“Impyrium” a World of Mysteries and Intrigue

Madison Fishback

Impyrium book cover from HarperCollins. The cover features the Faeregine vault and the two main characters, Hob and Hazel. Art by Antonio Caparo.

The Faeregine dynasty is dying. On the brink of war and the people full of doubt, Hazel Faeregine must quickly master her magic and preserve her family’s legacy. Opposed to the Faeregine rule is the secret society, the Fellowship. A member of the Fellowship, Hob, is hired as a servant for the castle and becomes Hazel’s tutor. As these two unlikely allies join forces, whose agenda will come out on top?

“Impyrium” is a sequel story. However, it isn’t a follow-up to the previous series, “The Tapestry.” It is a new story with different characters set three thousand years later. It continues in the same world but shows how the locations have changed over time. Even without reading “The Tapestry,” it was easy to understand what was happening in the story. It might have been better not to have prior knowledge of that series, as it made for a more exciting reveal during this book.

Throughout the chapters, the narration switches between the perspective of Hob and Hazel. Since they are on different sides of the story, it’s nice to see their different viewpoints on what happens during the book. Changing between Hob and Hazel also allows readers to learn more about them. When “Impyrium” changes chapters, there is a drawing and a quote at the start of the page. The drawing and quote typically correspond to what happens in that chapter, but sometimes they don’t seem relevant. The art and quotes don’t add a lot to the story, but they are a nice edition nonetheless.

Since “Impyrium” is a sequel, it’s weird to think that it was going to be turned into a series. It would have been great to get another book, but the second book was canceled when it ran into problems during production. There will not be another book released. Despite the dissatisfaction of not getting another book, “Impyrium” ended in a good place, and I’m okay if its story finishes how it did.

Without needing any prior knowledge, “Impyrium” brings an elaborate and complex world in an easy-to-understand format. With a page count of roughly 600, “Impyrium” is a fascinating story and I would recommend reading it.