Not Your Typical Happily Ever After // Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

Disclaimer: I received an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review as a part of a blog tour hosted by The Royal Polar Bear Reads and Bookable Reads. 

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Empress of All Seasons  by Emiko Jean

Published November 6th 2018 by HMH Books for Young Readers
Classified as Fantasy & Young Adult
eARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

   

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.

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Content & Trigger Warnings

“Body shaming, slavery, systematic oppression, rape, child abuse, parental abandonment, self-injury, childbirth, forced adoption, death, murder, exile, death by starvation, cyclones, poisoning, explosions, fire, animal attack, animal cruelty, animal death, and bullying.” (Taken from this Goodreads review written by the lovely Rachel because I am horrible at remembering all the TWs)

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🌱 THINGS THAT GREW ON ME 🌱

• The world’s beautiful mythology was shared in bits and pieces throughout the novel, starting with a magical prologue that draws clear inspiration from the Japanese creation myth of Izanagi and Izanami. The folklore of the mythical land of Honoku is well-crafted and ties in wonderfully to the main story.
• The first two-thirds of the novel were slow, but once I hit that last stretch, BAM! So much heart-racing action and plenty of surprise twists! The ending delivers an empowering message about the far-reaching influence women can have and that happily ever after doesn’t always have to include a Prince. The conclusion thawed my Arendelle-frozen heart and turned it all cute-fuzzy-kittens warm.

🔥 THINGS THAT WERE HOT 🔥

• The Japanese Representation was 🔥🔥🔥. The world that Emiko Jean crafts is rich and colorful and oh so wonderfully Japanese – it made me want to go eat sushi, read manga, wear a kimono, and visit my local Shinto shrine ALL AT THE SAME TIME. (Side Note: Can you feel patriotic for a country that technically isn’t your own? BECAUSE JAPAN, I LOVE YOUUUUUUU!!!!)
• In most fairy tales, the knight must win the hand of the princess by completing some herculean task. Slaying a dragon. Procuring a golden apple. Solving an impossible riddle. You get the idea. However, in Empress of All Seasons, it’s the girl who must capture the heart of the prince and I adored this fresh gender reversal. It definitely lends itself to the feminist themes interwoven throughout the novel.

🍂 THINGS THAT FELL FLAT 🍂

• I cared for the three main characters about as much as the warm side of my pillow – which is to say, not that much. Empress of All Seasons is told from three rotating points of view: Mari, Taro, and Akira. Mari is a yōkai who has been training all her life to conquer the Seasonal Rooms and become the next Empress. So, basically, she is a walking weapon. Touch her, and she’ll lob your hand off with her naginata. Out of the three, I liked her perspective the best.

• Imagine one of those big, buff club bouncers with a soft, cinnamon roll heart and a love of little animatronic butterflies and you’ve got Taro. Taro is a smol prince who has no desire to become the next Emperor. He gives off some major Princess Jasmine vibes. Initially, he was my favorite POV out of the three because he was such a unique contradiction and there was potential for an incredible character arc. BUT THEN he met Mari (Hint: IT WAS INSTALOVE) and it all went downhill from there. I shall wear black and mourn the character he could have been.

• Akira is a half-human, half-yōkai outcast who is in love with Mari and I found his POV to be about as necessary as a warning label on cookie dough (Come on FDA, you know we’re gonna eat it raw even if you tell us not to). Sure, the concept of his character was intriguing, but he didn’t play a vital role in the plot. Take him out, and the story would function.

❄️THINGS THAT WERE NOT COOL❄️

• The competition described in the book blurb was what made Empress of All Seasons my single most anticipated read of the entire year. Having to survive four magical rooms that embodied the seasons? HECK YES I WANNA READ THAT. But the first 30% of the book was all set up; the competition didn’t start for what felt like forever. Then I blinked and missed the whole thing. The author rushed through it, which is too bad because the competition is the most important part of the whole plot.
• This book is clearly a standalone. While I appreciate that the author was trying to keep this novel self-contained and not give in to the hype surrounding trilogies (because so many of those could and should have been just one book), I wish this had been a series. There is so much going on, so much that the author wants to tell us, and all of those things would have benefitted from at least one more book. The many complaints I have about characters and pacing could have been fixed if they simply had more time to develop. The ending would have been more impactful – less jarring and rushed – if it there had been more opportunity to build up to it. 

 

The Verdict: Meh

Empress of All Seasons is a love letter to Japanese culture that boasts a unique storyline and beautiful world-building. Plot-driven and full of empowering themes, Emiko Jean’s fantasy novel is a must-read for lovers of asian folklore.

About The Author

When 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.

 

Blog Tour Schedule

November 12

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November 17

Have you read Empress of All Seasons? What did you think of it?

Do you like books that are more character or plot driven?