- Oregon Book Award winner
- Best Book for Young Adults
- Lambda Literary Award finalist
What reviewers are saying:
“…Both controversial and long-awaited, this helps to fill a need that is painfully obvious in YA literature and introduces a wonderful new voice.” – Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Among the better books I have read in recent years…Sara Ryan’s evocative Empress of the World.” – Deirdre Donahue, USA Today
“Funny — sad — bitter — poignant — these words ran through my mind while I read Sara Ryan’s excellent young adult novel.” – Nancy Garden, Lambda Book Report
“What Ryan does so well is cleverly merge two genres…in the process spawning a whole new breed…Young-adult lit has come a long way, baby.” – Rachel Fudge, Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture
“You’re in for a mind-blowing treat if you come along with this vibrant, unusual protagonist. Author Sara Ryan will dazzle you with fresh voices, witty interactions, and honest discovery.” — Favorite Teenage Angst Books
“…realistic razor-keen observations and fine-edged humor…An excellent, upbeat (though not un-fraught) first-relationship novel for gay and lesbian teenagers and their straight friends. – New England Children’s Bookselling Advisory Council
“…sweet, smart, believable, and charming.” – Portland Mercury
“Sara Ryan has aptly captured the hesitancy and feeling of first love in this open, honest summer romance.” – Children’s Literature
“…characters are voiced with near-perfect pitch. The action is equally on target…Ryan handles Nic’s confusion about her sexuality and her longing for Battle adroitly.” – The Oregonian
“…first novelist Ryan has a good handle on her characters and on her story, which is romantic without being explicit and feels very much like today.” – Booklist
Booklist also lists Empress as a Top Ten Teen Romance.
“Humorous and bittersweet…a must-read…” – Teen People
“…fresh, warm-hearted and clear-eyed…the story rings so true.” — Book Marks, Q Syndicate
“…These characters seem to breathe in their realism, and the setting… is evoked in sensual detail.” – School Library Journal
“…This story of romance and friendship breaks new ground in YA literature thanks in no small part to the clear vision and true voice of this new author.” – Voices From the Middle
“…Ryan does a nice job of tapping into the questions a teenage girl might have about her budding sexuality.” – BOOK Magazine
“Ryan…surpasses many of the trappings of stereotypical gay teen representations…[and] is to be applauded for taking this story beyond an identity struggle.” – Publishers Weekly
“In her first novel, Sara Ryan proves a sure hand at writing about the intense emotional lives of fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds… YA readers are sure to embrace the believable passions in this summer romance.” – Horn Book
And before the book even came out, I was interviewed in USA Today.