Empress of All Seasons
by Emiko JeanPublished by HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 6th, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy,
Format: ARC
Source: Kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Summary from Goodreads:
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.
Review
Empress of All Seasons is a young adult fantasy novel that has a Japanese folklore background.
A contest to choose who the next empress of Honoku will be has three characters making life altering decisions that will not only change them but also shape an entire empire and the fate of its people. Told from the alternating perspectives of Mari, Taro, and Akira.
Mari is a yōkai, she may appear to look human but hiding behind her face is a monstrous yōkai form. Feared by Honoku, Mari hides who she really is alongside with her village, a clan of Animal Wives yōkai. Animal Wives are strikingly beautiful woman expected to marry, get pregnant, and steal their husband's wealth in order to help support their clan who live in the mountains where yōkai are uncollared and free. However, Mari's mother has a greater goal for her daughter: to marry the prince of Honoku.
Since Mari was born plain, her mother has trained her in combat from an early age, often sending her off to kill others, in order for her daughter to enter the competition to become empress and steal the Imperial fortune. The empress of Honoku has always been chosen among women through a contest, which yōkai are forbidden to enter. If a woman can survive the elements of the four seasonal rooms of the Imperial Palace as well as the yokai contained inside them, then she will gain the title of empress. With great rewards comes great risk. In order to possibly win the hand of the Imperial Prince, Mari would have to risk having her true identity possibly being discovered alongside with certain death that would follow. Yokai have been hunted down, killed, and enslaved for years.
Taro, the prince of Honoku, does not want to become prize to be won nor does he agree with the way his father treats the yōkai or the way he runs Honoku. Happiest left on his own to create unique inventions, Taro can't help but crave and yearn for a semblance of freedom. But even he can't deny the Mari's draw.
Akira, son of both human and a ghost-yōkai, is Mari's friend who lives just outside of her village. In love with Mari, he follows her into the city where he finds himself learning how to fight and kill, in order to prove himself in hopes of winning her affections. While he is there training, he not only begins to make friends but also finds out information about others that can change the fate of everyone lives.
Empress of All Seasons blew me away! With an amazing plot, relatable characters, engaging narrative, and a wonderfully well-developed world rich with culture, this has got to be one of my top picks for 2018.
I absolutely adored this entire book! I began reading Empress of All Seasons completely overwhelmed with my excitement to be reading but also a sense of curiosity to see how it all will play out. There were many moments that left me dumbfounded by how Jean can capture the character's story, in their point-of-view, and make you feel so many staggering emotions. This book was an rollercoaster to say the least, but one that I definitely didn't want to hop off of.
The writing was atmospheric and immersive, the world captivates you and the characters draw your attention with every decision and action they make. Jean's ability to give each character their own distinct voice was not only beautifully done but also very necessary in order to avoid any confusion as to who's perspective I was currently reading.
Mari was such an awesome character to read, and also my favourite throughout the book. I enjoyed reading her struggles with hiding the yōkai part of herself as well as the fact that she grew to fully embrace her identity as well as her people. I enjoyed reading Mari's character development, especially when she learned to embrace herself. It truly showed how much she shined and how fierce she is.
This is a powerful story with such strong aspects such as duty, love, loyalty, family, discrimination, and facing life altering decisions. I highly recommend you pick this book up and give it a shot!
Rating
★★★★★
About the AuthorWhen Emiko is not writing, she is reading. Most of her friends are imaginary. Before she became a writer she was an entomologist (fancy name for bug catcher), a candle maker, a florist, and most recently a teacher. She lives in Washington with her husband and children (unruly twins). She loves the rain.
Q & A
When did it dawn upon you that you wanted to be a writer?
Emiko: I started writing in middle school as a hobby after reading so many fantastic fantasy novels. It wasn't until I was much older and out of college that I decided to seriously pursue writing. The second book I wrote landed me an agent and the rest is history ... sort of.
