Synopsis:
When Empress starts at Aniya’s school, they’re not exactly best friends. But, when the two teenage girls accidentally cast a spell on their 16th birthday and end up switching bodies, they quickly learn that friendship is the most important magic of all.
South London’s answer to Freaky Friday, Empress & Aniya is a moving portrayal of the importance of real friendship and the ups and downs of being a teenager.
My thoughts:
It’s a quick easy read/listen, I really enjoyed listening to it. The story is about friendship – such a nice thing to see! No romance just pure platonic love! We definitely need more friendship based YA stories.
I like the magical, body switch element – it was interesting to see the girls from two completely different backgrounds be thrown into the others’.
Is it basically just Freaky Friday? Yeah, but I loved it!
It did touch on heavier topics such as class, poverty and parental relationships. The way Empress and Aniya live was an interesting juxtaposition. Aniya is from a wealthy family and has never wanted for anything. Empress is from a poor background with a mother who is rarely present.
The narrator was really good, really brought the characters to life and was a joy to listen to! I binged the whole thing. It’s very short but punchy. Highly recommend grabbing the audiobook, it’s available on the Audible Plus catalogue if you subscribe.
Rating: 4.5-5 Stars
I can’t really fault it, I have nothing bad to say!
Literary Leisha 