Empress of the World

Trying to catch up on books I didn’t get a chance to read when I was younger. I know this would have been a good read for me then. Glad to read it now. Wish I was able to find it back then!

I loved this book when I read it the first time (and the second and third time). All of the characters are truly interesting, and you can't help but find yourself rooting for the two main characters of the novel- you want them to be in love forever. It's similar to books like "Keeping You a Secret" and "Annie on my Mind", so if you enjoyed those books, this is a sure deal.

Nicola Lancaster has it hard enough at a camp where high-school students take college-like courses, but now she's she's got to deal with the pressures of trying to hold up a complicated and confusing relationship. On Nic¡¦s first day at the Siegel Institute she befriends two other girls, redheaded and outgoing Katrina, as well as Battle, who posses electric green eyes and who Nic calls ¡¥Beautiful Hair Girl,¡¦ though only in her mind. The three also make friends with Kevin, an aspiring composer and Isaac, funny and nice even though he's just...confusing. They all care for one another like friends do; when Nic falls on a hike and twists her ankle, they all want to make sure she¡¦s okay. But after a little while she wants to go moving around more and the only one who doesn't feel ¡§it¡¦s her ankle, let her do what she wants¡¨ is Battle. The situation is believable,it sounds as if this is how it would go with teenagers in real life. It isn¡¦t straight out forward how Battle truly feels for Nic, it doesn¡¦t even seem apparent to Battle. When Nic catches a fever Battle comes to comfort her and their relationship starts with a kiss, like almost all relationships in teen romance novels. Though everything goes wrong when Nic decides to make Battle gift. Sara Ryan touches a subject few people want to talk about, gayness, with an excellent flair. Empress of the World is great book choice for someone looking for an alternative to traditional teen-romance novels. n

I picked up this book at [a local store] thinking it looked alright, but really, it was so much more for me than just "an enjoyably read." The discription is almost magical in that it is stark, not wordy or "lacey" but simple, getting the point accross simply and elegantly. It doesn't shy away from anything; it's confronting and outspoken, something i like. something i noticed and appreciated were the small little details of the main character's thought process, for instamce, "I look at the carpet. It's dull gray with black diamonds. Probably they picked it because it wouldn't show the dirt. I wonder how many diamonds there are per square foot." This remark would seem desultory and entirely non-sequitorial, but actually, it demonstrates quite well what you you do when you're awkward: you hook on to the nearest most insignificant thing possible, and become apparently inerested. things like this in writing enforce a kinship with the book from the reader; if the author uses experiences that aren't strangely far from our own experience, then the reader can sympathize, understand, and get more enjoyment out of the book. Though the plot may seem sad or daunting sometimes, there is never a failing of comic releif; again stark, simple, and allowing the reader to empathize. this book is wonderful, addressing highly argued issues, (issues that need to be addressed and thought about!!) in a way that isn't boringly and passively diplomaitc, but not altogether with a "you are stupid, i am right" attitude either. this is one of those books that enables you to get more out of life. it is an understatement to say i reccomend it!

...Not many writers could write a first novel this beautiful and touching. The characters are all totally believable wonderfully three-dimensional, from manic, computer obsessed, nicotene addict Katrina to genius composer Kevin to San Francisco Jew Isaac they all have theirstengths and weaknesses and many-faceted personalities.And it's about two girls... who FALL IN LOVE. With each other. And Sara Ryan manages to tread on this dificult territory without making the book sound dumb or preachy, something very difficult to pull off.