Kali's story isn't normal by any definition. This book draws the reader in with learning of Kali's past and, hopefully, her future.

Personally, I thought it was a great adventure; at times it was a little slow, but still easy to push through to the end. I laughed, I cried, and I was angry right along Kali. There are some great twists and turns, but still feels like a connected story. Thankfully the first book had a Sneak Peek of book 2; the ending is a great conclusion to this story, but there are so many parts of the story that needs to be expanded. I will definitely be looking forward to the next book.

I’m having trouble with evaluating this book, because it seems like a large part of the story is missing. It’s starting out in the middle of something and just assumes the reader is all fine with that. Then the unraveling of the story happens and yet I don’t know what is happening. It is not that it’s too difficult to understand, it isn’t. It’s rather a bit pointless and unnecessary. The character development is nonexistent, even though they seem to have been around for centuries. They are childish, and their drama stems from lack of communication. For which they should have had centuries to develop.

From the positive is like to acknowledge the language and writing style. Kika is quite talented, with great potential, and this book is not showing it well.

2,5/5 rounded down

I just finished this book after starting it in 2023. The only negative thing I have to say about Remember Pompeii is that it did take me awhile to finish it because I did end up losing interest about halfway through but I pushed on and was glad that I did. I'm now looking forward to reading the sequel. The story around our protaginist is a sad and compelling story. It talks of betrayl, heartache and determination to fix something broken so long ago. I wish the story was a little faster paced but overall it was a great read and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

As an elder millennial (birth year 19xx 😳), I didn’t identify as the target reader for this YA fantasy book - BUT I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a very unique story with many relatable undercurrents despite my being decades older than this protagonist. 

The story was well paced, written with beautiful imagery and easy to follow. It’s a fun coincidence that it’s set in San Diego, CA where I reside. The first half was foundational for the subsequent action.

There were universal themes which facilitated empathy with the main character, Kali, as an immortal teen destined to reincarnate as human until she learns to control her powers – But of course, there’s more to the story. A millennia of mind games, secrets, and alliances are exposed. 

Her duality and fear of change as she comes of age really resonated with me as a newish mother. She fears experiencing change, an uncertain future, and becoming like her parents. Same girl, same.



I was delighted the lore of this world deviated from overworked Eurocentric mythology. This is the first book in a series and I look forward to reading more. 



💫Themes I enjoyed:

✏Duality of the female main character (human and eternal)

✏Longing for a loving family bond

✏Conquering your emotions (anger, anxiety, love, fear) 

✏Ignoring Generational trauma maintaining it irresolvable 

✏Conflict within relationships (parents, friends, SO)

✏Trust issues

✏Fear of life changes/uncertain future



Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

(Many thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this work.)

Spoilers after synopsis.

Kali is an eternal being punished to living a human life to age 17 so she can atone for the tragedy that is the eruption of Mt Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii. Her parents and grandparents are serving the punishment with her. The only problem is, for reasons she can’t reveal, Kali doesn’t want the punishment to end. She makes sure to die before age 17 every lifetime forcing her family to wait for her to be reborn and start the 17 year cycle all over again.

I’d rate it a 3.5 to solid 4. The story was entertaining and I was invested in the outcome. I read most of this in one sitting. I see a lot of opportunity for amazing storytelling in the subsequent books in the series.

The reasons I didn’t give a 5 was mainly due to character development. Mandy fell flat to me. I understand she was a side character, but she felt one-dimensional. I wanted more than she was a nice cheerleader. I also couldn’t get past Mandy making it out of a burning building moments before numerous people were burned alive and it seemed to not phase her whatsoever.

And Bess having a single dream and just accepting Kali was eternal was like, “Wait. What?” Feels like she would need more than that to just accept there are eternal beings that can put cancer in remission and her son’s new friend happens to be one.

I did love Gram & Gramps. Low-key wanted her with Tav over Hunter. Tav just felt more real. Maybe I just identify with humans more.

All in all, I’d gladly read the rest of the series.

I had an incredible time reading this book. The plot itself was so fresh and unique and the magic/power system was so unlike any others that I’ve read before. I also really enjoyed the way Kika described emotions - it was visceral and I could perfectly picture and understand the emotions she was trying to convey.

I particularly liked Kali. She is a very well written character who has such a bleeding heart for her loved ones and will do anything to keep them safe. At the same time, she is able to make very difficult decisions without a care for the impact it has on her own soul.

I am very excited to read the next book as I can’t wait to see where this story goes! I am especially excited to see what this means for Kali and Tav’s relationship (as I honestly had a big soft spot for him) and what that means for Kali and Hunter’s relationship, this may actually be one of the first times in a while I’m a bit excited for a love triangle.

*Thank you to NetGalley who made it possible for me
to read and review an ARC of this book!

Thank you Beckett Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this book.

The first book in the Wanshiki trilogy - Kika Emers takes us on a harrowing journey of Kali, a "young" Wanshiki who is serving punishment in the human world until she proves she is worthy of redemption.

First things first, I appreciated the glossary of terms and pronunciations- not being familiar with the Mandarin Chinese, it was incredibly helpful not to have to work out how to pronounce everything on my own.

The plot moved fluidly with meaningful conflict and character development. I did not find the main character, Kali, to be likeable, but I think that's intentional and leaves room for improvement in the next two books of the series. She comes off as very self-centered, but it does seem more understandable as the story progresses.

This book is very heavy with metaphors and similes, most of which are enjoyable, however, some were lost on me.

Emers does a good job of creating a fantastical world that encompasses the real emotion and struggles of adolescence. Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to book two.

4.5 Rounded Up

I’m so glad I received this ARC. I loved everything about the book even though I didn’t pronounce half of the words correctly🤣.

Kali(Liv) was quite immature, but she had her own mature qualities; she just didn’t always handle situations correctly. She HAS to live through/to her seventeenth birthday. Hunter is one of my favorites. Grams and Gramps just add the family aspect that every wants and that Kali longs for.

I couldn’t decide which characters I could trust tbh, but that’s what kept me even more intrigued.

I will definitely be continuing this series! I can’t wait for book 2!!!

wow this was so good!! i read this in a day because i simply could not put this book down and couldn't wait to read what comes next. kali is such an interesting character - she is living as a human in one of her multiple lives as a punishment for something that happened in Pompeii. at times i struggled with details of the Wanshiqi, but overall it's such a fun and unique book!! i'd never heard of a plot like this, and was pleasantly surprised. i'll definitely be looking forward to book 2!!

This book was a surprise!

I would almost have scrolled by it because if the book cover, but the title intruiged me - as well as the description.

I'm mostly positively surprised by this book! It is a very unusual plot that was refreshing and exciting to read. There is not a lot of hand-holding and explaining of the fantasy part of the story - when I started reading I had so many questions I wanted to mention in this review, but a lot of them slowly got answered. On one hand, I liked that as it felt very natural and authentic.

On the other hand, the "normal" and "not fantasy" part of the story is very Young Adult with teen drama, misunderstandings and even the hint of a triangle lovestory (luckily not all too much). Sometimes I felt the vastness of the washinqi world clashed with the young adult theme. As if too complicated a concept was tried to be explained by a too simple language. Actually a quite good representation of the vibe of the book.

Some of the washinqi lore still feels a bit loopholey to me. Like how they look down on humans but many of their ways are very human-based (taking hand, lowering yourself, etc). Also, how are all the important figures in families with each other?

The language is pretty easy, some of the topics are tough, though. There is a lot of emotional tomult going on that got a bit frustrating in the end.
The least enjoyable part in my eyes was the main characters' relationship to her parents and the relationship among them - that felt too chaotic and like wanting too much. However, this was apparently only a first book in the series so maybe that will get explained better.

Thank you @netgalley and Kika Emers
Although I hate cliffhangers , and Rainbow eyes girl suffered bullying from her classmates and it was a bit triggering …it still was a great book

"Remember Pompeii" by Kika Emers is an exceptional book that I absolutely loved. The characters, especially Wanshiqi, were remarkable, and the angst portrayed in the story was captivating. The plot follows Kali, who is living as a human in one of her multiple lives as a punishment for something that happened in Pompeii. Her parents were forced to join her, but her grandparents, Grams and Gramps, who were my favourite characters in the book, and her Tonggan Hunter chose to join her in her punishment. However, Kali can never make it past her 17th birthday.

The book sets up the series beautifully, and I am eagerly waiting for the second one to come out. One of the things that make the book so special is the compassion that Kali shows towards those in her life.

“Remember Pompeii” was a good first attempt; however, it was not finished. It started off too quickly. It felt like you were thrown head first into a story that didn’t quite know where to begin. There was not enough world building or context for even the title of story (if you had not had previous knowledge of Pompeii). Even after having read the entire book, I am still confused about the purpose of the book, character plot lines, and overall future book premises. A forced a love triangle was not needed, and was resolved too quickly (as Hunter was not really a part of it). Overall, this was an okay first draft, but needed more, and therefore, only received one star.

This was an interesting novel, involving mythology I wasn't familiar with, largely inspired by Chinese mythology. Kali (short for Kalifornia) is an immortal being, who, as a teen, caused the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that led to the destruction of Pompeii - which isn't actually what she is being punished for; the deaths of human beings are not relevant to the immortal race she belongs to. What is relevant is that another immortal vanished during the destruction, which was a misuse of her powers. The ruling council determined that she was immature in her actions, and sentenced her to be reborn over and over again, until she matures enough to be trusted with the full powers of an adult, obtained after one's 17th birthday - and since teaching her the necessary maturity is her parents' responsibility, they are reborn with her every time she fails to reach her 17th birthday. Several thousand years later, she still hasn't made it to that all-important birthday.

Kali has been sabotaging her atonement since it began. Her reasons are complex, and not fully known to those involved - her parents, her grandparents, the council, and her tonggan, her partner. Unlike her parents, who are required to participate in her punishment, Kali's grandparents and her tonggan participate voluntarily, and each knows part of what happened, but not all. This novel uses an unusual premise to explore the complex relationships that exist between family members, as well as those between friends. The story was interesting and engaging, and I look forward to the sequel I hope the author will write. Recommended for teen and adult readers.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this eARC.

Kali is a 3623 years old immortal soul, living in a teenager body that needs to turn 17 to break a curse that’s been put on her and on her family.
I was hooked from the first page all the way to the end of the book, I just couldn’t stop reading . An amazing story with a plot full of turns and twists. If your a fan of fantasy and history then this book is for you.
I definitely recommend this book.
I cannot wait to read the next books.

I want to thank Netgalley and Booksirens for sending this ARC my way. My true review is 2.5 stars.

When I read the description I felt like I needed to know more. After finishing the book I feel exactly the same. There was a great deal that was not adequately fleshed out. However the basics of the mythos were very interesting. I will have to admit at first I was VERY thrown off by the Mandarin terms, I honestly was surprised the author went this route rather than using Greek or Roman terms. After coming to terms with this, I found it rather interesting. The family secrets and drama were fun although the characters are not very deep or well fleshed out.

Something I did not enjoy was the authors over the top use of simile and metaphors. The language used just seemed entirely over the top and generally wasn't necessary. This really hurt the book in my opinion.

Remember Pompeii is a gripping and distinctive young adult fantasy novel that delves into themes of self-discovery, family, and immortality. Through her deft storytelling, Kika Emers explores the difficulties and ramifications of immortality, familial ties, and the weight of previous deeds. Remember Pompeii is a moving and engrossing examination of immortality, sacrifice, and the eternal power of love thanks to Kika Emers's skillful storytelling, which is full of family drama, unspoken secrets, and mythological creatures. Although I enjoyed the book, my attention started to fade toward the conclusion. I didn't think the characters had much depth or individuality.

Thank you netgalley and Beckett publishing group for the ebook ARC

This is a YA novel. It is for a younger audience, but I really liked it. I enjoyed the growth Kali went through. She went from a very immature teenager to a girl who had to learn through a lot of trials how to mature. She went through a lot of painful situations. I'm excited to see what the next installment holds!

This was a pretty good read. It starts off slower with the world building, but it quickly speeds up at about the halfway mark. I wasn't loving it at first because of the slowness, but then once I found out more and it sped up, I loved it. I became very invested in the FMC and can not wait until the next book comes out.

This was the strong start to the wanshiqi trilogy series. I was hooked from the cover and the description. I enjoyed that it had an immortality element to it. And I thought the characters were really well written. It worked for the young adult genre. And I love the fantasy elements to this book. It does a great job in bringing you to the world, and making you want to know more about the drama and historical moments in it. Kika Emers has a great writing style for this type of book and left me wanting to read the next book in the series.