Empress of All Seasons
Author: Emiko Jean
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: November 6, 2018
Book Rating 5/5
Amazon / Goodreads / Barnes and Noble
Publisher's Description
In a palace of illusions, nothing is what it seems.
Each generation, a competition is held to find the next empress of Honoku. The rules are simple. Survive the palace’s enchanted seasonal rooms. Conquer Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Marry the prince. All are eligible to compete—all except yōkai, supernatural monsters and spirits whom the human emperor is determined to enslave and destroy.
Mari has spent a lifetime training to become empress. Winning should be easy. And it would be, if she weren't hiding a dangerous secret. Mari is a yōkai with the ability to transform into a terrifying monster. If discovered, her life will be forfeit. As she struggles to keep her true identity hidden, Mari’s fate collides with that of Taro, the prince who has no desire to inherit the imperial throne, and Akira, a half-human, half-yōkai outcast.
Torn between duty and love, loyalty and betrayal, vengeance and forgiveness, the choices of Mari, Taro, and Akira will decide the fate of Honoku in this beautifully written, edge-of-your-seat YA fantasy.
Book received: Rented
Why I Picked it up: I wanted to read something different. Something not set in a European world. This fit the bill. This was a story that I could relate to about being other, wanting to fit in and finding power in being yourself.
Why I finished it: The moment of the story carries you forward. The story explains things but made no effort to Westernize itself. This is a wonderful story that follows a narrative uncommon in typical western novels.
Who I would give it to: Anyone who feels like an outsider.
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