Empress of All Seasons

by Emiko Jean

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Young Adult Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction, Asian Literature

384 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2018

About the author

Emiko Jean is a New York Times best-selling author of adult and young adult fiction.Her books have been published in over thirty languages. Her work has been featured on Good Morning America as a GMA book club pick, by Reese Witherspoon as a young adult book club pick, and in publications such as: Marie Claire, Entertainment Weekly, Time, Cosmopolitan, Shondaland and Bustle. She lives in Washington with her husband and two kids.

Reviews

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Do not cling to the hand that holds you down”

Empress of All Seasons is an ownvoices Japanese fantasy that was a complete delight to read. I was completely immersed from the very first page, and the last page left me wanting the next book immediately. But this is a tale of family (both found and blood), and honor (both given and earned), and love (unconditionally and conditionally).

The emperor is a human who rules this world and is cruel and demands power in every aspect of his life. In this world, there are many kinds of yōkai, who can turn into different kinds of animals, phantoms, monsters, and demons, and the emperor enslaves all that he can find. The emperor also lives in a magical palace, where there are four rooms controlled by the High Priest, one for each season, that are also incredibly cruel.

And the emperor is looking to marry off his heir, and the only way for him to find a worthy empress is for her to win a competition that will make the girl prove she can survive these four magical rooms and to beat each season’s punishments. It is a little reminiscent of The Hunger Games and Red Rising, but each girl is required to get a limited number scroll, that will be found once they figure out a riddle, to move onto the next room.

“The rules were simple: Survive the Rooms. Conquer the Seasons. Win the prince.”

➽ Mari - Yōkai, whose mother, Tami, is the alpha of their Animal Wives clan. Mari has grown up surrounded by beautiful women whose mission is to go and seduce the richest of men in their animal form, and then on their wedding night steal everything that they can and bring it back to the village. And sometimes when they come back, they will also be pregnant from that night. If they deliver a boy child, it will be sent away, but if they deliver a girl child, then they will be able to retire and prepare their daughter for the way and life of Animal Wives. And even though Mari’s mother is the most beautiful and powerful of the clan, Mari didn’t inherit the looks or the powerful animal form of her mother. But Tami has prepared Mari to be powerful in another way; to be skilled in fighting and to maybe win a competition that will be the greatest heist of all the Animal Wives.

➽ Taro - The Cold Prince, and the Emperor in waiting, but his father, the current emperor, is terribly cruel while Taro is terribly smart. He accidentally invented and crafted metal collars that enslaves all of the yōkai that his father uses to control them.

➽ Akira - The Son of Nightmares. Half of his face is terribly scarred, and the other side perfectly beautiful. His father was a trader, but his mother is a ghost, and they were forced to flee and live in hiding after their village attacked them. He keeps all of Mari’s secrets, and helps save all the people that she defeats during her training, when she should be killing them. Also, he is so very silent and able to sneak around like no one else.

➽ Hanako - Weapons Master and love of my life. She is also leading the yōkai resistance. I want an entire book of her and her white ferret. Also, she is queer. I will say that this book maybe had the “bury your gays” trope, but you never get confirmation, but it for sure feels like it. So, please use caution, and I wish I didn’t have to keep writing this in reviews in 2018. Also, I really recommend you all check out Acqua’s review, because they go way more in depth with the heteronormativity in this world, and it really opened my eyes.

“We’ve been pushed around and forced into quiet rooms our whole lives. Nobody’s ever asked us what we wanted. The prize isn’t the prince. It’s the power.”

This was a really compelling story that I never wanted to put down. And I really think that Emiko Jean has created such a beautiful start to a story that I cannot wait to read more of. From the magic of the rooms, to seeing these four characters live the lives they have been dealt, to seeing this beautiful world turn into something so scary because of one man’s hate and oppression, I just loved it all so much.

“Men are conditioned to take. Women are conditioned to give.”

I will say that this book for sure has major instalove and it didn’t feel organic or believable in the slightest. Also, Taro as a character easily won me over because of his softness at the beginning, but I really grew to find him unbelievable and just kind of dislike him and it made me sad, honestly. I also think this was supposed to feel like an angsty love triangle, but it never really felt like it. But Mari, Akira, and Hanako are still everything. Also, I can’t wait for more Hiro either!

Overall, I can’t wait to see what comes next. I thought it was beautifully written, and I was able to pull so many breathtaking quotes from the ARC copy I had. I loved so many of these characters. The story was unique and so very enthralling. And I loved the Japanese mythology and culture that was always at the forefront of this story. I completely recommend this story, and I truly think it is the start of something that is going to be amazing.

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The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Content and trigger warnings for murder, death, loss of a loved one, parental abuse, physical abuse, torture, captivity, slavery, abandonment, drugging, self-harm, blood depictions, and thoughts of suicide.

Buddy read with May at Forever and Everly, Lily at Sprinkles of Dreams, and Amy at A Court of Crowns and Quills! ❤

[may ➹ · Rating 3 out of 5]

can someone tell me [inhales] what the HELL just happened

3.5 stars

“But not every happily-ever-after includes a man.”

Empress of All Seasons is set in a Japanese-inspired world where every time the prince is in need of a wife, competitions to the death are held for all women—except yōkai.

Mari, a yōkai, has trained all her life to enter this competition, and refuses to back down until she becomes empress. Taro, the prince, has no plans whatsoever of becoming emperor. And Akira, half-yōkai, half-human, who has only ever wanted to be with Mari.

The beginning started off strong; I really loved it and I was intrigued by where it was headed. Having three main characters and POVs, I was excited to see how all the characters would meet and how their paths would intertwine.

|| Mari: a yōkai deemed “not beautiful” by her clan, but willing to do what it took to prove herself and uplift her fellow yōkai
|| Taro: called the Cold Prince for his so-called lack of a heart, and a little too clever
|| Akira: known as the Son of Nightmares, half-scarred, and an invisible outcast
|| Hanako: the love of my life, sapphic Weapons Master yōkai resistance leader!

One of the most beautiful things about this book, however, is how delightfully feminist it is. Mari is part of a group of yōkai termed the Animal Wives, who seduce men into marrying them before stealing their riches. All the women are feminine and take pride in it, and are so strong, both physically and mentally.

Men are conditioned to take. Women are conditioned to give. […] Long ago, our clan decided to stop giving and start taking.

And not only was there themes of feminism, but also of loyalty, honor, and oppression. The yōkai have been enslaved by emperors for decades, and as one of them, Mari is so loyal to them and feels the hurt they feel. This story of the oppressed overcoming their oppressors is so strong and relevant today.

Another thing that really stuck out to me was the Japanese mythology that was interspersed throughout the novel. It gave you insight into how this world was made the way it was, and why people were made the way it was. Those chapters were some of my favorites to read, because they were just absolutely beautifully written.

The biggest thing that I will remember about this book, though, is how many emotions it made me feel. Mixed in with the expected feelings of enjoyment and intrigue from a 3.5-star read, I was frustrated, angry, upset, confused, shocked, and surprised. To describe my feelings as a whole about this book? I would say I was just absolutely discombobulated. And I still have no idea if it was in a good or bad way.

Also? I was not expecting the ending to happen the way it did and then I made my peace with it and then another twist happened and then I made my peace with THAT only for ANOTHER twist to happen and it was just. So shocking. Still kinda !??!!? at what exactly happened.

A reminder of the coldness and violence that hate begets. Winter would always be for regrets.

Unfortunately, what really made me drop a lot of stars was the amount of insta-love there was in this book. The romance was so frustratingly cringy, and it made me want to scream. They’d known each other for four days… and she hit him in the face… and somehow his life’s plans are uprooted and he completely changes his mind and they’re convinced they’re true loves? WHAT. Straight people are wild.

On top of that, my favorite character at the beginning of the book, Taro, turned out to be a complete jerk and I hated it? He acted so entitled and rude and I constantly wanted to punch him. I have no idea what was done to his character or why it happened but I just downright hated him at the end.

Pacing in general was also really off. The beginning and middle was slow, and then the end was all just a fast blur. And the way the book concluded as well was just… way too quickly. It was basically a 2-page epilogue describing what could have been the plot of a second book. I genuinely thought there was going to be a sequel, until that poorly done wrapup.

That said, overall, I enjoyed this book! It was fun to experience all the emotions I did. The plot and concepts are super unique, and while it may take you time to warm up to characters (or fall in love with characters you end up hating), I think it’s definitely worth picking up!

:: rep :: all-Japanese cast, sapphic side character || ownvoices for Japanese rep

:: content warnings :: murder, death, torture, captivity, slavery, loss of a loved one, parental abuse, physical abuse, drugging, depictions of blood, body shaming, rape

// buddy read with asian squad

Thank you to HMH Teen for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.

All quotes were taken from an unfinished copy and may differ in final publication.

[Chelsea Humphrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this one didn't fully work for me, I still think it'll be an excellent story for many readers. It's not to say I didn't enjoy it at all, but I think my overall feel was too middle-of-the-road to garner anything higher than a 3 star rating towards my experience. The cover is swoon worthy and the influence of Japanese culture was stellar, and, honest to God, the intro was one of the most well written, engaging, and intriguing beginnings to an entirely unique fantasy idea that I've ever read.

I really appreciated the idea behind this story; these hidden monsters, coupled with the importance of the female gender proved to be an exciting new development, one where I enjoyed the prince finally being described as the prize to be won in a competition instead of our typical princess/damsel in distress. Jean has also created a complex and fascinating new world here, one that stands out amongst a sea of "been there done that" fantasy lookalikes, and for that I am grateful and grant a standing ovation.

I think my main issues were with the character development. I found myself only really connecting with Akira, and the romance felt a bit stale. For me, most of the characterization appeared one dimensional and too basic to compete with the lush, vivid descriptions of the world in which Empress Of All Seasons takes place. A little more work, and I think this author will be one to watch for in the highly competitive YA fantasy genre. Recommended to those who are looking for a creative, diverse, and atmospheric read to add to their fantasy line up.

*I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

[el · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Not everyone is all good or all bad.”

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for a spot on the blog tour and promotion of the book.

[˗ˏˋ lia ˎˊ˗ · Rating 2 out of 5]

“this is true freedom, to love oneself enough not to care what others think.”

empress of all seasons had a very intriguing premise. the concept of having to conquer all the four seasons in their respective rooms was super interesting, but i found the idea and story in general to be poorly executed.

the beginning, most of all, was incredibly slow and it took like 7 chapters until we got to the actual plot. of course, i don’t mind description and useful information to introduce the reader to the world; however, it’s never a good sign when a whole 100+ pages of a book are just completely useless and you could easily skip them without missing ANYTHING that’s just remotely significant to the story.

also, this book was incredibly hunger games-esque in a way i hadn’t realized before and that was really annoying? surely, you can draw inspiration from other stories but, honestly, this could literally be a line from the hunger games:
“a soft cry echoed through the forest. the sound of another girl dying?”
in addition to that, the girls are introduced by their respective clans they represent. does this sound familiar? cough, districts, cough.

the lack of LOGIC in this one made me go crazy. they’re in a seasonal room doing stuff for a chapter, and the next one’s a flashback with no indication of it being so until you realize on the very last page. the pacing is WAY OFF, a seasonal room (at least the summer one) takes only a chapter when those rooms should be the main focus of the plot, while the flashbacks (which are also irrelevant), the backstory (which doesn’t add much to the general story) and other unnecessary subplots take like 5 chapters before you are allowed to read about the next seasonal room again.

all my hope was on the climax, so the story could at least have a proper ending after a messy two thirds but it was super boring and weirdly choppy??? like there are 3 povs in total, one of which is really unnecessary actually, and you constantly switch around between those 3 during the ‘climax’ so you can only read about 1-2 pages per pov before the next one, which is not only incredibly useless but also fucking frustrating.

to round it up, the writing style was also very lacking as well as the development of the extremely flat characters. these two things could’ve been the ones to carry the story, to intrigue the reader to keep reading, but that sadly wasn’t the case.

→ 2 stars

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean is a young adult fantasy book that is inspired by the author’s own Japanese heritage. I think if you took the Japanese infused story complete with monsters and tossed it into a blender with the Hunger Games and a smidge of the Selection then blend it all up you come up with Empress of All Seasons.

Mari is a Yokai, she looks human but has the ability to transform into a monster. Yokai are feared Honoku so Mari hides who she is along with her small village of women. When grown the woman are expected to marry and then steal their husband’s wealth but Mari’s mother gave her the ultimate goal, marry the prince.

Mari has spent her whole life training to enter the competition to win the honor of marrying the prince of Honoku. Those that try are expected to conquer the four rooms of the seasons in an all out battle for the crown and the prince’s heart. Taro, the prince, however doesn’t like being a prize to be won and doesn’t agree with his father on how Honoku should be ran.

The story is told from changing the point of view between the characters. Mari is one of those snarky bad@ss female leads that pushes back when she needs to, then there is Taro the Prince who also goes against what is expected of him but he’s a bit uppity about it so I wasn’t too sure on him, but there’s also Akira who is part human and part yokai who Mari had known her whole life which you also might guess leads to a bit of a triangle, just to warn those who hate that set up. While there are touches of other stories this one still had a uniqueness of it’s own and I rather enjoyed reading it.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This feels like a fairly familiar read as it includes many common book tropes.
One of my least favourite tropes of all time is when the main character is deemed "ugly" until her prince (or in this case samurai) tells her otherwise and this book had plenty of that. In the first few chapters it felt as though we were being constantly reminded that Mari was unattractive which started to grate on me.

That being said it wasn't a bad story overall, the pacing was an issue for me but i thought the setting to be quite unique and i loved the elements of Japanese folklore.

[April (Aprilius Maximus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Do not let fear decide your fate."

representation: own voices Japanese inspired world and characters, f/f side relationship.

[trigger warnings are listed at the bottom of this review and may contain spoilers]

★★★★

This was so different than what I was expecting! It had some hunger games vibes and some avatar vibes, while also doing its own thing implementing Japanese folklore. I also loved the feminist themes and the unexpected ending! Didn't see that one coming!

trigger warnings: violence, sexism, terrible parents, animal death, sacrificial deaths of newborn babies, loss of a parent (in the past due to childbirth), snakes, spiders, cyclone, death of a queer character, drowning, murder, gore, fire, explosions.

[Ishmeen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I was very intrigued by the concept and enjoyed the world building quite a lot so the fact that I am not rating it 4 stars saddens me as well. The female empowerment in this story was great and the writing style was pretty decent too. I liked where the story was going until the ending which I was not satisfied with at all. It was sort of like... that's it? I just feel like there was so much potential in this plotline and where the story could have gone. The ending seemed a bit abrupt to me when I was really looking forward to something entirely different.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book

[Nadhira Satria · Rating 4 out of 5]

What the fuck was that? I- we- I’m- bye

[Tori (InToriLex) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content Warning: Graphic Violence, Slavery, Death

This action packed fantasy helped me crawl from the depths of an awful reading slump. Mari is a bad ass protagonist who is a skilled fighter, a yōkai and a caring friend. She sets out to compete to become Empress by facing seasonal rooms meant to break her in mind and body. Mari has to hide her identity from prince Taro and everyone in the competition because all yōkai in the city are forced into slavery. Akira is an outcast who is Mari's best friend and sets out to protect her in any way he can while she competes. This multifaceted world of yōkai, priest  and  humans was developed phenomenally, so I felt fully immersed in Honuku.

I am a lean tiger in winter, come for me. I dare you.

[image error]

The characters were well developed and every time they were in danger I felt genuine concern (no one is magically never hurt). The powers yōkai had throughout the book were fascinating and included supernatural features I have never imagined before. For example there are yōkai that can turn into spiders, flying beasts and giant red fleshed demons. As Mari faces the contest to become Empress she has to count on her training and experiences in her village. While beauty is a tool for her village of Animal Wives, she is described as plain but trains to be a talented fighter by difficult means.

Do not let fear decide your fate.

When character's take a break from trying to survive or defend themselves,  there is genuine romance well described. This book offers a hopeful message to young readers about learning to accept yourself to reach your full potential. The folklore, ninjas, settings and Palace of Illusions kept me engaged with the book the whole way through. I would recommend this for fans of fantasy who want to read about a culture inspired by East Asian folklore in a non-western setting. The diversity, message and writing is something everyone can enjoy.

Recommended for Readers who
- enjoy fantasy featuring diverse people, species and relationships
- want to read young adult romance with realism
- appreciate intricate world building and characters you will root for and despise

[rachel, x · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you prefer plot over characterisation, this will be more your thing.

➸ Trigger warnings for body-shaming, slavery, rape, child abuse, parental abandonment, self-injury, childbirth, forced adoption, death from starvation, murder, explosions, poisoning, exile, fire, cyclones, bullying, animal attack, and animal cruelty & death.

▷ Representation: Japanese inspired-world & cast.

Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...


Each generation, a competition is held to find the next empress of Honoku. The rules are simple. Survive the palace’s enchanted seasonal rooms. 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, she’s a yōkai! 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.


The short review...

One of my biggest complaints when I have an unpopular opinion is that I just couldn't relate to the protagonist. And that was true with Mari. I really wanted to like her more than I did... She is a YOKAI after all!! (GAHHH my favorite!) And she has strong female empowerment ideas! I would say Mari embodies the question of sexual identity that many people today question in themselves. At various times Mari seemed to cycle between different sexualities when with or thinking about different characters in her life. It was quite confusing for me as a reader! Someone who is experiencing that themselves would perhaps relate better than I did. I also didn't really agree with her decision to just do what her mother wanted her to do. That confused the issue even more.

Taro seemed a little stereotypical at first as a prince at odds with his father's harsh, bigoted thinking. I figured that I would like him well enough even though he wouldn't probably blow my mind... This poor fellow... The author sure put him through the ringer! The extremes of this boy's emotions would turn women off of men forever if a person was really like this. I just didn't buy it one bit. I couldn't relate to Mari sure but I could understand the thinking behind her choices. Taro though turns into this crazy person that is the worst of the worst... a hypocrite. And the instalove made me groan and roll my eyes, on both of their parts! (It actually ruined the whole sexuality thing Mari had going on...)

Akira was the character that I loved! He's partially why this book got stars at all. I was enchanted with the idea of this yokai that didn't really fit in either world. He was plagued just for how he looked, that wasn't even taking into account he is yokai yet! I found it really hard to believe that Mari didn't have any feelings for him. He did quite a lot to support her way of life and it further disenchanted me about her. I get that you like who you like but girl, you were using Akira!! I really loved his journey to improve himself (even if it happened unrealistically fast - within a week?!) and how his role turned out at the end.

While the end was contrived and hurried I do applaud the outcome of that end. Actually armies are rather easy to control if there is a line of authority that dictates where its loyalty lies. That Mari had the ability to take advantage may stretch my suspension of disbelief it still was an outcome that we need to see more of. An Empress is made.


Cover & Title grade -> B+

This isn't a bad cover at all. It gives a flavor of Asia and has Mari's weapon of choice on the cover. This is one of those times that I wish an Asian cover had been used. There are tons of light novels about Yokai and they all use almost graphic novel type of covers with characters featured on them. It makes for a fun way to visualize a character without putting a photograph on the cover which can be quite a turn off. Still this is a pretty cover and I love that it features blue rather than the typical red.


Why was Empress of All Seasons worth reading?

-The secondary characters!
I loved and adored Akira, one of the three POV characters. He is what kept me reading from the very beginning of the story. He is one of the yokai but actually has a human father! His nickname is to do about nightmares... he's had a rough time of it until he met Mari. Then there is Hanako! She is so super neat, her backstory was the most interesting in all the book, I so want to read more about her! She along with Akira, both deserve their own stories!! Asami was another secondary character that I loved and was rooting for through the story.

-The Yokai filled world!
I think it's safe to say that the world building is the best thing about this book. Emiko Jean used every opportunity to flesh out the world and teach us a little about what yokai are... for that reason alone I think this is worth reading!! We learn about the animal wife that Mari is, we learn some about the ghost yokai that Akira's mother is, and we also meet a yuki-onna, oni, kirin, kappa, and jorogumo with some amount of detail. There are also many other side characters, all yokai that I just loved. This all adds up to give us a real taste of what it means to live among yokai.

-The four seasons rooms!
Along with the yokai there was this idea of magic that could be used to create seasons inside of rooms that could contain the magic. It's a really neat concept and it was executed very simply but with some great effect. Yes, I wish these chapters were longer and the plot more complex, BUT it was just so neat too. In fact, this magic could have been really developed and pitted in more of an opposition to the yokai, but as it was it made for a fun and fast competition!


As a Writer...

I adore multiple POV stories! This can really make or break a book. When you're developing 3 different protagonists there is a ton of juggling to do for the story to work and not feel shallow... so I was gobsmacked when I learned this was a standalone fantasy. It makes no sense that a multiple POV story is complete at 384 pages.

Here's the rule of thumb when you're writing multiple points of view... Divide the page number of the book by the number of POVs and you get the length of the "book" for each POV character. So for Empress of All Seasons we have 3 POVs... divided into 384 = 128 pages. So Mari's story was basically 128 pages, give or take. Well that isn't even a decent novella. So it makes a lot of sense that the plot was hurried, the characterization was non-existent and the world is the only element that felt developed.

It sounds harsh but there is a bright side. With the limited number of pages, the huge number of characters and three points of view the author must be a damn fine writer! How else is the world building so evocative and strong? Yeah, the pacing is rough and this was certainly entirely plot driven but there is so much potential! I will look forward to Emiko Jean's next foray into the publishing world!

Empress of All Seasons is a quick, fun and yokai filled battle through the seasons. You will meet all manner of yokai and will be better for it! It's not a deep or moving read but the underpinning female empowerment at the heart of the story will win over many a reader's heart. Despite its flaw Empress of all Seasons is worth reading if you enjoy Asian culture and eschew romantic ends.


⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐ Authenticity
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Writing Style
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Plot & Pacing
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ World Building

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my special perspective at the bottom of my reviews under the typewriter...

Please like this review if you enjoyed it! *bow* *bow* It helps me out a ton!!

[Alienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Harsh and absurdly long review ahead! If you enjoyed this book that's awesome. I did not.

So, I'm going to try something different and focus on the positives first for once. I liked the concept of the book. I liked that it was a Japanese-inspired fantasy, I liked the worldbuilding a lot, and I liked almost every scene set in the Animal Wife village of Tsuma. I liked the mythological excerpts, those were cool. I liked that for a brief, shining moment, the main characters read as something slightly different from the usual YA tropes.

And that's about it. Because the potential of EOAS was then slowly suffocated by poor writing, worse pacing and almost nonexistent characterization.

Another reviewer called the writing in this book juvenile, and I think that's the best word for it. It reads like a NaNoWriMo draft - you know, when you're pressed for time and you think "oh, I'll flesh out this character/conflict/relationship in editing." Only the editing step got skipped, so we're left with jarringly bad moments like this bit where our protagonist learns that her mother is dead:

"My mother?" Mari asked, her voice filled with tentative hope.
Akira shook his head.
"Yuka?" she asked.
Akira nodded. "She's alive."

That's it. That's literally it. Mari finds out her mother died in battle and doesn't react to it at all in words or expression. The character is never brought up again. There's nothing, because at this point these characters are empty shells who exist solely to move the plot forward.

What about showing instead of telling? Nope! We've got gems such as Mari's tone was regal, her command law to hide the fact that a character with no desire for or knowledge of ruling a kingdom has done a 180 in the space of Exactly four pages (I counted because I'm petty), or Her final words were spent warning Taro, trying to save the man she truly loved because...we needed a summary of what we literally just read, I guess? (And oh, we'll get to the True Love business later.) Editing in general seems to have taken a hike the last few chapters along with all sense of a coherent plot because I kept stumbling over sentences like these:

No care for their fallen comrades, the others ran on.
The moon was waning, just a sliver in the dark. A phantom. Ghost moon.
Hanako had told the brothel owner of the emperor's army. Hide. Be prepared to hide for a long time.

You can't...you can't just throw words together and expect them to make sense. Did you mean to italicize the 'hide' bits as if Hanako was saying them? Was there supposed to be a 'with' before the 'no care' sentence? Why does 'ghost moon' sound like a punchline? This is where I checked the author jacket for the third time because I couldn't believe this wasn't a debut work. Who edited this? Anyone??

Okay, so what about the characters? I disliked Akira from the beginning because his entire character exists to obsess over Mari; literally everything he does in this book revolves around "his Animal Girl" (barf). But I liked Mari herself, with her naginata and her female friends and her very clear setting of boundaries with Akira. And Taro seemed like an interesting change from the norm, being pretty cold and frustrated with his status as a "prize to be won" (nice gender turnaround there too). Two out of three ain't bad. So how were these characters developed?

I could just say "they weren't" and leave it at that, but that's not totally accurate. They did develop, just...badly.

Insta-love is such a frustrating, lazy trope - who needs to worry about developing well rounded characters with actual chemistry if you can just have them lock eyes and be done? And it's so central to this book that I couldn't ignore it if I tried. When we meet Taro he's been planning his escape from the palace for months, utterly dissatisfied with his life and prospects there. He meets Mari, they have one conversation, and Exactly four pages later (yes, I counted again) he's abandoned his plan and decides to stick around because maybe being a "prize" isn't so bad after all. Three conversations later, it's Every time she teased or challenged him, it felt...life-altering.

Mari at least waits until the third or fourth conversation to have gooey thoughts about Taro, but her side of things is even more frustrating because her loyalty to her family, her village and all of her female friends is thrown by the wayside in favor of...a boy. The son of the man who enslaved her people. The person who invented the torture collars that keep them enslaved. But it's okay, because he feels bad! He had no way of knowing what his violently racist father would do with something like an unbreakable collar! And of course, when Mari calls him out on this:

"You know, you don't have to regret it," Mari said quietly. "You could do something about it. You are the second-most powerful man in the world."
Taro snorted. "I am subject to my father's whims like everyone else."
Mari nodded. What else could she do? What Taro said was true. Everyone was born with a chain.

Wow. Yes, let's compare the slavery of your people to the difficulty of being heir to an empire. The character thread of Mari making Taro "want to be better" comes to less than nothing, because he never stands up to his father, never suggests that the lives of yokai will improve under his own reign, and after Junichi dies Taro turns around and becomes Violent Racist 2.0. His only act of compassion towards yokai was hiding their frozen corpses, which he did before he ever met Mari, so what was the purpose of their relationship again? Other than to force-feed us some hilariously flat "I loved you so" and the man she truly loved bullshit later for the sheer Tragedy of it all?

There's so much other stuff that frustrated me about this book, but this is already a hideously long review so let's just focus on the thing that tipped EOAS from 'meh' to 'Bad' territory for me: the ending. Now, I'm overjoyed when I find a teen fantasy novel that's actually a standalone instead of 40 installments with cliffhanger endings. But this really should have been two books. Everything that happens in the last 80 pages is so rushed that characters become unrecognizable and the plot dissolves into chaotic mush at the speed of sound. Seriously, in less than a hundred pages we have:

Mari and Taro's wedding, the emperor getting assassinated, Mari getting outed as yokai and imprisoned, Taro's transformation into evil incarnate, the ~Resistance (all three of them) getting betrayed and imprisoned, then breaking out of the Winter Room, Akira fighting literally everybody, Satoshi being outed as a villain and murdering Sei, the gang running aaalll the way back to Tsuma, an Epic Battle between imperial samurai and Animal Wives, Mari "dying" to save Taro because bullshit characterization, Taro dying anyway because evil half brother, all the samurai deciding their loyalty is to the brand-new empress who they know is yokai because who the hell knows, and Mari deciding she's going to take over the empire because.....Why Not.

Finally, there's a convenient two-page epilogue where we learn Mari led a successful revolution with no problems at all and "retook" the throne from Satoshi, establishing a "Golden Age" of equality despite being trained in nothing other than fighting. Oh, and she never remarried because she had loved her emperor so wildly, so deeply (footagenotfound.jpeg). But that's okay, because we're feminists here and "Not every happily-ever-after includes a man." Which is totally backed up by the fact that Mari was willing to die for her man even after he actively tried to murder her people. The end!

tl;dr: I didn't like this book, guys.

[Lea (drumsofautumn) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empress Of All Seasons is a very enjoyable ownvoices Japanese Fantasy novel, that stood out through its intricate world building and strong characters.

“Do not let your fear decide your fate.”

After abandoning my ARC for entirely too long, I decided to get the audiobook from the library and consume this book via audio. Hanako Footman's narration was very good but it did give me a little bit of trouble with keeping apart the different points of views. As far as the writing goes, I thought that the three POVs were very easy to tell apart, it was just a struggle as it was all the same voice for three different perspectives. Once I really got to know the characters, I no longer had issues with this though. I just thought it was important to mention as it did hinder my enjoyment of the first fifth or so. But again, overall Footman's narration was very well done.

This book had incredibly intricate and fascinating world building and that was for sure my favourite part of this book, especially interwoven with the Japanese mythology. The different challenge rooms the main character had to go through were so interesting and easy to imagine. I also love the writing a lot, which I often won't notice much if I listen to audiobooks but it was so beautiful that it stood out to me anyway and there were many parts that I would've highlighted if I had read a physical copy.
And this had very strong themes of feminism and oppression that were handled very well.

My biggest criticism of this book is the insta-love. I am someone who often times doesn't really mind this trope but in this case there was so much potential for this to be an incredibly well done romance and it was just such a wasted opportunity. This absolutely could've been a five star read for me if the romance had just been a little bit more slow burn. But these characters were at a really intense point in their relationship entirely to quickly.
The characters in and of itself were all really fantastic though and I truly loved reading from their perspectives. And apart from the main romantic storyline, this had a lot of great, complex relationships that I very much enjoyed reading. Hanako ended up being my favourite character and I wish we could've read so much more about her.

“At one point, she’d thought Taro completed her. Now she realized that he didn’t. She was complete by herself.”

Overall this was a really enjoyable read. The ending left me wanting more but it seems like there won't be a sequel, which definitely makes me sad as I would've loved to read more from these characters. This would've been a very promising first instalment in a series and I hope one day we can maybe at least get more stories from this world.

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I originally received an ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review but ended up listening to the audiobook from the library.

[Beatrice in Bookland · Rating 1 out of 5]

*I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

”The rules were simple: Survive the rooms. Conquer the seasons. Win the prince.”

DNF @42%

What a disappointment. Flat (and not very likeable) characters, way too slow moving plot, basic writing style. I don’t have enough strength (or time to waste) to keep reading, so bye book 👋🏼

[Vicky Again · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

#AsianYA is absolutely slaying November and 2018 in general. Because Empress of All Seasons completely blew me away with its lush world and relatable characters and amazing plot.

I thought the world was wonderful--it was lush and well-developed and rich with culture, which I definitely enjoyed. Plus, there were all sorts of magical beings--Mari being one of them--and it really spiced up the plot!

The enslavement of magical beings was handled really well, and it wasn't too dark or gory that made this a heavy read, but enough that it commented on oppression etc. without making it that kind of story (which are good if you want to read about it, but it's ultimately not Empress of All Seasons' focus).

I do kind of wish we got to see more of the seasons and the trials Mari went through, because they were really atmospheric and I loved the idea of spring, fall, summer, and winter rooms!

But overall, I was really absorbed into the world and the magic and loved reading this part!

Mari herself was such an awesome character and definitely my favorite in this book. I love how she struggled with hiding the yokai part of her, but eventually embraced it, which was wonderful. And she was just so fierce yet struggled with her loyalties.

And Akira, as much as I doubted him at first, ended up being another one of my favorite characters! I wasn't sure how he'd play a part in the story initially, but by the end I think Jean really wove him into the story well and he played a really important part--one I didn't expect, but still loved!

Taro--Taro was the one I struggled a little with. I mean, first of all, I'm just not really a big fan of taro. It's okay, but not my favorite root vegetable. And besides the name, he just felt a little one dimensional to me. Like, he very much relied on that prince-who-doesn't-like-his-job, and I really wanted more to him.

But there is only so much page time, and I feel like he didn't take away from the story, but he didn't add to it either. Which also meant I wasn't completely into shipping Taro and Mari, but I wasn't opposed either.

The characters and setting were definitely my favorite part, but the Hunger Games-esque plot was definitely very cool, as Mari did have to go through these physical trials that were fun to read about.

I have to add though, the ending felt different than traditional YA, but I can't say I didn't enjoy it! This book had a bunch of sequel potential, but the way the ending was condensed is what could have been a sequel just became an epilogue.

I'm not going to spoil what goes on, but enough things happened in that time that it could have been its own book and I wanted it to be its own book because I loved this so much. But in the end, this is a standalone and very much about Mari and Taro, instead of Mariko's whole journey (in which it, in my eyes, would have had a sequel).

Overall, this ended up being a light fantasy that was a super fun read. It might not be as in-depth as you might be hoping, but it was really enjoyable and something that transported me to another world.

Anyone who loved Shadow of the Fox (with yokai and other beings) or Flame in the Mist (with it's gripping plot) should definitely pick Empress of All Seasons up, as well as anyone who wants an engrossing and magical fantasy.

Thank you so much to HMH Teen for sending me an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

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[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

↠ 3.5 stars

Uhhh okay I’m really NOT sure what happened here - I was so so incredibly excited for this one, but it went in a direction I did not expect at the end and pulled down a solid middle and okay-ish beginning. My mind for the last 75% of the book was just filled with question marks.

Honestly, I’m really surprised this novel wasn’t a duology because reading the ending really makes me think it should have been. I would’ve been happy to read a second book, as I loved the world this was set in. The worldbuilding was one of my favourite aspects by far, and I love the idea of Seasonal Rooms - even though they too needed a bit of development/explanation.

Frankly, my biggest stick with this is that I just didn’t connect with/like any of the narrators and it 100% affected my view of the story. Mari, the heroine, was alright - she was kind and I admit I did like her - but I never felt like she was fully characterised, and sometimes she felt bland. Akira, a childhood friend of hers, just never seemed to have a full purpose besides mooning over Mari and then joining a rebellion to save her and he just a seemed a bit apathetic. Taro was interesting at first because of his love of engineering, then he had insta-love for Mari, and then towards the end of the book he kinda became a massive a-hole who was a bit too possessive of Mari and honestly what even?? His development took a massive 180 that seemed very out of character.

As for secondary characters, those were very cool. I loved how the girls in the tournament weren’t catty to each other, and occasionally teamed up. Asami was interesting, and Hanako was also cool - and she was on-page sapphic so I liked her.

For the romance in this book, maybe it was supposed to be a love triangle but Akira just seemed like he never had a chance to me. And Taro had immediate insta-love for Mari, which was so frustrating, and though their romance had its sweet points, it also felt very rushed and unrealistic at parts. This ties into the pacing, where all I really have to say is that this book would’ve likely benefited from being longer and having more development both plot-wise, character-wise and romance-wise.

Sometimes I also had problems with the speech in this novel - it erred on the side of being just a little too modern. Not to say modern speech can’t be used, but in some fantasies it just doesn’t fit. It also took me a little while to adjust to the writing style - it felt bulky at first, though by the end I was very much used to it.

There were also themes in this book that were interesting (the role of women in society etc) and there were good lines expressing those themes, but in the end they felt a little underdeveloped too. Girls of Paper & Fire has similar ideas done in an arguably better way.

Also the villain actually wasn’t who I anticipated in the end (I thought it would be Akira turning to the dark side or something but nope). Frankly, I’m still not entirely sure what his motives were.

Despite this, I know this book will really work for some people (I have friends who liked it which is good.) Unfortunately it wasn’t for me, but I will be keeping an eye to see what Emiko Jean publishes in the future.

TL;DR: a Japanese-inspired fantasy standalone, it has lovely worldbuilding and interesting themes, but undeveloped characters hinder its full potential.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are definitely some good parts about this book. I think a lot of the cultural elements were well represented in this book but I have to say that the ending is what really dropped this book from the 4 start rating I was going to give it to the 3 star rating it received.

One of my biggest gripes in this book was how Taro was portrayed because it was so unjust. He was sympathetic for the youkai and I think he would have stood beside Mari if she had just explained who she was and what had happened. Her inability to communicate ruined what could have been a great union for the kingdom. Even at the end when she could have told him the truth so that he knew all the information in order to make his next decisions accurately, she refused to say anything.

In fact she makes up her mind that he is the male oppressor and he would never understand her and her people’s plight. She was judge, jury and executioner in the way that she thought him and his whole family would be for her. All I wanted was a beautiful romance influenced by Japanese culture and mythology but instead I got a tragedy. I am so disappointed in Mari and I think the author should have explored her own prejudices as well instead of just solely focusing on the men and Taro.

I have a lot of feelings for this book but the strongest is the relief that this is a stand alone. I think I would have been livid if there was a book 2. This tragedy porn does not need to continue.

Happy Reading.

Jo

[Daphne (Illumicrate) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Men are conditioned to take. Women are conditioned to give.

This book is absolutely wonderful. I've read a spate of Asian-inspired YA fantasies at the moment and this is my favourite. I loved the rich world that the author built, a Japanese-inspired world where yokai are treated as second class citizens by a hateful human Emperor.

Mari is our protagonist, a yokai Animal Wife, who comes from an all-woman clan where they trick human men into marrying them and make off with their treasure. Mari has been tasked with winning the highest prize of all, become the prince's wife by defeating the four seasonal rooms to become the Empress of All Seasons.

The story has three POVs: Mari; her best friend, half-human/half-yokai Akira (aka The Son of Nightmares, aka, the best character); and Taro, future emperor and metal tinkerer, The Cold Prince. I honestly loved each of their point of views and the supporting cast is brilliant as well. It was well plotted and paced, and I couldn't put it down.

I especially enjoyed how the story made me reflect on perceptions of beauty, gender roles, and prejudice. It's rare to have a standalone fantasy that feels complete on its own. I'm sure there could be more stories set in this world, but I'm very satisfied with how it wrapped up. Highly recommended.

[Mogsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/11/04/...

Here’s another one for fans of Asian-inspired fantasy: Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean is set in a world reminiscent of feudal Japan with historical and supernatural elements. It is also a world where humans and yōkai live side by side—but not as equals. Whether you are a kappa demon or a near human-looking harionago or “hook girl”, all yōkai in Honoku are required to be registered and fitted with an unbreakable iron collar which would enslave them and keep their powers in check. The only free yōkai are those that live far away from the cities, hiding in little pocket communities in the wilderness. Mari, our protagonist, grew up in one such village with her clan the Animal Wives, a class of shapeshifting demons who can turn into beautiful women in order to seduce men and steal their fortunes.

Mari, however, was raised by her mother to follow a different path. Trained to fight and to survive, she has been groomed from childhood to become an empress and steal the treasures of the royal family itself. Each generation, a competition is held in the capital of Honoku to select the crown prince’s new bride. Hundreds of young women from clans across the empire would gather and attempt to conquer the challenges in the four enchanted rooms of the imperial palace, one for each of the seasons. Only one girl will prevail to marry the future emperor Taro, also known as the Cold Prince because of his utter detachment to anything to do with ruling, preferring to spend his time tinkering in his workshop. He especially despises the idea of being a prize, but is nonetheless drawn to Mari, who has arrived to enter the competition. Mari on her part is determined to win, but must contend with the difficulty of hiding her true nature while simultaneously trying to best all the other girls in the seasonal rooms. That’s because the rules strictly forbid yōkai from competing, and it would be an immediate death sentence if she is found out.

Well written and entertaining, it’s a shame the story wasn’t a little more original because then this book would have been even better. The first quarter was interesting, introducing readers to the mythology and background of the world, as well as the compelling role-reversal of warrior women competing to win a prince’s hand. But after that, the plot falls prey to the usual YA tropes. There was not much complexity to the parts where Mari had to survive the seasonal rooms. By and large, these sections played out exactly the way you would expect them to, with no surprises, and I’m somewhat disappointed we didn’t get more out of the rooms beyond a riddle and a scroll to retrieve. There’s also a case of instalove, which was especially annoying because of all the excessive hand-wringing and the “oh why oh why did not I see this coming?” later on in the story, and it’s like, well, maybe if you hadn’t thrown your heart at a guy/girl you’ve only known for all of five seconds, this might not have happened?

For better or worse though, this is the kind book where you really have to go through the motions before getting to the good parts. It’s not an ideal situation, but it also pays off in spades once you reach the point where the plot actually starts offering up more conflicts. In a way it felt like the second half of the book was an entirely different book all together, where the real meat of the story came in the aftermath of the competition, which turned out to be the gimmick. That said, some of the later parts of the story still felt scripted and contrived, but at least there were moments of unpredictability that kept things interesting.

This is also a book where the secondary characters far outshine the protagonists. Akira was the only perspective character I admired, the other two being Mari and Taro, whose voices were engaging enough but their personalities did not strike me as too different or special. Mari was not in fact as bold or dangerous as we were first led to believe, whereas Taro struck me as stiff and ineffectual, whose role was very limited and lacked any real kind of agency. On the other hand, Akira was written in a way that felt more alive and full of spirit. The Son of Nightmares was a wild card where anything could happen, and I also think his character went through the most changes. There were other side characters I enjoyed but a couple of them met untimely ends which rendered them somewhat pointless, and it was doubly frustrating because their deaths didn’t even elicit the intended emotional impact. A notable exception was Hanako, who only became more prominent after the first half of the story, and I found myself always looking forward to what further mischief she can do.

At the end of the day, do I think Empress of All Seasons worth reading? It depends. If you’re looking to read more Asian-inspired fantasy, this would be a good novel to add to your shelf. One of my favorite things about it was the handling of the supernatural elements, including the yōkai, who are an intrinsic part of this book’s world. Japanese culture is rich with legends and myth, and I loved how so much of it has been incorporated into the story. On the other hand, story-wise this is a very typical YA novel, and some may want to skip the mostly paint-by-numbers characters and tropey plot. Still, I experienced fun and excitement while reading this, even if it wasn’t always consistent, and I think it has potential.

[Amy Imogene Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

A Japanese-inspired fantasy containing a fight-to-the-death competition to be Empress, and I was so bored and irritated with the character arcs that I struggled to finish it.

Concept: ★★★★ 1/2
Writing: ★★★
Character Depth: ★★
Romantic Element: ★
Pacing: ★★
General Enjoyment: did not enjoy

Empress of All Seasons sounded like a truly thrilling YA fantasy on paper. Mari, a girl who lives in an all-female remote community in the mountains, enters into the national contest—involving a fantastical survivalist Seasonal competition with rooms containing ecosystems—against other girls in the kingdom to win the right to become the next Empress to the Cold Prince. It had Hunger Games feels, feminist feels, and contest/court level intrigue. All on paper.

Did it deliver on these concepts? ....No.

Warning: I'll try to give a relatively spoiler-free review, but in order to explain the rating I'm addressing what went wrong, which will involve describing the issues.

Let's talk structure. Empress of All Seasons had three POVs: Mari, Taro, and Akira.

Mari is the main character, and she is the one that we are—I assume—supposed to identify and care about the most. Mari is a natural choice for the protagonist role as she is the competitor we're following, but I have never read a protagonist that was this a) bland and b) passive in her role. Example: Things happen to Mari, Mari doesn't make many decisions. Her mother enters her into the contest, a random samurai tells her the life advice she needs as she goes to the palace, a fellow competitor pulls much of the narrative weight as Mari looks on, and in a competition that is to the death, Mari spends an awful amount of time "attempting" to save other girls (this is described to the reader as a manifestation of Mari's goodness) and then the girls just happen to die anyway, next to Mari, in convenient and randomly generated ways. In addition to this, characters around Mari spend an awful amount of time telling Mari how she should feel, and her role in the story is just agreeing with them. I had a hard time connecting with her story at all after I realized she was essentially a sounding board for the other characters and plot points.

The second POV is Taro, the Cold Prince. Taro is the only son of the Emperor, and he makes these mechanical animals in his palace. He had a lot of potential, but the minute he meets Mari the night before the competition, Taro ceases to be an individual character and became an extreme victim of insta-love. His only thoughts from that moment on (we were maybe 15% into the story for this scene) were about Mari. He *loved* her, wanted her, projected thoughts of his ideal woman on her, and when things got more...interesting...at the climax, his projected opinion of her continues to rule his head. This obsessive focus—on a character who, as stated above—had no actual agency made me wonder what the point of his POV was.

The final POV was Akira, and in the nicest way possible...Empress of All Seasons literally did not need his perspective. I understand what his role was intended to fill, but it didn't work. He is a childhood friend of Mari—this was really not well fleshed out—and he spends most of his internal monologue being the perfect foil for Taro's POV. He obsesses over Mari too, and spends a lot of time superimposing his own ideas of Mari onto her. Akira's plot line also lent a window into the "rebel" group of the novel, but they were also not well fleshed out so his sections felt random.

I apologize for the negative tirades, but it's been a while since I've read a multiple POV YA fantasy that had such underdeveloped characters.

In addition to the characters, the plot also suffered from a general sense of misapplied focus. I thought the competition who be an action-packed and climactic component to the story...not really. The competitions, moments in the seasonal rooms, and quite frankly the actual plot points were glossed over and quickly handled, while the air time was devoted to the insta-love, people thinking about Mari, etc. And again, for the people in the back—Mari didn't do much, so the focus on her from other characters was confusing to me as a reader.

There was a redeeming moment at the end of the story where something COMPLETELY surprised me (spoilers), and I was reengaged for a minute, but then as this novel is a standalone that world-shifting plot point was wrapped up in under a chapter (how did they do it well, you ask? It was under a chapter, it wasn't done well), and a two page summary of Mari's remaining life span is spent telling us--again, it was two pages--the entire rest of her life. What?

I hope that other readers were able to enjoy this story more than I did. Sadly, it was a miss for me.

[J.A. Ironside · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

 

3.5 stars rounded up

 

Do you like the anime films of Studio Ghibli? Do you have an appreciation for the aesthetic of Miyazaki? If so you’re going to love the world building in this book. There were times when the descriptions of the places and creatures of this book evoked the visuals of that anime in a visceral way.

 

The plot follows Mari, a yokai girl (one of the Animal Wives), who has never quite fitted in amongst her people because she lacks the exceptional beauty and mastery of her inner beast expected of her. Trained to fight since she was very young to give her a chance at serving her people another way, Mari nevertheless maintains a strong sense of morality and kindness. Taro is the heir to the Empire but he is far less interested in dominating his future subjects than in creating and inventing things in his workshop. His father, the emperor, thinks it is time for him to marry and opens the tournament of the Seasons. All four seasons must be conquered by a prospective bride before she can become the next empress and marry the prince. Girls pour in from every region but amongst them are those with secrets. And then there’s Akira, the son of nightmares – a half yokai, half human boy – long term friend of Mari. Far less fearsome than his name implies, Akira is shy and kind with low self-esteem. At her mother’s insistence and toting her faithful naginata, Mari enters the tournament to compete for the prince’s hand in marriage, only to discover herself torn between filial duty, an affection she never expected to feel and horror at the enslavement of the yokai by the humans. Concealing her true identity, Mari must conquer the seasons and find a new way forward for human and yokai to live together in peace, but can she do it before open revolt breaks out?

 

 

This was a very light, fast read. It had a fairy tale feel – especially if you’re read Japanese fairy tales. The yokai themselves in both this book and in Japanese myth equate partly with European faerie folk and partly with demons. They are a wide and multi specied group and it was great to see so much care taken with them. The author lets them adhere to their natures – which for some yokai (as for some humans) is terrible since they do dreadful, bloody things. The settings feel authentic but also magical, again in that fairy tale way, and the little details of traditional Japanese utensils and buildings add cultural charm. (In many ways I appreciated all of this more having spent some time in Japan.)

 

I really liked Mari as a character. She was forthright, sometimes funny, brave and most importantly, kind. I can’t remember the last time I warmed so immediately to a YA MC. Akira was likewise quite adorable although some of his choices were highly questionable. I rather liked Hanoka – the weapons master  - too although if that’s how she thinks you train someone to fight then perhaps she should look for a new job!

 

All in all this was charming, poignant and rather dream like. I had my usual clench of irritation at how traditional Japanese martial arts and weaponry was portrayed (to be fair having actually studied martial arts for 25 years and specifically learned naginata and kitana among other things, I’m going to be looking for an unreasonable level of detail). But the story was engaging enough that this irritation was fleeting.

 

I was more concerned with the instalove aspect between Mari and Taro. It was very inkeeping with the fairy tale ethos of the story and was by no means two dimensional – I mean they had interactions to back it up – but it was very fast. Which brings me on to my second issue; the pacing. I rejoice that this is a standalone – it absolutely worked and I am so thankful we weren’t just left on a cliff hanger. However, the ending was just a bit rushed. Don’t get me wrong, it was a satisfying ending with many good points, but the novel felt top heavy. A lot of space given to setting things up, and then the tournament happens in about 20% of the book and the denouement wraps everything up in the last 8%. This is not a long book at all either. It just felt like it needed more space. If I was being super picky, I’d also say that we are told how characters feel a lot of the time, it isn’t really shown. The psychic distance never really brings us close inside the characters’ heads. A lot of people will like it like that but I prefer a more intimate connection.

 

However, there is so much that’s good about this book I can forgive a few wobbly bits of structure. I love the way the author has flipped a few stereotypes on their heads – the prince being the prize and wanting to run away for instance (don’t be deceived, it’s nothing like the Selection), the potential love triangle being strangled at birth by the heroine being honest from the start, the ruthless girl warrior also being kind and moral to name just a few.

 

This is an extremely good Asian led fantasy YA novel. Highly recommend.



Buddy read with Jen, Chelsea and Amy.

[Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for a review copy of this book.

This one is again a young adult fantasy–adventure, set in a world inhabited by humans and by yōkai (beasts, some of whom are part human, or have the ability to transform), the latter being subjugated by humans, kept in collars with all kinds of restrictions. Our heroine Mari, belongs to one group of yōkai, the Animal Wives, who are exceptionally beautiful and have a human form (with the ability to change into beasts at will), and who marry rich men and make away with their fortune. Mari not having been blessed with the looks of the other animal wives, her mother plans a different future for her. She trains her rigorously to win the ultimate contest, a battle against the seasons, held in the imperial palace to choose the bride for the prince, and in effect the next Empress of the land. On the other side, we have the prince Taro, who doesn’t wish to either be a prince, nor a ‘prize’ in a contest, and is happiest when he is with his inventions, working with metal to create various things. And we also have Akira, a half-human-half-ghost, who has been Mari’s friend and loves her but feels he needs to prove himself to earn her affections. This is a story that has many aspects of course, love, family, the contest, betrayal, and duty, but at the heart of it is the distinction/discrimination that one people makes against the other, and the consequences for them both, and for the world they (we) live in.

I had requested this fantasy title mostly because of the Japanese fairytale–folklore background to it, and I really enjoyed these elements—the story is told from the perspective of three characters, Mari, Taro, and Akira, but interspersed between their chapters are stories of the gods and goddesses, who face similar struggles, similar issues as we do, and must face the consequences as well. The elements of the seasons too were enjoyable (certainly a different idea), and the monsters pretty imaginative as well. From other reviews, I see a couple of criticisms of this book were on account of its plot being too similar to other books of this genre, and of the contest, which seemed like the main ‘event’ in the book so to speak, being too short a part of the book. As far as I first goes, I did see some similarities with other such books involving contests and such (The Hunger Games, for one), but since I haven’t read very many titles in the genre, it didn’t bother me too much. Plus, I actually rather enjoyed the plot, I wasn’t sure how things would pan out in the end, and in fact I really liked the ending of the book (definitely not a typical one). The pacing too was good—the book moves really fast (I’d probably have read it a lot faster, except that it was an e-book, and I am generally slower with those). Re the second criticism, however, I agree, the contest part did feel a little too short considering that was basically what everything was centred on. The characters too were quite likeable, though the ‘villain’ of the piece was pretty obvious, and the romance was just ok (while it was building up ok, again it felt like everything happens too quickly). But the central points of the story on discrimination whether against genders or against just different living creatures, I think stood out well and is one that can’t be made enough times. An enjoyable read for me, and certainly one that much more than just a fantasy–adventure!

[♠ TABI⁷ ♠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You should want to be better for yourself, not for someone else."



All right, after chewing on my thoughts and feelings about this for a while . . . I think I've finally narrowed down the reasons for my annoyance with this 'could-have-been-brilliant' story: It shouldn't have been a standalone. Seriously!! So many things were pushed aside or rushed for the sake of making this a single story, when even if more length had been given to it (please give me excellent bricks okay I love them) there would have been more space to dig into things. For instance, my son Akira was NOT given enough page time!! Also, could have had less Taro angsting for no really important reasons, less Mari angsting after the angsty Taro, less Room drama . . . and more Akira, yokai vs humans tension, and maybe a better battle or five.



Instead, I just got a lot of awesome but oddly-situated feminist statements, too much underdeveloped stuff, not enough interesting developments, and a heckin' weird plot twist that really threw me for a loop of annoyance and frustration. Honestly the best parts were when Mari wasn't thinking about her family/Taro and was trying to be more herself, anytime she and Akira interacted, and anytime Akira was around.

But then even with the good parts, uhhhhh those last 50 pages?? WHAT EVEN WAS THAT???



It was basically the plot of a 2nd book smashed into a rushed, sorta-summary . . . and I'm not even going to talk about that weird epilogue that both angered me but also gave my shippy heart enough grains of hope that I will forever cling to. So while this was quite good at first, it quickly (one of the biggest problems of the book tbh was moving too fast) flopped for me and ruined the decent expectations I had for it.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing that got me to pick up this book is very simple. Empress of All Seasons is an Japanese-inspired young adult fantasy, written by a Japanese author.

I do have to apologize though.. Because this is a ridiculously short review due to one thing and one thing alone: I procrastinated on writing it and.. well.. apparently I suck at writing reviews weeks after reading the book. Lesson learned, I swear.

Apart from the own voice-aspect, I absolutely loved the themes Emiko Jean incorporated in this story. Oppression, struggling with your identity and fighting to prove yourself and your worth are the top three subjects handled. All these things are very recognizable to most of us in one way or another, so that definitely added a bit more to my reading experience.

The switching of POV's between Mari, Akira and Taro not only creates a lot of insight in what's going on but also speeds up the entire story. The fast pace is definitely one of two elements that kept me invested and lost in Empress of All Seasons. The second one being, without a doubt, the descriptive writing!

There's definitely a downfall to the fast pace though.. Because, to me, it felt as if it led to a lack of growth in Mari's relationships with the other characters. I liked all the characters, but I missed seeing their connections / relationships / friendships grow and that's such a pity! Especially since it's one of those things I truly enjoy in any novel.

Overall I did really enjoy reading this novel, but.. Like I said, it's been a while since I read it and I have to admit it isn't all that memorable. Guess that's one benefit to leaving my review so late, huh? Now I can at least make that conclusion.. [You have no clue how guilty I feel about this generic, boring review, folks..]

3.5/5!

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean is a uniquely creative new standalone YA fantasy. While it wasn't quite a favorite, it still has things to love about it. The concept of the novel drew me to it right away - I mean, it's a fantasy novel inspired by Japanese culture, mythology, and folklore after all. Right from the opening chapter I knew the author's vividly descriptive writing style would completely suck me into world of Honoku. Now that I've finished reading the novel, I can officially say that Jean's world-building is absolutely phenomenal and is the overall standout of the book. The setting and descriptions are so well written that I felt like I was actually there seeing everything first hand, especially when it came to the season rooms. As blown away as I was by the world-building, the characters and character development left something to be desired. I never really connected with any of the perspective characters. They were all intriguing, but none of them really stood out. All have the potential to be great, but they fall a little flat. Also there are times when the pacing isn't balanced - there are sections that moved much too slow and then others where too much was going on to keep up with.

Overall, Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean is a good standalone YA fantasy novel. It has moments of real greatness when it comes to world-building, but then there are other places like character development that could do with some work to really polish it off into a truly unforgettable story. If you're interested in Japanese culture, folklore, and mythology or even Princess Mononoke, I do recommend giving Emiko Jean's newest richly atmospheric release a try.

[Brooke — brooklynnnnereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I decided to pick this up as it was the group book for the Winter Biannual Bibliothon of 2019. Prior to reading this, I had seen it talked about online with fairly good reviews.

I did really enjoy the plot of this novel and although it did somewhat remind me of "The Hunger Games" in some ways (the competition while in the Season rooms), it was exclusively its own in other ways.

I also found the involvement of Japanese mythology extremely interesting. As I have no pre-existing knowledge in that area, I was fascinated while at the same time wondering what was actual mythology and what was fictionally created for this story. Either way, it was fascinating and interesting.

At times, I felt the novel had a slower pace but that could be the level of reading this book required. That may sound odd but because of the language being used, I felt that I couldn't just quickly get through this book. I had to read and reread some sentences to fully understand what was going on whether it be understanding the creatures, the places, or even keeping straight different character names.

It was an entertaining read and I liked how the ending was somewhat unexpected (to me at least). I feel as if this read as if it was a standalone but I've heard mentions of a sequel. If there was a sequel coming, I would probably read it but at the same time I don't fully understand why it would be necessary.

[mads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5⭐️

[Sherwood Smith]

Mari is a yokai, a supernatural being. Her clan is the Animal Wives, who are a very cunning, beautiful, and cold type of yokai. They enchant human men, marry them and rob them and return to their village with their husbands' riches. Mari is that rarity, a homely Animal Wife, which earns her mother some scorn among the fierce women. But her mother trains Mari in weapons, and from childhood sends her to kill roaming samurai as practice.

Mari hates to kill. She has an ambivalent relationship with her mother, who is determined that Mari will go to the capital and compete against all the other women in order to marry the crown prince. Who she can then kill, and be empress of all the treasure . . .

Mari is not quite alone. She has two friends , one of whom is Akira, who has inherited his mother’s scars. He’s the Nightmare’s son, able to zip around invisibly. He becomes one of the POV characters, along with Prince Taro, who loathes being crown prince, and means to escape by means of his amazing inventions in his lab.

So here we have the basic YA setup of the dreaded Love Triangle, but hang onto your hat, because there is absolutely nothing predictable about how the story goes.

Mari arrives in the capital after being escorted by maimed samurai (a not-insignificant encounter), and is ready to compete against all the other young women. The “gladiator coliseum” (because yes, one immediately thinks of Hunger Games and its many copies) are the four magical rooms in the palace called the Seasons. Each is quite deadly.

Emiko Jean takes the time to not only immerse the reader deeply in Japanese mythology, and vivid imagery of a magical, mythic, dangerous Japan, she gives all the character life and complexity, right down to the servants and spear carriers.

The result is a tight, fast-paced, emotionally intense adventure novel with splashes of mythic wonder. My only complaint is that the ending feels rushed, forcing events to what felt like a finger-shaking feminist close. But getting there is a terrific experience.

Copy provided by Netgalley