The Orichalcum Crown by Joshua Whitley is a sweeping fantasy with plenty of adventure. Makoto is an adopted princess of the Kauneus Empire who begins to uncover memories of her lost family after receiving her mother’s necklace on her eighteenth birthday. Haunted by visions of her mother’s murder and her missing sister, Makoto is torn between staying loyal to the empire or seeking answers across the sea. Meanwhile, her adoptive sister Athena, banished for revealing a royal secret, risks her life by returning home to prevent the emperor’s assassination. As the annual ball approaches, the sisters must overcome their estrangement and work together to protect their family and the future of the empire.

Author Joshua Whitley has a vivid and evocative imagination, and uses it to full potential here to craft a richly detailed fantasy world filled with political intrigue, emotional conflict, and high-stakes action. I liked the central theme of family connections, both through blood and royalty. The sibling dynamics bring emotional depth that makes Makoto and Athena's struggles feel relatable even though their political impact is complex. This dual perspective also works as a great plot device to create tension that holds readers and keeps them rooting for both sisters even when everything seems so desperate and hopeless. The fantasy elements of the story were well-grounded in these realistic emotional situations, which made everything feel credible and logical to the plot. Overall, The Orichalcum Crown is an immersive and unpredictable read that I would highly recommend.

When Emperor Rudolph Kauneus rescues five-year-old Makoto from the Isle of Avalon and adopts her into the royal family, a vague memory of her identity and past is all she has. Thirteen years later, on her eighteenth birthday, a gift from the emperor triggers the slow return of fragmented memories. Makoto is left longing to discover more about her life on the Isle. However, returning to Avalon may mean losing her status and relationship with the royal family. Will Makoto choose her past or her current family? But that’s not all. Rumor has reached Athena, a princess banished from the empire, that an assassination plot on the emperor is underway at an upcoming ball. Exiled from the empire, will Athena risk it all to save the emperor? Find out in Joshua Whitley’s The Orichalcum Crown.

Lovers of fantasy novels blended with drama, suspense, and adventure will find Joshua Whitley’s The Orichalcum Crown an enthralling read. Whitely runs the storyline on a multi-perspective timeline, introducing me to a vast, dynamic cast. The vivid depictions of the scenes made me feel like I was next to the cast in every scene, closely following them unfold. The purposeful, character-driven conversations and the introspective voice gave me insight into their conflicts and emotions. The juxtaposition of their complex traits strengthened the story’s grip on reality, allowing me to connect with them. In a land steeped in ancient traditions and expectations, Makoto and Athena must navigate the delicate lines between loyalty and betrayal, survival and sacrifice, and honor and morality in their quests for freedom, redemption, and truth, lest they lose everything.

In Joshua Whitley's The Orichalcum Crown, a five-year-old Makoto is adopted and taken across the sea to a new world. She knows nothing about her past. But everything changes on her eighteenth birthday when she receives her mother’s necklace, which brings back long-buried memories of her past, including a lost sister and her mother’s tragic fate. Torn between her loyalty to the Kauneus Empire and the truth hidden across the sea, Makoto is confused with new visions that threaten the fragile bonds to her adoptive family and closest friends. Athena, her eldest adoptive sister, endures banishment for uncovering a dark royal secret—the existence of the emperor’s hidden bastard. When a grave rumor from her dragon uncle reaches her ears, Athena faces an impossible choice: risk her life to save her father from an impending assassination at the annual ball or remain in exile. Makoto and Athena must forge an unexpected alliance to protect their family and the fate of the Empire.

Joshua Whitley's novel is skillfully plotted and offers a captivating premise: a young woman without much knowledge of her past. This introduces the psychological conflict that will dominate the narrative as the heroine struggles to learn more about her past. The internal strife is superbly written, and it also becomes an element of suspense as readers want to know if Makoto can reconnect with her past, knowing she is separated from that past by the dangerous sea. The setting is stunningly imagined and finely drawn, and readers will love the palace intrigue and the descriptions of locales. The Orichalcum Crown features beautiful prose, engaging dialogues, and characters that pull readers into the heroine's world. The complex relationships are explored well in this fantasy tale. The author offers richly developed characters, conflict that keeps the reader’s attention, and an immersive setting.