The story introduces us to Mari, an Animal Wife yōkai who can transform into a terrifying beast. Her mot"Not every happily-ever-after includes a man."
The story introduces us to Mari, an Animal Wife yōkai who can transform into a terrifying beast. Her mother trains her and pushes her to join a competition. Mari, together with hundreds of other women, has to compete and conquer the deadly seasonal rooms. The last woman to survive will marry the prince and becomes the new Empress. The problem is, only humans are allowed to compete.
The story is set in a Japanese-inspired world which is one of my favorites in this book. The world-building mixed with Japanese mythology are both captivating and interesting to read. The characters are all complex and relatable. It's also fascinating to read more about other kinds of yōkai (supernatural monsters/spirits).
The author's writing is lyrical and atmospheric. I loved the small details. From the food, weapons, and up to the patterns of their clothes. The idea of the seasonal rooms is also brilliant. There were a lot of inspiring messages in this book. Plus, there's so much girl power and it made me so happy and proud.
Some common YA tropes are present in this book. There's insta-love which felt very unrealistic and thankfully, the love triangle wasn't that big. The pacing was quite slow especially in the beginning and became way too quickly towards the end but I still loved how everything turns out.
Empress of All Seasons is a unique YA standalone fantasy that is worth reading especially if you love mythical creatures, diverse characters and own voices novels....more
I finally understand all the hype. The world-building is fascinating and the writing is superb. But I don't know why I can't give it a perfect 5-starI finally understand all the hype. The world-building is fascinating and the writing is superb. But I don't know why I can't give it a perfect 5-star rating....more
Maybe I missed something? My Year of Rest and Relaxation was my first read from Moshfegh and it's on my top ten favorite reads last year so I was realMaybe I missed something? My Year of Rest and Relaxation was my first read from Moshfegh and it's on my top ten favorite reads last year so I was really looking forward on reading (and loving) her debut novel, McGlue. This book has 145 pages but it took me days to finish it. I had a hard time getting into the story and it was confusing most of the time. I was lost when I finished it. It's historical fiction, with a little mystery featuring an unreliable narrator. Sounds perfect to me but sadly, I ended up disappointed. I still appreciate the writing style though. I'm just glad that MYoRaR was my first read and I still want to read Eileen.
Raina is almost thirty and Nani, her grandmother, desperately wants her to get married as soon as possible. She eventually gave in and let her Nani plRaina is almost thirty and Nani, her grandmother, desperately wants her to get married as soon as possible. She eventually gave in and let her Nani play matchmaker. But Nani doesn’t know that Raina still have feelings for her ex-boyfriend and still hoping that everything will work out for them. This becomes a huge impact on Raina’s decision making and relationship with the people around her.
I actually liked Raina at first but it changed as the book progresses. She became too much and it’s exhausting. I thought she’s a little immature and selfish. Don’t get me wrong, I sometimes consider myself as immature but not when it comes to important matters in my life. I simply lost interest in her and her love life and became more intrigued by her family especially Nani’s relationship with Raina’s mother. My favorite would be Nani. Yes she can be crazy and tiring but she’s a very sweet, understanding and caring person.
I thought the book description was a bit misleading. This book isn’t entirely about matchmaking and blind-dates. There’s actually so much drama going on in this book and they take place one after another. Also, this is more of a women’s fiction novel than a fluffy rom-com.
I liked that there’s an aspect of LGBTQ in the story but I thought the execution was ridiculous and problematic. It could have been handled differently. I didn’t like the romance in this book as well. It felt flat and forced. I wasn’t even rooting for someone to be Raina’s partner. The blind dates were fun to read though. I had my fair share of blind dates but they were not as hilarious as the ones that Raina had.
The writing is still compelling and this was one of the reasons why I decided to finish reading. It was also exciting to read about Indian weddings and celebrations. There are some interesting subjects and discussions which are thought-provoking in this book such as cultural identity, tradition, religion, and culture clash.
F I NA L V E R D I C T : The Matchmaker’s List may not be the best diverse book I read but I still enjoyed it....more
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