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A review by zaheerah
Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean
5.0
Becoming the next Empress of Honoku is anything but simple. Survive the palace's magical but deadly seasonal rooms and marry the emperor. Everyone is eligible unless you're Yokai, magical beings with the ability to transform. Mari's one goal is to steal the Emperor's wealth. But her life is on the line as she struggles to keep her identity hidden and learning that everything isn't as it seems.
Empress of All Seasons is an ownvoices Japanese fantasy that was damn near perfect to read. I was obsessed entirely within the very first pages.
The characters were brilliant. Rarely do I find a book where the entire cast was absolutely excellent. Mari, our main Yokai, has been raised by beautiful women whose primary goal is to seduce wealthy men and steal their wealth. Mari doesn't inherit the skills and looks, so her mother prepares her to train differently. Skilling fighting she competes in the competition to pull off a steal that would make her the greatest of Animal Wives. Taro, our cold Emperor to be, suffers from the hands of his terrible father and is a quick-thinking inventor that regrets his invention which enslaves all of the yokai. Akira, perhaps my favourite, is half human, half yokai. Mari's closest friend and helps her in more ways than she knows. Hanako, the leader of the resistance, that really deserves her own novel.
The worldbuilding is where Empress shines. It's set in such a magical rich world that is really beautiful. The Imperial Palace with its seasonal rooms, the interlude with the lives of the gods', it's all so magical but dangerous which really made it compelling to read.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Empress is a standalone, I believe. Which is what made this a little disappointing, especially in the end. The final chapter leads to something more, something even more significant than what we get in the first book. But it's all very quickly wrapped up in a couple of paragraphs which suggest there will be no more novels. The world Emiko Jean has created is detailed and gorgeous, and I really hope it isn't just confined to just this one novel because that would be the biggest shame.
For a way of conclusion, Empress almost ticked all the boxes but, nonetheless, I really loved it. A tale of family, honour and love, Empress is a compelling story that I genuinely didn't want to put down. I really hope Emiko Jean will return to these characters later, or at least this world.
Empress of All Seasons is an ownvoices Japanese fantasy that was damn near perfect to read. I was obsessed entirely within the very first pages.
The characters were brilliant. Rarely do I find a book where the entire cast was absolutely excellent. Mari, our main Yokai, has been raised by beautiful women whose primary goal is to seduce wealthy men and steal their wealth. Mari doesn't inherit the skills and looks, so her mother prepares her to train differently. Skilling fighting she competes in the competition to pull off a steal that would make her the greatest of Animal Wives. Taro, our cold Emperor to be, suffers from the hands of his terrible father and is a quick-thinking inventor that regrets his invention which enslaves all of the yokai. Akira, perhaps my favourite, is half human, half yokai. Mari's closest friend and helps her in more ways than she knows. Hanako, the leader of the resistance, that really deserves her own novel.
The worldbuilding is where Empress shines. It's set in such a magical rich world that is really beautiful. The Imperial Palace with its seasonal rooms, the interlude with the lives of the gods', it's all so magical but dangerous which really made it compelling to read.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Empress is a standalone, I believe. Which is what made this a little disappointing, especially in the end. The final chapter leads to something more, something even more significant than what we get in the first book. But it's all very quickly wrapped up in a couple of paragraphs which suggest there will be no more novels. The world Emiko Jean has created is detailed and gorgeous, and I really hope it isn't just confined to just this one novel because that would be the biggest shame.
For a way of conclusion, Empress almost ticked all the boxes but, nonetheless, I really loved it. A tale of family, honour and love, Empress is a compelling story that I genuinely didn't want to put down. I really hope Emiko Jean will return to these characters later, or at least this world.