The ending (and Nick's inevitable return to his parents after an intervention) feels abrupt, which may prompt some to wonder if there isn't another installment in the works. Readers will appreciate Ryan's open approach to discussing homosexuality, but some might wish for a more in-depth exploration of Battle's feelings beyond the mere description of her actions. Battle continues to struggle with her sexuality after falling for 22-year-old Meryl, one of her roommates (who has also hooked up with Nick), and her relationship with her brother falters after his lying habit catches up to him. As the summer wears on and rehearsals for A Midsummer Night's Dream are well underway, the housemates learn what it takes to make a play-and their household-come together, despite difficult circumstances. Unbeknownst to her overprotective parents, she moves in with her long-lost brother, Nick, who ran away from home when Battle was 13, and she quickly acclimates to life among the residents of Forest House-a community theater troupe whose members cohabitate under one roof. Ryan summarizes the book conceptually as 'Friendship, love, and the sometimes blurry lines between the two.

It won the 2002 Oregon Book Award for Young Readers Literature.

Its sequel, The Rules for Hearts, was published in April 2007. The narrative picks up three years later, this time following 18-year-old Battle to Portland, Ore., for the summer, as she prepares to attend Reed College in the fall. Sara Ryan Empress of the World Hardcover Augby Sara Ryan (Author) 136 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle 7.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook 0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover 5.95 16 Used from 2.25 1 Collectible from 22.50 Paperback 8.99 42 Used from 1.19 9 New from 7. Empress of the World is a young adult novel by Sara Ryan. For the first time in her life, she discovers a group of friends surprisingly similar to herselfperiphery kids who. Nic is studying archaeology at a summer camp for academically gifted students. Fans of Ryan's debut novel Empress of the World will find her sophomore effort a satisfying follow-up, as well as an entertaining stand-alone for those just tuning in. In a love story that breaks the usual rules (There’s two girls and a boy, but they’re not in the roles you’d think they’d have), Ryan has written an almost too-perfect awakening story.

Empress of the World by Sara Ryan