really, but pretty low key.
now that i'm done: i liked it okay -- a nice unfolding of the story and teenage angst, a lot of kids who sounded like actual people and not marketing demographics. the end was kind of abrupt and overall just ended up feeling like a "one time at smart kids camp we all grew and changed and know ourselves better," which is fine, really, but pretty low key.
July 30, 2021
2.5 stars
I’m really surprised I didn’t like this one. It’s super faced paced, and although that’s usually something I enjoy in YA novels, I think the story ended up not feeling as fleshed out as it could have been. I didn’t think any components of the book were particularly memorable nor did it make feel anything special. I wasn’t expecting this to be an all-time favorite, but I’m still disappointed.
I’m really surprised I didn’t like this one. It’s super faced paced, and although that’s usually something I enjoy in YA novels, I think the story ended up not feeling as fleshed out as it could have been. I didn’t think any components of the book were particularly memorable nor did it make feel anything special. I wasn’t expecting this to be an all-time favorite, but I’m still disappointed.
December 12, 2011
A little while back, I was rummaging through Amazon to find lesbian teen novels and fell on Empress Of The World. I found the cover so beautifully poetic and evocative that I immediately bought it. The story is beautiful, the characters endearing and the story-telling wonderful! I searched for other novels written by Sara Ryan and realised that she had written a companion novel to Empress Of The World, The Rules For Hearts. This second book is different from the first and brings different themes and feelings. You definitely need to read them both!
Nicola is one of those girls who spends her time over-analysing things in her head and isn't very sociable, she goes to the Siegel Institute Program for Gifted Youth for the summer to confirm her lifelong dream of being an archeologyst. Nic doesn't know what to expect from the Institute and is very surprised to become friends with a bunch of people on the first day. People who even *gasp* want to spend time with her. There is Katrina the crazy computer girl who has the best personality ever, Isaac the shy nice guy who is attracted to Katrina, the annoying Kevin (like Nicola, I found him utterly annoying, so there, last time I will mention his existence) and then there is Battle. Battle Hall Davies is a beautiful girl named after a building (parents are just so cruel sometimes) who has already been to the Institute the year before and is studying history.
Nicola may not have been that much bothered about defining her identity and her sexuality before, but she only needs to glance at Battle once to feel profoundly attracted to her. Battle is not only beautiful but clever and spiritual and full of mystery. At first, Nicola thinks that whatever is going on in her is a sort of admiration and jealousy for the perfect Battle, but she soon realises that there is so much more... and that it might be mutual [insert swoon here].
This is a very sweet tale of finding yourself and first love. The writing was very sensitive and the story adorable. It felt very real and relatable the way they realise their infatuation and tiptoe around each other wondering what it would be like to be together and then relax and start to be themselves with each other. Very much like A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend, the story isn't about "I am a lesbian, and I've always know I was a lesbian, and I will never look at a boy in my entire life", it is about falling for someone whose personality and attitude makes your heart beat faster and brings butterflies in your stomach, regardless of who that person is. It is about finding someone with whom you can be yourself.
The book also talks about parents/children relationships. Nicola comes from a very sheltered background, in a family where her parents love each other and she feels loved, and she has never questioned the relation they had. But then she meets this group of people and half of them have parents who are divorced and others have terrible relations with their families, etc. It is a recurrent theme in YA and even MG novels where parents are either dead, divorced, unknown or don't care about their children but I felt that it was subtly and realisitically shown through the story of the characters in here.
And talking about them, the characters are the best aspect of the novel: multi-faceted, believable, full of crushes and silly aspirations in life, I really felt like I was back in high school and had a life of choices in front of me. I really liked how different Nicola and Battle were. Nicola is at times a bit fastidious by over-thinking things all the time, but I was exactly the same at her age and a tiny crush would roughly take over my life for a week until I was becoming ill of it and ended up rationalising that it would never work and found something else to occupy my thoughts (*cough* I mean, I know someone who knows someone who may have been doing that, not me at all *cough*). I loved Battle's character and I'm really glad we get to see more of her in The Rules For Hearts. Katrina is literally the best character ever and you need to read the book to discover her complete awesomeness. She made me laugh out loud more than once and I really wish she was real. Isaac isn't very present at first, always shy and crushing on Katrina, but he progressively gets more and more open and I thought he was genuinely adorable. They are all geeks (the real deal, not the fake ones who think that wearing glasses makes them intelligent), they work hard at school and do think about other things in life than partying and be ultra cool and popular all the time so they were fantastic to read about. Even though Nicola faces some harsh dumb homophobic comments and there are some dark passages, it is a really uplifting story.
I love this book to pieces, it has everything that I love in books from the setting to the characters, the humour and the more serious themes in the background. The romance is the cutest thing ever so all you romance lovers will love it. I cannot recommend it enough!
Nicola is one of those girls who spends her time over-analysing things in her head and isn't very sociable, she goes to the Siegel Institute Program for Gifted Youth for the summer to confirm her lifelong dream of being an archeologyst. Nic doesn't know what to expect from the Institute and is very surprised to become friends with a bunch of people on the first day. People who even *gasp* want to spend time with her. There is Katrina the crazy computer girl who has the best personality ever, Isaac the shy nice guy who is attracted to Katrina, the annoying Kevin (like Nicola, I found him utterly annoying, so there, last time I will mention his existence) and then there is Battle. Battle Hall Davies is a beautiful girl named after a building (parents are just so cruel sometimes) who has already been to the Institute the year before and is studying history.
Nicola may not have been that much bothered about defining her identity and her sexuality before, but she only needs to glance at Battle once to feel profoundly attracted to her. Battle is not only beautiful but clever and spiritual and full of mystery. At first, Nicola thinks that whatever is going on in her is a sort of admiration and jealousy for the perfect Battle, but she soon realises that there is so much more... and that it might be mutual [insert swoon here].
This is a very sweet tale of finding yourself and first love. The writing was very sensitive and the story adorable. It felt very real and relatable the way they realise their infatuation and tiptoe around each other wondering what it would be like to be together and then relax and start to be themselves with each other. Very much like A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend, the story isn't about "I am a lesbian, and I've always know I was a lesbian, and I will never look at a boy in my entire life", it is about falling for someone whose personality and attitude makes your heart beat faster and brings butterflies in your stomach, regardless of who that person is. It is about finding someone with whom you can be yourself.
The book also talks about parents/children relationships. Nicola comes from a very sheltered background, in a family where her parents love each other and she feels loved, and she has never questioned the relation they had. But then she meets this group of people and half of them have parents who are divorced and others have terrible relations with their families, etc. It is a recurrent theme in YA and even MG novels where parents are either dead, divorced, unknown or don't care about their children but I felt that it was subtly and realisitically shown through the story of the characters in here.
And talking about them, the characters are the best aspect of the novel: multi-faceted, believable, full of crushes and silly aspirations in life, I really felt like I was back in high school and had a life of choices in front of me. I really liked how different Nicola and Battle were. Nicola is at times a bit fastidious by over-thinking things all the time, but I was exactly the same at her age and a tiny crush would roughly take over my life for a week until I was becoming ill of it and ended up rationalising that it would never work and found something else to occupy my thoughts (*cough* I mean, I know someone who knows someone who may have been doing that, not me at all *cough*). I loved Battle's character and I'm really glad we get to see more of her in The Rules For Hearts. Katrina is literally the best character ever and you need to read the book to discover her complete awesomeness. She made me laugh out loud more than once and I really wish she was real. Isaac isn't very present at first, always shy and crushing on Katrina, but he progressively gets more and more open and I thought he was genuinely adorable. They are all geeks (the real deal, not the fake ones who think that wearing glasses makes them intelligent), they work hard at school and do think about other things in life than partying and be ultra cool and popular all the time so they were fantastic to read about. Even though Nicola faces some harsh dumb homophobic comments and there are some dark passages, it is a really uplifting story.
I love this book to pieces, it has everything that I love in books from the setting to the characters, the humour and the more serious themes in the background. The romance is the cutest thing ever so all you romance lovers will love it. I cannot recommend it enough!
September 13, 2016
This review can also be found at http://fortheloveofbooksreviews.blogs...
Nicola is taking a summer course in archaeology at the Siegel Institute, because she wants to make sure that archaeology is really a field she wants to go into. She expects that confirming her dream of becoming an archaeologist will be the focus of this summer, until she meets Battle.
Battle is beautiful, a minister's daughter, and soon captures Nicola's heart. While helping her new friends deal with their own issues, Nicola has to come to terms with her sexuality, and face her attraction to another girl.
I thought that this was a nice twist on the YA summer romance trend. It has a lot of the same elements as others in this branch of YA, including spending time at another location, in this case an academic camp or institute, it includes making new friends and helping them deal with their struggles, and of course experiencing attraction to a beautiful peer. The twist is that two girls are the love interests, which is a welcome change.
Nicola is a great main character, I find her very relatable and believable because I feel like a lot of her struggles mirror those that teenagers face in real life, and therefore making a connection with her was very easy. Understanding a character's feelings and where they're coming from with their thoughts is important to me because it makes for a more emotional or a deeper read.
Nicola is the kind of character you'd like to be friends with, the kind of person you'd be able to have a chat with and enjoy being around. Battle seems a bit more intimidating or untouchable, with Nicola's descriptions of her beauty and family issues, but she's still a generally likeable character as well. The rest of Nicola's group of friends, Isaac, Kevin and Katrina, make the whole situation seem more plausible as well with their own issues, for example dealing with divorce. They were a great group of characters to read about and I like that over time they changed or evolved, even if only a little bit.
The author's approach to sexuality was well done, with Nicola's struggles and internal dialogue being extremely believable and realistic, and avoiding some of the stereotypical LGBTQ tropes I've come across in other books. The word bisexual was even used, and in a fairly positive way as well, which really impressed me because I feel like multisexual identities are so rarely discussed in an outright manner. The addition of homophobic characters was necessary, in my opinion, to mirror real-life issues that LGBTQ people face and the author delivered on this platform as well. Overall, I am very impressed with this book.
I do take issue with the length of the novel! The author did such a great job, but the book was so short. I wish it had been longer, and that maybe certain issues could have been expanded upon, such as Battle's family life. I'm going to be looking for the sequel and I really hope that it lives up to Empress of the World.
I recommend this book to people looking for realistic portrayals of LGBTQ struggles in YA novels. If you want a short contemporary romance, this book is for you
Nicola is taking a summer course in archaeology at the Siegel Institute, because she wants to make sure that archaeology is really a field she wants to go into. She expects that confirming her dream of becoming an archaeologist will be the focus of this summer, until she meets Battle.
Battle is beautiful, a minister's daughter, and soon captures Nicola's heart. While helping her new friends deal with their own issues, Nicola has to come to terms with her sexuality, and face her attraction to another girl.
I thought that this was a nice twist on the YA summer romance trend. It has a lot of the same elements as others in this branch of YA, including spending time at another location, in this case an academic camp or institute, it includes making new friends and helping them deal with their struggles, and of course experiencing attraction to a beautiful peer. The twist is that two girls are the love interests, which is a welcome change.
Nicola is a great main character, I find her very relatable and believable because I feel like a lot of her struggles mirror those that teenagers face in real life, and therefore making a connection with her was very easy. Understanding a character's feelings and where they're coming from with their thoughts is important to me because it makes for a more emotional or a deeper read.
Nicola is the kind of character you'd like to be friends with, the kind of person you'd be able to have a chat with and enjoy being around. Battle seems a bit more intimidating or untouchable, with Nicola's descriptions of her beauty and family issues, but she's still a generally likeable character as well. The rest of Nicola's group of friends, Isaac, Kevin and Katrina, make the whole situation seem more plausible as well with their own issues, for example dealing with divorce. They were a great group of characters to read about and I like that over time they changed or evolved, even if only a little bit.
The author's approach to sexuality was well done, with Nicola's struggles and internal dialogue being extremely believable and realistic, and avoiding some of the stereotypical LGBTQ tropes I've come across in other books. The word bisexual was even used, and in a fairly positive way as well, which really impressed me because I feel like multisexual identities are so rarely discussed in an outright manner. The addition of homophobic characters was necessary, in my opinion, to mirror real-life issues that LGBTQ people face and the author delivered on this platform as well. Overall, I am very impressed with this book.
I do take issue with the length of the novel! The author did such a great job, but the book was so short. I wish it had been longer, and that maybe certain issues could have been expanded upon, such as Battle's family life. I'm going to be looking for the sequel and I really hope that it lives up to Empress of the World.
I recommend this book to people looking for realistic portrayals of LGBTQ struggles in YA novels. If you want a short contemporary romance, this book is for you
May 24, 2014
Really underdeveloped. I was left feeling angry at the narrator and the author for not telling us more, for not diving down beneath the surface and having the characters talk about anything really important (and when they do it's so short lived I can't count it), for not letting us get to know anything about Battle (THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTER SUPPOSEDLY), for writing a book without any plot or hills/mountains for the characters to conquer, for writing a "storyline" that I just couldn't BELIEVE because the narrator never scratched below the exterior and told us more. I didn't believe it when the narrator Nicola discovered she might like Battle as more than a friend, (because I didn't know why! Other than her awesome hair, I guess) I didn't believe it when she liked Battle enough to call her something as ornate as the Empress of the World (A very underwhelming use of the title), I didn't believe it when Battle kissed her for the first time, I didn't believe it when they claimed to have fallen in love that fast, I didn't believe it when Battle broke up with her, I didn't believe it when Nicola caught her making out with Kevin, and I didn't believe the ending. It was all so....underdeveloped. I'm really surprised a book this shallow was good enough to be published. I don't hate Sara Ryan, but I wish she had spent more time on this project.
March 20, 2009
This book was a lot better than I anticipated. The summer college program is represented well and I think would make most kids want to attend one. I also like the lack of certainty in the characters - very believable. The plot moves really quick (a little too quick for me) but at the right pace for student readers who are likely to become board.
I read this book in one night & didn't really put it down! It's a great little love story and the sequel should be good.
Nic is a girl who I definitely identify with and while you may find yourself kind of falling for battle (especially when she decides to shave her head in rebellion), I definitely became easily frustrated with her flakiness.
I don't know if this was out of genuine frustration with the character or because I can easily envision all of the various "battles" from my past! Yikes...who wants to get ditched for a guy?!?
While the memory can be a bit bothersome, this book helps to make light of it, see the error of your ways, laugh and yourself, and laugh at the notion of binary sexuality at all.
Great read for multicultural lit or other middle school - early high school readers!
I read this book in one night & didn't really put it down! It's a great little love story and the sequel should be good.
Nic is a girl who I definitely identify with and while you may find yourself kind of falling for battle (especially when she decides to shave her head in rebellion), I definitely became easily frustrated with her flakiness.
I don't know if this was out of genuine frustration with the character or because I can easily envision all of the various "battles" from my past! Yikes...who wants to get ditched for a guy?!?
While the memory can be a bit bothersome, this book helps to make light of it, see the error of your ways, laugh and yourself, and laugh at the notion of binary sexuality at all.
Great read for multicultural lit or other middle school - early high school readers!
July 19, 2016
I didn't expect to be moved by this book, but I had higher hopes for it. It's always nice to see LGBT representation in books, but in this book, it did nothing but aggravate me. As a lesbian, I like being able to relate to characters but this book just frustrated me. People are always so fast to put labels on things, and this book was not an exception. It seemed most of the time was spent wondering whether Nic was straight or a lesbian. She liked Battle, she was a lesbian. She liked Issac, she was straight. What if she happened to be, god forbid, bisexual? This book treated the situation as if she was either all in or all out; there was no in between. The issue as to whether she was gay or not seemed to override her actual feelings towards the characters. Society feels the need to label everything, but why can't people just do whatever they feel? If she likes both girls and guys, whatever, that's how she feels, let it be. Whatever happens, happens.
It's nice to see LGBT fiction where things just are and people don't push the notion that one must fit into a category.
People are fluid, why must everyone be categorized?
/end rant
It's nice to see LGBT fiction where things just are and people don't push the notion that one must fit into a category.
People are fluid, why must everyone be categorized?
/end rant
September 8, 2009
My favorite book ever! (So far, that is.)
As someone who would like to eventually study sexuality & gender identity, this was one of my first literary forays into the world of queer-&-questioning youth, which interest me particularly, as I am one myself.
Ryan's writing, especially her character description & development, is so good that I immediately picked up many of protagonist Nic's mannerisms & qualities, which I can see in myself still to this day.
All in all this is a beautiful story (& much better than its sequel, Rules For Hearts!).
As someone who would like to eventually study sexuality & gender identity, this was one of my first literary forays into the world of queer-&-questioning youth, which interest me particularly, as I am one myself.
Ryan's writing, especially her character description & development, is so good that I immediately picked up many of protagonist Nic's mannerisms & qualities, which I can see in myself still to this day.
All in all this is a beautiful story (& much better than its sequel, Rules For Hearts!).
April 20, 2009
What can I say, I actually really liked this young adult book. This book in particular, because it's a coming of age lesbian story.
If I had even a clue about this book when I was a pre-teen I wouldn't have been so confused growing up. Well maybe, I'd still be confused but atleast I'd have something other to read than Sweet Valley High.
I wouldn't be suprised if this book turned into a movie. hmmm, now there's an idea . . . . I better get that screeplay going.
If I had even a clue about this book when I was a pre-teen I wouldn't have been so confused growing up. Well maybe, I'd still be confused but atleast I'd have something other to read than Sweet Valley High.
I wouldn't be suprised if this book turned into a movie. hmmm, now there's an idea . . . . I better get that screeplay going.
September 4, 2011
Well written, and a great love story :)
August 26, 2019
A lot of things from this book connected and resonated with me, a 22-year-old:
1. I'll start with the fact that Nic and I's names are similar, and the girl I've had a long-term crush on also has a name that starts with B. So yeah, I consider that a big deal to me.
2. Nic placed Battle on a pedestal (naming her the "Empress of the World") the same way I did to my crush.
3. Nic has an obssession with trying to analyze explain everything because of her nature as an aspiring archaeologist. I do a similar thing, as an English major and aspiring author: trying to find a reason and purpose in everything, from real life events to people's actions. Like Nic, I also try to make up explanations/stories of things I don't fully know about, and I see now how uncomfortable that can be when pushed to a certain extent.
4.
5. And finally, also like Nic, I've also been struggling with whether I'm bisexual or lesbian, especially since I've been leaning more towards girls lately. I felt Nic's confusion; but it's certainly NOT denial.
My gay cousin/best friend gave me advice on my crisis, basically boiling down to: "Do whatever (and whoever) you want, whenever you want" -- and I think that ties in with Nic's epiphany, "Maybe you don't get to know, Nic. Maybe you need to stop trying to pick it all apart." And I found that comforting and reassuring, that I don't need to confine myself to a label and I really can do whatever I want with my life, as long as it makes me happy.
However, there were a few typos I caught throughout this book, some parts felt way too rushed (like Nic and Ms. Fraser's talk), and the plot wasn't really that exciting, BUT -- I still consider this a nice story to conclude my summer with. I felt like it helped provide closure to what I've been struggling with recently in my life.
And I'm 22 years old while Nic is 15?? Yeah, stories like these can still be relevant in people's lives.
3.5/5
1. I'll start with the fact that Nic and I's names are similar, and the girl I've had a long-term crush on also has a name that starts with B. So yeah, I consider that a big deal to me.
2. Nic placed Battle on a pedestal (naming her the "Empress of the World") the same way I did to my crush.
3. Nic has an obssession with trying to analyze explain everything because of her nature as an aspiring archaeologist. I do a similar thing, as an English major and aspiring author: trying to find a reason and purpose in everything, from real life events to people's actions. Like Nic, I also try to make up explanations/stories of things I don't fully know about, and I see now how uncomfortable that can be when pushed to a certain extent.
4.
5. And finally, also like Nic, I've also been struggling with whether I'm bisexual or lesbian, especially since I've been leaning more towards girls lately. I felt Nic's confusion; but it's certainly NOT denial.
My gay cousin/best friend gave me advice on my crisis, basically boiling down to: "Do whatever (and whoever) you want, whenever you want" -- and I think that ties in with Nic's epiphany, "Maybe you don't get to know, Nic. Maybe you need to stop trying to pick it all apart." And I found that comforting and reassuring, that I don't need to confine myself to a label and I really can do whatever I want with my life, as long as it makes me happy.
However, there were a few typos I caught throughout this book, some parts felt way too rushed (like Nic and Ms. Fraser's talk), and the plot wasn't really that exciting, BUT -- I still consider this a nice story to conclude my summer with. I felt like it helped provide closure to what I've been struggling with recently in my life.
And I'm 22 years old while Nic is 15?? Yeah, stories like these can still be relevant in people's lives.
3.5/5
October 31, 2018
Personal Response
I liked this book a lot. Empress of the World was the first book I have ever read that was about LGBTQ people. It made me happy to see that this book existed. Before this book, I never read any book that had any other relationships than straight ones so that was really nice.
Plot Summary
A girl named Nicola, or Nic, went to a summer school camp for the summer. She met three friends. Her closest friend was named Battle. She and Battle fell in love at this gifted teaching camp. Battle and Nic eventually get apart and Nic finds battle with a guy and she falls apart. She tries to do everything to get Battle back, and Nicś friend, Katrina, gets them to talk things out. Battle and Nic sort everything out with their relationship, but by then the camp has come to an end. The book ends on them saying their goodbyes in the woods the night prior to the leaving day.
Character Development
Nic, in the first part of the book was very shy and obscure. She opened up to her friends Katrina and Battle. Katrina becomes more crazy and wild as the book furthers. She tries to get with multiple teachers and smokes in the dorm rooms by the end of the book. Battle got more confident. She used to be the girl her parents wanted her to be, a girl with long blonde hair that was ¨perfect¨. She did not want her hair to define her, so she shaved it all off without even thinking of what her parents would think about her after the act.
Recommendations
I would recommend this book to teen girls apart of the LGBT+ community that may not know that books that are inclusive of this community. I would also recommend this book from 8th graders and up, for language. This book made me happy after reading it, and I hope many others feel the same after reading it.
I liked this book a lot. Empress of the World was the first book I have ever read that was about LGBTQ people. It made me happy to see that this book existed. Before this book, I never read any book that had any other relationships than straight ones so that was really nice.
Plot Summary
A girl named Nicola, or Nic, went to a summer school camp for the summer. She met three friends. Her closest friend was named Battle. She and Battle fell in love at this gifted teaching camp. Battle and Nic eventually get apart and Nic finds battle with a guy and she falls apart. She tries to do everything to get Battle back, and Nicś friend, Katrina, gets them to talk things out. Battle and Nic sort everything out with their relationship, but by then the camp has come to an end. The book ends on them saying their goodbyes in the woods the night prior to the leaving day.
Character Development
Nic, in the first part of the book was very shy and obscure. She opened up to her friends Katrina and Battle. Katrina becomes more crazy and wild as the book furthers. She tries to get with multiple teachers and smokes in the dorm rooms by the end of the book. Battle got more confident. She used to be the girl her parents wanted her to be, a girl with long blonde hair that was ¨perfect¨. She did not want her hair to define her, so she shaved it all off without even thinking of what her parents would think about her after the act.
Recommendations
I would recommend this book to teen girls apart of the LGBT+ community that may not know that books that are inclusive of this community. I would also recommend this book from 8th graders and up, for language. This book made me happy after reading it, and I hope many others feel the same after reading it.
April 21, 2020
I liked this book a lot!! Empress of the World was an easy YA read that reminded me of what it was like being 16 and infatuated with a girl. The love the narrator and protagonist, Nic, and felt for her trying desperately to always make sense of things with words: her identity, her feelings for her friends, even trying to "figure out" other people. The way Ryan writes Nic's conflict with labeling her bisexuality and addressing others trying to make that decision for her. The way that Nic thinks through her attraction to other girls her age while also honoring the crushes on boys she's had felt very authentic, as well as her roping in the difference between 'like' and 'love' feelings. Dealing with her heartbreak, the gender dynamics of that, as well as the way that Nic experiences discrimination or even annoying and sometimes hurtful microaggressions from her friends, all felt appropriate. The characterization of Nic's friend group was thorough at the beginning, but tapered off just a bit as the book focused on Nic and Battle's relationship. Empress of the World is a sweet book on summer friendships and romances as a nervous teenager, too smart for your own good sometimes.
August 17, 2021
I really was expecting more from this book. Way back for baby!gay Kelly, "Annie on my Mind" was the first wlw book I ever read and I absolutely ate that book up! I laughed, I cried, I cheered and while that being set in the 80's, it truly felt like that had a timeless feel to it.
Just from what i've heard about "Empress", it definitely seemed to give off the same queer classic vibe? So I was super excited to read it!
But I think I was just too struck by the inappropriate phrases (several gay slurs and just very dated writing in that regard) to even kind of appreciate it?
Just from what i've heard about "Empress", it definitely seemed to give off the same queer classic vibe? So I was super excited to read it!
But I think I was just too struck by the inappropriate phrases (several gay slurs and just very dated writing in that regard) to even kind of appreciate it?
July 8, 2019
Just remembered this book that introduced me to the concept of lesbians. Does this make up for how much I disliked Fun Home?
July 12, 2020
This was such a sweet story, like to see f/f in this setting
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