This book is full of amazing world building and rich complex characters. This mixture of magic, kick-butt women, and Japanese lore makes this a fun and exciting read!!

This is an awesome book I went in thinking it would be about one thing, and came out thinking another. It does touch briefly with lbgtq themes, but organic enough to not go against the storyline if you don't want to read about those sort of things. The themes touched upon that you don't define yourself by what others think and you don't need to have a man to complete your life. You can stand on your own and do just fine. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the four seasons rooms and the culture. I also enjoyed the Japanese god and goddesses creation myth stories. They added a lot to the storyline.

Imagine growing up in a village of strong women. In a world much like my alma mater, Smith College, women rule this mountainous city.  Mothers cast baby boys down the river and young girls seduce men only to marry them and runaway with their possessions. Ok, maybe the similarities stop at all women’s dwelling, but you get the idea. Empress Of All Seasons by Emiko Jean is a new YA feminist fantasy novel featuring much needed diversity in teen fiction. Pairing Japanese folklore with dystopian adventure, follow along with Animal Wife Mari as she fights to become Empress of all Seasons. Love, betrayal, prejudice, war–Empress Of All Seasons has it all.

Book Review: Empress Of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

In the village of Tsuma, Mari and the Animal Wives live isolated and free from men. Beautiful and deadly, these women are powerful mythological creatures known as yōkai. Each woman can transform into a deadly beast with the exception of Mari. The black sheep of her village, Mari can only half transform and has not acquired the looks of her fellow tribe mates.  Half yōkai and half human, Mari has yet to find her place in the world.

Unable to fulfill her Animal Wife legacy, Mari’s destiny awaits her at the Palace of Illusions. Here in Honoku, Mari must dominate each of the enchanted season themed rooms.  Surviving other warrior humans as well as the elements, her prize is the prince. True to her Animal Wife upbringing, Mari must steal his wealth and return to the village. If Mari fails, her village may disown her, or more than likely, Mari will perish in one of the seasonal rooms.

Burning up in the summer or freezing to death in the winter rooms are not the only problems threatening Mari.  Honoku is a rather prejudice city. Fearful of yōkai powers, the humans have enslaved all yōkai with metal collars. These chains subdue yōkai magical abilities, forcing them to work for human masters. Touching a collar instantly burns and can even kill yōkai. For Mari, Taro the prince created these chains, conflicting her feelings for him even more. Small spoiler: Taro turns out to be pretty lovable. Every day that Mari resides in the palace competing for the throne, she faces the threat of discovery as an illegal and uncollared yōkai.  She could lose her freedom and her life.

YA Feminist Fantasy That Destroys The Dystopian Trilogy

Thank Gosh, Empress Of All Seasons Is Not Another Trilogy
Although not a series, Empress Of All Seasons is nostalgic of The Selection series. Young women compete for the prince, except here, the prince has no say in his future. Both princes had their favorite gal and both lived in kingdoms on the verge of corruption and collapse.

I appreciate that Empress Of All Seasons is not a series, although Jean could have easily woven the tale into a trilogy. The ending could have been left up in the air over who lived and who perished. Another novel could have discussed the throne and control over the human and beastly world. However, in the world of dystopian YA, I know that I am personally tired of these formulaic trilogies. Can YA be anything other than three tiresome books in a series?

Jean answers, ‘yes’ with Empress Of All Seasons. Although Empress ends abruptly, I appreciate that the story is complete. In this conclusion, Jean emphasizes that the overall ending and power acquired is meaningless. More important are the lessons learned and confidence Mari gains. Empress isn’t about ruling a kingdom or even falling in love. The story is about loving yourself. If the tale continued, Empress Of All Seasons would become just another teen book about living in harmony and fighting for the throne.

Feminism Refuting Feminism

I equally applaud the feminist appeal with strong and terribly weak women characters. The Animal Wives, who pretend to be independent and free, are slaves to their beliefs. We watch as Hissa self-destructs when her baby boy is cast down the river. Any Animal Wife who falls in love and refuses to leave her man is outcast. They only feel power in their beauty. Throughout the novel, Mari works to overcome these stereotypes and illusion of freedom, learning that feminism is not synonymous with being free from men. In her path, she takes a nonviolent approach that leaves her stronger than her tribe.  Mari is enough on her own.

Who Will Enjoy Empress Of All Seasons?

Even though this is 2018, YA fiction still lacks diversity, especially in the scifi and fantasy realm. Empress Of All Seasons beautifully weaves accessible Japanese folklore into a feminist thriller. The tale has romance and action that will appeal to younger teens looking for a female powered adventure story with a non-Western setting.  The mythology is purposeful and engaging.  A quick read, Empress Of All Seasons is comparable to The Selection and Red Queen series.


I would like to thank NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

An excellent and powerful story that teaches its readers of compassion and self-acceptance.

It may be true that I felt the book lacking because of how fast it took to finish, but it is a marvelous read still. I am merely saying that the swiftness of the books pacing made it seemed rather rushed. It would have been better if Emiko Jean lengthened the story for a few more words.

Moreover, I absolutely adored all the characters. They have their purpose, they stayed true to their ideals, and they reaped the result of what they believed in. I told myself of an amazing ending for the book near its end and I was given a better one.

Jean's writing is definitely a calm river, flowing through your veins as naturally as blood. Everything is so easy to digest and nothing is complicated. I may have even considered the book a fairytale for all the lessons it taught.

Overall, this story that happened in Japan really was close to heart. It is a stunning work worthy of praise.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Judging from the Goodreads page, I’d say I’m in the vast minority of people to dislike this book. So of course, a disclaimer: this book really just wasn’t for me and my tastes, but it might still be for you! I think Empress is a classic case of disliking certain tropes, and therefore not enjoying the book as a whole.

Empress of All Seasons surrounds Mari, a quiet but tenacious yokai - or demon girl - that is forced to leave her secluded village and compete against human girls to marry the prince – all so she can steal his fortune.

If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while, you’ll probably know that I’m a huge fan of the competition trope in YA books. Pitting kids against each other in what will likely turn out to be a series of deadly battles and challenges? Call me a sadist and sign me up. But for one of the first times ever, the competition in this book just fell…flat.

While I definitely enjoyed the fast-paced plot and straight-to-the-point writing (it was the only thing that kept me reading, in the end), it made each action scene seem incredibly short and easily won. I never once felt like Mari was in any real danger, and as a result, I didn’t care what happened to her or her friends. I read each scene very passively, waiting until she inevitably came out victorious (which *spoilers* she pretty much did every time). The fight scenes and technical skills of the characters came off very lackluster.

With my most-anticipated element of the book dismantled, that left the romance. And boy oh boy, did the romance make everything so. much. worse.

To be fair to this book, I really hate insta-love. Some readers really enjoy it; I utterly despise it. If there’s one thing that can kill an entire story for me, it’s insta-love. And I have to say, in all my years of reading YA, I think this may be the worst case of insta-love I’ve ever forcibly made myself read.

Taro, the love interest, was a very “meh” character overall. In the beginning, he was boring, with little personality depth and a deep-rooted loneliness complex. But I had high hopes for when he eventually met Mari. Without getting into further spoilers, I’ll just simplify my thoughts on Taro into one sentence: the more the book went on, the more and more I wanted Taro to die.

Oops did I say that out loud??

His relationship with Mari was completely implausible to me, but maybe other readers will disagree. I will give this book one major concession though, and that’s how the author managed to take the plot in a direction I never anticipated. I truly wasn’t sure whether Mari and Taro would end up together, which is something I can usually pick up on right from the beginning of a book. The author definitely uses the insta-love trope to explore Mari’s inner values of herself and what it means to be beautiful, which I thought was really unique and an excellent choice if you just have to use insta-love. If not for one decision Mari makes in one of the final scenes, I would have firmly given this book 3 stars and looked forward to more novels written by this author.

But alas, my hopes and dreams were foiled one last time. It’s hard to explain my feelings without describing spoilers, but I felt like Mari’s actions (which I didn’t like) conflicted greatly with the overall message at the end of the book (which I did like). So, I suppose I have to appreciate the good with a little bit of the bad.

The side-characters held a lot of potential for me, and in some ways they were my favorite element of the book. But I still felt like more development was needed on their part (and it didn’t help that my favorite character in the book got the rough end of the stick in terms of treatment from Mari).

However, despite my misgivings, there is one thing about this book that stood out as entirely perfect and unique – the Japanese folklore and mythology. I truly loved how the author referenced so many aspects of Japanese culture, and also tied in short stories about the Japanese gods that related to Mari’s own story line. Of course, I can’t speak for the representation, but it's own-voices, which usually speaks for itself. If you’re looking for a (mostly) fun fantasy centering on a richly developed world based in Japanese culture – which we hardly ever see in YA literature – this book is definitely worth the read.

I really enjoyed this story based on Japanese mythology.  The yōkai are fascinating and there are so many different types, that is what made this story so interesting.  

The story is told from three different perspectives, Mari, Taro and Akira.  Mari and Akira are childhood friends, but Akira would love to be more.  I very much enjoyed their friendship, they helped each other through their loneliness and the feelings that they did not belong.  It was interesting to see their friendship through both of their eyes.  Mari loved Akira and would protect him to the end, but she didn’t love him in the same way he loved her.  To Mari, family and duty were everything, and she had to do what her mother wanted, even when she didn’t want that for herself.  Her training also sounded pretty brutal at the hands of her mother, they had a very complex relationship, but deep down they loved each other. 

Taro was an interesting character,  he was very conflicted about being Emperor and about the competition.  He was also conflicted about how the yōkai were treated, but felt powerless to do anything about it.  He perhaps fell too instantly in love with Mari, but that actually fit his character.  I really liked the two of them together.  

There were some very strong secondary characters, notably Hanako and Ren.  They are also yōkai and they help both Akira and Mari a great deal.  I also liked Sei, Mari’s servant, even with what she ends up doing.  Masa and Hiro are also good characters that come to help Mari and see the good in her.  

The plot was amazing and was what really carried this book.  The competition was not at all what I imagined from the summary, it was so much better.  The politics of the Imperial court were also very complex for such a short book.  The pacing was perfect and it was hard to put down at times.  The ending was not at all what I expected or really wanted, but I still liked it even though it was a tad rushed.  

This book was beautifully written.  I will be keeping an eye out for more books by this author in the future.  I also hope she revisits this world that she has created.  I would love to learn more about the magic and the yōkai.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first 75%, which felt super full of tropes and not particularly original, but then the very end flipped the entire book on its head!

Empress of All Seasons is centered around a competition, a familiar plot structure for YA novels. Every generation, girls compete to marry the prince and become the next Empress of Honoku. Within the palace are four magical rooms: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, each with all the dangers of their season. The girl who survives and gets through the rooms the fastest is the winner. Straightforward enough, right?

For Mari, there’s an added twist. She’s a yōkai, a supernatural being who under the law does not have the same rights as a human. The yōkai are kept enslaved with iron collars, but growing up in the remote mountains, Mari has escaped enslavement and can pass for human. She’s spent her whole life training to become empress so that she can steal the wealth of the palace and bring it back to her home village. Mari’s path intersects with two others: Taro and Akira. Taro is the heir to the throne, but he wishes only to be left alone to work on his mechanical inventions in the piece. He certainly has no interest in the competition to become his fiancee, that is, until he meets Mari. Akira is half human, half yōkai and Mari’s longtime friend. He loves her even if she doesn’t love him back, and he’ll throw himself into a potential revolution in order to aid her.

This review is going to be so hard to write because what made this book interesting was the ending. And how can I talk about that without spoilers! Anyway, as I mentioned first thing, Empress of All Seasons is built upon familiar plot structures and tropes. The oppression of supernatural beings as a stand-in for real-world oppression? Seen it before, not wowed by it. The competition plot structure? Can be fun when done well, but also struggles with originality. A rebellion led by teenagers? Every YA SFF ever. Insta-love? The worst. Oh my gosh, does this book have insta-love. Mari and Taro meet like three times and suddenly they’re in love. Urgh. The romance plot was by far the worst thing in the book. But I’m also really grateful that it wasn’t a love triangle, which I spent most of the book cynically sure would happen. Akira just screams “Second boy in a love triangle,” but Mari doesn’t like him in that way, and the narrative remains true to that. She never realizes that he’s “deserving” of her love or anything like that, which was super refreshing. But here’s the real kicker — the ending of Empress of All Seasons throws some twists into the insta-love tropefest that I did not see coming. I’ll say no more on the matter, but know that it’s more complicated than it looks at first glance.

The world of Empress of All Seasons is Japanese influenced, both in terms of culture and supernatural beings. I am glad to see a non-Western setting, but I feel like I’ve seen the fantasy elements used here so many times before. I definitely felt some Avatar: The Last Airbender in regards to the character who “could bend the four elements — flame, water, air, and earth — to his will.” And I’m honestly not sure how I feel about using fantasy creatures/magic-users as a metaphor for real-world oppressed groups. It can be done well (see N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season), and thanks to the Japanese setting and characters, Empress of All Seasons was applying it’s fictional racism to people (monsters?) of color rather than white people.

I liked Empress of All Seasons a lot more once it was done with the competition plotline, and I can’t help but wish that we’d gotten an expansion of those plot developments and shortened the competition itself. I also have some quibbles with Akira’s plotline, as it seems like he becomes a trusted member of the rebellion exceedingly quickly. He also somehow masters the art of throwing stars in four days? I guess that’s YA for you.

Speaking of Akira there was some interesting thematic material in regards to him being sort of mixed race (from a fantasy perspective anyway). He struggles a lot with feeling out of place and not knowing where he belongs, but he comes to realize that his mixed heritage is a strength. Similarly, Empress of All Seasons also handles issues of gender, by inverting the “princes compete for a princess” and having Mari come from a village of shapeshifting animal wives who seduce men before stealing from them. However, I still would have preferred stronger bonds between the female characters. The emphasis here felt like it was on the insta-love.

I can’t say that I thought Empress of All Seasons was a great book, but I did find it interesting.

I loved a lot about Empress of All Seasons. It had beautiful worldbuilding and badass characters. However, it let me down a little bit in the end.

[su_quote style="modern-orange" cite="Goodreads" url=”GOODREADS LINK TO YOUR BOOK"]

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.

[/su_quote]

I received an eARC of Empress of All Seasons from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Emiko Jean is a beautiful writer. This was my first book of hers and I'll definitely be picking up future stories. The worldbuilding in Empress of All Seasons was deftly done, spread evenly throughout the story. I loved the inclusion of the world's myths between chapters. It did a lot to build the world of Honoku without infodumping.

I loved how different all three point of view characters were. I would have enjoyed even more of Akira's point of view because I really enjoyed him as a character.  He had stronger motivations than Mari did. Taro was so soft, but I wished he'd had more of a spine in the latter half of the novel.

Jean was also very skilled at writing fighting scenes. All of them were a delight to read and I would have loved to see at least one more battle at the end.

SPOILERS AHEAD
Instead of taking us through the process of Mari taking over the kingdom, Jean wrapped the story up tidily in an epilogue. It felt far too easy an ending for me to feel satisfied with the ending.

SPOILERS DONE
Overall, I enjoyed it. I think it just needed a touch more of an ending. However, I would still recommend it. You can pick up a copy on Amazon or Indiebound.

[su_box title="ABOUT EMPRESS OF ALL SEASONS" style="default" box_color="#ff4400" title_color="#f2f2f2" radius="3" class=""]

Title: Empress of All Seasons

Author: Emiko Jean

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Length: 384 Pages

Release Date: November 6, 2018

Rating: ★★★★ / Four stars

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Representation: Japanese American author, Japanese main character, biracial side character,

[/su_box]



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I was so happy when I found out that I had been approved to review Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean! I have been making a conscious effort to read more diversely, particularly those stories that are written by Asian authors and features Asian main characters! At the end of this review, I have included an interview with Emiko Jean!🎉

I read Empress of All Seasons for BookTubeAThon 2018, so I was able to finish Empress in a few hours! What initially struck me was the inclusion of so many STRONG WOMEN in this novel!! Mari, the main protagonist, is a strong character in her own way as she is more than her ability to fight.

I particularly liked the concept of this novel! It was a nice twist on the storyline of princes competing for the princess's hand. I loved the addition of the Animal Wives; they gave the novel a fresh dynamic. Mari, although she is an Animal Wife, is different from the rest; thus, she is an outsider among them.

Empress does have a bit of a love triangle, which I am not always a fan of, but this novel had an unexpected twist to this cliché that made me cackle just *a little bit*. On the topic of romance, the main pairing seemed a bit rushed and undeveloped. For me, it felt shallow, but, then again, that might have been the point.👀

Now for the ending: a lot happened in a very short period of time. I wish that these scenes could have been expanded and allowed readers become immersed in the action that way we could really be able to connect to the characters and the chaos.

It would have been interesting to split this book into two (yay duologies!!) in order to draw out the tension and to further develop the characters. It felt, for me, like I was watching these chapters from a distant (to be more specific, a bird's eye view). I would have loved to feel like I was part of these last few scenes, which have particularly high-stakes. Things worked out too easily, in my opinion. But there are still many unexpected twists and turns in Empress! They definitely kept me on my toes at all times.

If you are not sure about this book, please read it for its quality quotes (I wish I could write them all, but spoilers). THEY ARE AMAZING. Tons of just pure mic drops. My notes on my kindle are filled with ***, !!!!!, and lots of YESSS!!! Honestly, though, I highlighted so many lines, it got kind of ridiculous. (ahhh I can't share my favorites because major spoilers!!)

[ well, maybe I can share one of them👀 ]

"'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.'"

Emiko Jean draws on Japanese mythology, and those stories are intermingled with Mari, Taro, and Akira's, adding another element to Empress of All Seasons. If you love to read high-stakes fantasy novels and are on the lookout for stories featuring POC written by POC, then Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean is the book for you!

DNF at 25%

I am feeling like a black sheep here because I see how many people have enjoyed this book. I had very high hopes going into it because I really enjoyed the author's previous book. The concept is very interesting, but I found the plot to move very slowly and I just didn't feel connected to any of the characters. I am sure that it is going to be a popular and well-loved book. Just not for me, unfortunately.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing and Emiko Jean for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you also to Rafael (@theroyalpolarbearreads) for including me in the PH blog tour of this book. 

Oh wow. That was one hell of a roller coaster ride. HOW IN THE NINE WORLDS DID EMIKO JEAN FIT ALL OF THESE DETAILS IN ONE BOOK??? 

I just—I'm in awe. 

I fell in love with Empress of All Seasons from the first page. Reading this book felt like coming home. It features Japanese culture and their myths—two things that are incredibly close to my heart. 

I love the plot and I'm happy that Emiko Jean really gave justice to it. This book lived up to my expectations. The premise was well-executed and OH BOY I LOVED ALL THE ACTION. Mari's journey to be the Empress of All Seasons was action-packed. I was also fascinated because I learned more about Japanese myth and my brain certainly knew more about yokai after reading this book. 

Even though I truly enjoyed reading this, I still had some issues with it. The fast pacing of the story didn't sit well with me. Events happened so fast which made them appear underdeveloped. One of these is the romance. I liked Mari and Taro's chemistry but their romance was too rushed that it came too close to the instalove zone. The last chapters leading up to the conclusion also lacked the same punch and impact that I got from the first half of the book. I also didn't know that it was a standalone so I didn't expect it to end so abruptly. I really think this book would have worked better as a part of a series. 

Despite my negative ramblings, I can still say that this book is worth the read. I highly recommend it to fantasy lovers and if you're a bookdragon looking for Asian SFF recs, EMPRESS OF ALL SEASONS IS PERFECT FOR YOU. 

THIS BOOK COMES OUT ON NOVEMBER 6. LETS SUPPORT IT Y'ALL.

I tried to get through this and I find the idea of it really interesting however I wasnt about to continue on. It just wasn't my kind of fantasy, but it does read really well and seems excellent, however it is not for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read it!

I had a rough go with this one. I loved the concept and the world the story is set in, heavily influenced by Japanese culture, but didn’t connect well with the characters, except maybe Akira. I really liked him.

Mari, a yokai, specifically an Animal Wife, is not the prettiest of her village. The expectations for her succeeding at what the women of her village do (marry, steal the heart of their husband and their fortunes and have child, preferably girls) are low and so she is trained to have the best advantage when it comes to the competition to become empress. Every generation women compete in magical rooms containing the seasons, battling to survive and become the new empress. What she doesn’t know is what life is like outside her village, beyond her mountains and closer to humans. Yokai are enslaved and treated less than and a rebellion is brewing. Mari must hide her true self and not get caught because if the rooms don’t kill her, be outed as a yokai, specifically a yokai free and without collar, will get her killed.

Taro is the emperor’s son and the man whom the women are competing to win. Taro despises the competition and everything it stands for, he’d rather create and enjoy his own company. The only thing he knows for sure is to be careful about what he creates and who he shares it with, it was his hands that created the collar that yokai are forced to wear, stealing their strength and weakening them and he hates knowing he made that possible. Known as the cold prince for his aloof attitude Taro wants to find happiness and doesn’t know how he can find it with women competing for the power empress will give them, until he accidentally meets Mari and things look up for him.

Akira, the Son of Nightmares, is Mari’s good friend and keeper of her secrets. Born of yokai and human Akira struggles with his identity but feels content and happy with Mari and wants to stay by her side. When she leaves for the palace to compete Akira follows behind and finds himself along the way. I really started liking his character the most after he joined up with the yokai revolution, there is a nice shift and growth in him that made me like him even more than I had at the start.

The book chapters danced between these three characters and while I loved Akira, somewhat felt for and liked Mari, I had a hard time liking Taro. For someone who disliked his father and the beliefs he held and how he acted, he sure was a lot like him. Especially in the end.

This is a good story, while it starts quite slow in the beginning it moves fairly fast once you hit the first season room, fall I think it was. I liked the world it’s built around and in. As someone who has always been fascinated by Japanese culture I found elements I was very familiar with and I enjoyed seeing something different from the usual. The ending was also quite something, a flip from what I usually see and I loved it, took me by surprise.

Marry the prince. Steal his fortune. Return home.

After all, as an Animal Wife, she has a tradition to uphold.

Mari has spent her entire life training to become the Empress. She must conquer the deadly and magical four Seasons, defeat the other girls competing against her, and win the heart of the prince.

Yet the empire has enslaved most of the yōkai with brutal metal collars, and Mari is one of the few who have escaped undetected—although a yōkai rebellion is brewing with Mari and her friends caught up in the middle.

But first she must survive the Seasons.

Despite the intriguing blurb I was a bit hesitant about this one, mostly because early reviewers either seemed to love it or hate it. And to be honest, this was trending towards a respectable but not overwhelming three stars until about the 90% mark.

Shit goes doooooown

Right up until the 70%-ish period, it felt a lot like The Hunger Games meets The Selection in magical feudal Japan with soft boys and stabby girls. There's eye-rolling insta-love, so much to the point that I was honestly rooting for Hanako, Ren and Akira and wanting their storyline to dominate more than Mari's. And I wanted much, much, more Asami—since that girl is freaking amazing.

The world-building is entrancing, although I wanted to learn a little more about the set-up of the world, particularly with the events that happened in the afterward. The plight of the yōkai and the parallels to slavery, discrimination and genocide were deftly woven in without being overwhelming, along with the message that all people are worthy of respect and compassion no matter what they look like or what their powers are.

Yes there are some down points. The plot dragged a bit in the middle—but hell, can you do a YA fantasy without having a ball or two thrown in somewhere or another? No. No you cannot. The prince and mysterious suitor must dance at least once or twice, and spend long minutes looking at the stars, into each other's eyes (which can be the same thing as looking in the stars tbh), or viewing multiple worlds with a single kiss.

But overall it's an enjoyable read and I loved that it's #ownvoices, because representation truly matters. There's also ~bonus~some mild LGB rep.

I received this ARC from NetGalley 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.

I receivedan ARC and the summary tempted me a lot at the time of my request, unfortunately the book did not keep its promises.

I start with what I liked, the universe of the book. This one is clearly inspired by Japan and we have many references through the Yokai, but also the royal family and the numerous descriptions. Speaking of Yokai, they live in slavery for humans or live the mountains cut off from humans. There is a real inequality between these two species and the Yokai are tired and a rebellion is present in the capital. The world building is a little classic for me, we have theroyal family, the magic, but the difference is in the culture of the world and I like that.

Our three main characters are Mari, Taro and Akira. Mari is a Yokai who lives in the mountains, she was educated to win the tests and become empress. She then intend to give up her role and return to the mountains with wealth, but it was not counting on Taro, the prince for whom she will develop feelings. The insta love between these two characters is rather predictable and deja vu, the romance will become a crucial point of the story, but it really seem rush for me. Akira, on the other hand, is the person who is the most calm and normal, he will follow Mari in the capital and discover the rebellion. His evolution is a predictable, but it's the character that seemed the most realistic.

Where I struggled is on the plot, I found that the action was present unevenly and we faced lengths which is sad for a oneshot. But I think what has disappointed me the most is the ending. Overall, the story of this book and the ending are for me one of a first volume ine a serie and the epilogue of this novel tells roughly the story of a second or third volume and it's a shame because I do not see the interest of doing that when we go from the start for a oneshot. I wanted a complete plot and not an appetizer especially for me the plot of the epilogue would have been much stronger than what I had just read. So I have a taste of unfinished and I really didn't like that. So overall I have mixed feeling with this book some stuff could have been faster and the ending shoul have been stronger.

I loved the concept but never connected with the characters, and the ending was confusing. Will still recommend to teens who like fantasy, Japanese culture, and Hunger Games though!

Mari is an ugly duckling in a town of beautiful swans. She is an Animal Wife yōkai, but her looks will never help her accomplish the task of marrying a powerful man in order to steal his riches and return to her home of Tsuma. Her mother doesn’t want to waste her daughters other talents though—Mari has been taught from a young age to wield a naginata, becoming an expert warrior in the process. Her mothers plan? She’ll enter the contest to become the Conqueror of Seasons and by default, the new Empress of Honoku. There’s just one problem though, uncollared yōkai are not allowed inside the Imperial City, much less able to enter the competition to be the prince's new wife.

Full of references to feudal Japan and traditional Japanese mythology, Empress of All Seasons is about one woman’s quest to overcome adversity in order to become the most powerful woman in existence. But the question is, can she hide the monster within for long enough to defeat the monsters who hold her life in their hands?

The novel opens on Mari being shoved into a shed with a random male who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She gives him the choice of weapons and as the majority of males who have found themselves in her presence, he chooses the twin blades of the samurai, the long katana and short wakizashi. This leaves her with her beloved naginata, a bamboo pole weapon with a deadly blade on its end. A battle ensues and then cut to Taro, the prince in the equation.

Taro is the heir to the empire of Honoku. As is always the way, he doesn’t want the crown. Instead, he wishes to while away his days in his workshop, creating his mechanical masterpieces while being left in relative obscurity. Alas his father (and tradition) have other plans. Living in the Palace of Illusions and being the next Emperor means he has to be present for the once in a generation battle to win over the Seasons. There are four harsh rooms within the palace made to test the mettle of any future Empress, and to serve out punishment to anyone who defies the monarchies reign. But Taro has an escape plan: he will be nowhere near the palace when young maidens rush in to claim their destiny. Until he meets a small lady in his mother's tea garden who may just change his mind.

So, to say I loved this is an understatement. The story is set in feudal Japan, a time when gods and goddesses reigned supreme, temples were only a stone throw away, and the samurai protected the empire with their stony expressions and razor-sharp blades. Every location of the story is described with vivid imagery, from the worlds towering temples to its lush forests, the humble buildings of Mari’s youth to the palatial grounds of the province's capital, it's all just gorgeously written.

The pièce de résistance though, would have to be the inside of the Palace of Illusions. Not only are the corridors and guest rooms populated with beautiful interiors, the four rooms of the Seasons are impeccable in their decoration. Each of the rooms maintains its own climate and the interior are reflective of this, the Seasons all containing their own peril. It was a genius idea and I frankly absolutely loved it.

It is slap in the face obvious that Jean has done her research when writing this novel. Like A LOT of research. The narrative incorporates many different references to Japanese mythology in the form of Yōkai. If you immediately think of the kids show, you are gravely wrong. Instead, these are creatures of mythology ranging from Kappa (frog like creatures the size of people), to Hari Onago (a young maiden with hooks on the ends of her hair who search for victims based on whether they smile and then eat them), and the legendary Oni (a class of warrior spirits who are born with red covered skin, toting weapons but their real strength is in their grip). Jean’s inclusion of these creatures could have felt far-fetched, but instead they are so well-integrated into their roles within the story that they are just another character with a difference, open to the Emperor’s discrimination and ostracism. That brings me to the main cast of characters.

Mari is, beyond a doubt, a battler. Since childhood, she has been ridiculed by her society The Animal Wives, a group of beautiful women with a beast waiting to be let out. The entire purpose of this community of warrior women is to marry into high society and then steal their fortunes. Alas, Mari does not have the face for it and her mother instead trains her to use the naginata to win over the Seasons. Rather than kill, Mari would prefer to maim those brought to her shed and then send them on their way never to return. She’s a softy, but still a cold hard bitch when it comes to everything else. She believes that love is a waste of time because, frankly with an upbringing like she has had, you would hate love too. She does however have a closeness with Akira, also known as the Son of Nightmares. During the course of the story, however, the reader can detect a softening of Mari, still intent on keeping her secret from the prince but warming to him nevertheless. Always though, her village is her top priority and she will do anything to keep them safe.

Akira, the first male on the scene for Mari, is the Son of Nightmares. Since a young age he has been ostracised and hunted down by society for being the son of a human male and a vengeful female ghost yōkai. Although not capable all her skills, he has inherited his mothers ability to be stealthy and swift. He has also inherited the scars she bears on her face from prior to her death. Akira is beyond a doubt my favourite male character in this. While he has a tough steely (and scar mottled) exterior, any time it comes to Mari, he is all marshmallow-y. This man would literally do anything to keep her safe and without spoiling too much, he does. When with others though, he is conniving and smart, instantly making an impression on those of importance to the plight of the Empire.

Last of the major characters is Taro, the reluctant prince who would prefer to hide in his chambers and make mechanical animals. His tinkering brings him great pride, but had previously brought him shame as he is solely responsible for the invention of the unbreakable metal collars that keep all yōkai enslaved. To be honest, while he was an adequate character, his being oblivious to anything and everything that didn’t involve him was grating. There is pomp and privilege, but this guy takes stupid to a whole other level. While the majority of the cast brought joy, Taro just brings frustration especially when he feels betrayed and throws a tantrum for the ages.

As whole, this was an amazing novel full of mythology and genuinely intriguing characters. The narrative was very well paced with a continuous supply of heartache and action. The only real detractor from the entire thing was the snivelling brat who plays prince. I loved the blending of mythology with feudal history and will be recommending this novel to anyone with a love of Japan and buttkicking female leads.

[ Review scheduled for November 7th ]

I enjoyed this book a lot. This was mostly due to the story taking place in a pseudo medieval Japan. The author does go super natural, but all the supernatural beings are taken from Japanese myth and folklore. There's even mention of one of the main characters, Akira, being the son of a Slash-mouthed woman, which is more of an urban legend than an older tale. 

The story's main protagonist is Mari, a young animal wife who is ostracized in her village due to her looks and her inability to call on her 'Beast'. It turns out that even an average looking preternaturally beautiful young woman will have more trouble taking men's fortunes. Because of this, Mari is forced to train for the event of a lifetime: wining the contest of seasons which is a dangerous ritual names the next Empress of the country. Mari must navigate the trials of the seasons, her attraction to the prince Taro, and that she is <i>youkai</i> in a place where <i>youkai</i> are enslaved. 

There's a ton of stuff to unpack with this book, and my folklore nerd enjoyed mentions of some of the more famous Japanese mythological creatures, such as the oni, an awesome snow-woman who is in love with a spider woman, and a hook girl. But this book also delves into all forms of discrimination, and talks heavily on slavery and its use as a tool to oppress certain groups of people. I felt like that was where the story was at its strongest. Mari and Taro are the romantic leads, but I just didn't feel the chemistry between them. Also, I did not like Taro at all. It's obvious that he loathes his father, yet he acts exactly like him. By the time Taro realizes he's a complete jerk, it's too late. 

Overall, I think this is a really good, intense fantasy that uses folklore that most in the west won't be as familiar with. Surprisingly, it handles its more serious thematic elements with more finesse than its romance, which was fine by me as it was clear that the romance wasn't really as important as the blurb made it seem. Mari is a capable lead - she's got the gumption and charisma to carry the whole book, and I found her chapters to be the most compelling. Taro is the weakest link. I often would roll my eyes at him in the beginning of the book, and his actions at the end really had me angry with him. The supporting cast, lead by Akira, Mari's mysterious friend, and Hanako, the whip-smart leader of the youkai rebellion and ironically named snow-woman, is fun and makes up for Taro. 

I'd recommend this book for fantasy fans, and fans of Sarah Maas or Marissa Meyers. <i>Empress of All Seasons</i> is super intense, but doesn't get as dark as Maas and has some of the wry humor that Meyers brings to the table.

Despite high expectations, this was a slog to read. Just not enjoyable in the least and relentlessly bleak without the proper character work to make it interesting. The conclusion felt very contrived and I felt zero emotional resonance with what happened to any of the characters.