ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review



3.5 stars rounded up



Do you like the anime films of Studio Ghibli? Do you have an appreciation for the aesthetic of Miyazaki? If so you’re going to love the world building in this book. There were times when the descriptions of the places and creatures of this book evoked the visuals of that anime in a visceral way.



The plot follows Mari, a yokai girl (one of the Animal Wives), who has never quite fitted in amongst her people because she lacks the exceptional beauty and mastery of her inner beast expected of her. Trained to fight since she was very young to give her a chance at serving her people another way, Mari nevertheless maintains a strong sense of morality and kindness. Taro is the heir to the Empire but he is far less interested in dominating his future subjects than in creating and inventing things in his workshop. His father, the emperor, thinks it is time for him to marry and opens the tournament of the Seasons. All four seasons must be conquered by a prospective bride before she can become the next empress and marry the prince. Girls pour in from every region but amongst them are those with secrets. And then there’s Akira, the son of nightmares – a half yokai, half human boy – long term friend of Mari. Far less fearsome than his name implies, Akira is shy and kind with low self-esteem. At her mother’s insistence and toting her faithful naginata, Mari enters the tournament to compete for the prince’s hand in marriage, only to discover herself torn between filial duty, an affection she never expected to feel and horror at the enslavement of the yokai by the humans. Concealing her true identity, Mari must conquer the seasons and find a new way forward for human and yokai to live together in peace, but can she do it before open revolt breaks out?





This was a very light, fast read. It had a fairy tale feel – especially if you’re read Japanese fairy tales. The yokai themselves in both this book and in Japanese myth equate partly with European faerie folk and partly with demons. They are a wide and multi specied group and it was great to see so much care taken with them. The author lets them adhere to their natures – which for some yokai (as for some humans) is terrible since they do dreadful, bloody things. The settings feel authentic but also magical, again in that fairy tale way, and the little details of traditional Japanese utensils and buildings add cultural charm. (In many ways I appreciated all of this more having spent some time in Japan.)



I really liked Mari as a character. She was forthright, sometimes funny, brave and most importantly, kind. I can’t remember the last time I warmed so immediately to a YA MC. Akira was likewise quite adorable although some of his choices were highly questionable. I rather liked Hanoka – the weapons master - too although if that’s how she thinks you train someone to fight then perhaps she should look for a new job!



All in all this was charming, poignant and rather dream like. I had my usual clench of irritation at how traditional Japanese martial arts and weaponry was portrayed (to be fair having actually studied martial arts for 25 years and specifically learned naginata and kitana among other things, I’m going to be looking for an unreasonable level of detail). But the story was engaging enough that this irritation was fleeting.



I was more concerned with the instalove aspect between Mari and Taro. It was very inkeeping with the fairy tale ethos of the story and was by no means two dimensional – I mean they had interactions to back it up – but it was very fast. Which brings me on to my second issue; the pacing. I rejoice that this is a standalone – it absolutely worked and I am so thankful we weren’t just left on a cliff hanger. However, the ending was just a bit rushed. Don’t get me wrong, it was a satisfying ending with many good points, but the novel felt top heavy. A lot of space given to setting things up, and then the tournament happens in about 20% of the book and the denouement wraps everything up in the last 8%. This is not a long book at all either. It just felt like it needed more space. If I was being super picky, I’d also say that we are told how characters feel a lot of the time, it isn’t really shown. The psychic distance never really brings us close inside the characters’ heads. A lot of people will like it like that but I prefer a more intimate connection.



However, there is so much that’s good about this book I can forgive a few wobbly bits of structure. I love the way the author has flipped a few stereotypes on their heads – the prince being the prize and wanting to run away for instance (don’t be deceived, it’s nothing like the Selection), the potential love triangle being strangled at birth by the heroine being honest from the start, the ruthless girl warrior also being kind and moral to name just a few.



This is an extremely good Asian led fantasy YA novel. Highly recommend.

I loked the setting and mythology of the world, but I just couldn't get into the characters. I would still recomebd this book as it pulls from Asian mythology.

Fabulous read! For fans of Renee Ahdieh's "Flame in the Mist" and Julie Dao's "Forest of a Thousand Lanturns," this book sucks you in from the beginning and doesn't let go.

Highly recommended for YA fans, high schools and public libraries.

Gorgeous, lush descriptions draw the reader into the story of a girl fighting for what she believes in, despite her own desires. The plot swirls around Mari, a girl poised to become a woman, a daughter struggling to define her won identity. Empress of All Seasons provides a glimpse of a heroine determined to live life on her own terms, and to prove that completion can be found within.

I received a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

First and foremost, this story is so unlike anything I’ve ever read. This Asian fantasy not only built a fascinating new world, but had a storyline that kept me guessing throughout. Arrogantly, I assumed I could predict the course of events in this novel, and I was pleasantly proved wrong time after time. Refreshingly this story tells a tale that hasn’t been told before.

Sometimes when reading several books in the same genre you see one over used reoccurring theme or idea. Not this book! This novel had so much going on, a competition, a quest, proving selfworth, acceptance, etc. This book was so dynamic and action packed that I struggled to put it down! The world building in this books was also extremely well done, and the lore housed within the novel added to my understanding of this new culture. There is a glossary at the back of the book that was VERY helpful as I acclimated to this new culture.

Mari is an animal wife, a yōkai who has been sent to the palace to compete for the chance to marry the prince.

Akira is a half-human, half yōkai who calls himself the Son of Nightmares. Akira and Mari have been friends for years, and while she may not love him, he is in love with her. Terrified at the thought of her risking her life at the palace, Akira tries to convince her to run away with him--when she turns him down, he decides instead to follow her, learn what he can about fighting, and try to win her heart.

Taro, the cold prince, lives a secluded, lonely life. His father, the emperor, is heartless and unfeeling, and Taro finds peace only in his workshop, where he creates mechanical creatures to keep him company. He keeps himself closed off, close with no one, until he unexpectedly runs into Mari and finally finds someone he might be able to open up to.

The lives of these three characters will intertwine in unexpected ways as Mari battles her way through the seasonal rooms, falling in love with Taro along the way, as Taro falls in love in return and struggles to decide who he can trust, and as Akira makes connections with the yōkai resistance and learns how to be a warrior. Snippets of tales about the Gods who created the yōkai and the humans are interwoven with the story, and these stories enrich the narrative by offering insight into what the Gods have in store.

Overall, while I found the story intriguing and enjoyable, there was a lot going on, and the pacing and transitions were clunky at times. Also, I didn't love the ending--lots of hasty wrapping up, when I would have loved to see more detail. Complaints aside, this is a solid read, and I especially think that anyone interested in Japanese folklore will enjoy it.

You will be swept into the lives of these flawed characters! With the flavor of imperial Japan mixed with some supernatural elements, drama, and rebellion, I couldn't get enough of this book! Battling the seasons takes on a whole new meaning in Empress of All Seasons, and I highly recommend this title to anyone who balks against class distinctions of any kind.

Colorful prose, complex characters, and rich worldbuilding create a portrait of beauty. This is a well-researched book. Ranging from the food to the clothes to the Seasonal rooms, a web of palace intrigue and doublecrossing will hook you from the start. The only fault exists in the writing. Sometimes it lacks emotion. Other than that, Empress of All Seasons is an enjoyable read.

I am always game for the focus and exploration of Asian culture in YA novels and I was overjoyed to have the opportunity to read Empress of All Seasons - and it certainly did not disappoint. The Japanese lore and mythology is a fascinating aspect of the story and enhances the plot. These tales are enchanting on their own, but the author weaves them into the story so seamlessly while building upon the series of events that she’s created on her own. Mari is a force to be reckoned with, and her journey is an exciting one, but not without difficulty. I thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy and look forward to its release in the Fall.

I absolutely loved this book and it is perfect for fans of Renee Ahdieh. The world and characters were well developed and the story was both familiar and fresh at the same time.

I really wanted to enjoy this, and there's nothing *wrong* with it exactly, it's just...sort of there. The yokai angle is really interesting, but there were so many different types to keep track of I kept getting lost. We had a compassionate prince, a headstrong girl, and an outcast boy pining for the girl...it just wasn't for me, but I hope other readers will enjoy it. DNF at 30%.

Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.

I am a massive Japan lover and novels set in Japan are among my favourites to read. And I was so pleased that Empress of All Seasons was amazing. The world building and character growth was tremendous and it was so nice to read a novel about Yokai.

It's refreshing to read something from an author of colour about people of colour, especially in fantasy. It had all the elements of a great novel-romance, strong feminist figures, and the storytelling of a writer with a true understanding of the cultural portrayals of her mythology.

Set in a different country and time - Japan in the past - the book starts off telling us how the world came to be (moulded by gods and goddesses). Small stories involving the gods and their whims are sprinkled throughout the book as mini-explanations. I don't know if these are true Japanese fables/legends or made up, so I shall have to do a little research.
The book focuses on two types of beings that inhabit the world: The Yokai (which seem to be demon-like animals) and Humans. But there are also some yokai-human hybrids and our heroine is one of these, tasked with completing the trial of seasons in order to win the hand of the prince.
It took a while to get into the book, and it was only once the trials started that my attetion was truly caught and I felt for our heroine when the inevitable happened.
The ending however was a big disappointment the rogue shogun arrives and saves Mari (some more detail required here) then the rest of her life is tied up in a few paragraphs and could do with more development.

4.5
Mari is a yokai, a supernatural being. Her clan is the Animal Wives, who are a very cunning, beautiful, and cold type of yokai. They enchant human men, marry them and rob them and return to their village with their husbands' riches. Mari is that rarity, a homely Animal Wife, which earns her mother some scorn among the fierce women. But her mother trains Mari in weapons, and from childhood sends her to kill roaming samurai as practice.

Mari hates to kill. She has an ambivalent relationship with her mother, who is determined that Mari will go to the capital and compete against all the other women in order to marry the crown prince. Who she can then kill, and be empress of all the treasure . . .

Mari is not quite alone. She has two friends , one of whom is Akira, who has inherited his mother’s scars. He’s the Nightmare’s son, able to zip around invisibly. He becomes one of the POV characters, along with Prince Taro, who loathes being crown prince, and means to escape by means of his amazing inventions in his lab.

So here we have the basic YA setup of the dreaded Love Triangle, but hang onto your hat, because there is absolutely nothing predictable about how the story goes.

Mari arrives in the capital after being escorted by maimed samurai (a not-insignificant encounter), and is ready to compete against all the other young women. The “gladiator coliseum” (because yes, one immediately thinks of <i>Hunger Games</i> and its many copies) are the four magical rooms in the palace called the Seasons. Each is quite deadly.

Emiko Jean takes the time to not only immerse the reader deeply in Japanese mythology, and vivid imagery of a magical, mythic, dangerous Japan, she gives all the character life and complexity, right down to the servants and spear carriers.

The result is a tight, fast-paced, emotionally intense adventure novel with splashes of mythic wonder. My only complaint is that the ending feels rushed, forcing events to what felt like a finger-shaking feminist close. But getting there is a terrific experience.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC. This was a fantasy book which I normally don't read.. In this a shape shifter tries to become the next empress. Good young adult.

An astonishing competition set in the four seasons, a ruthless emperor, and a brilliant inventor prince, with one girl to undo them all. A yokai girl discovers her destiny as she enters a competition to become the Empress of her divided nation in this silk-painted story of dreams and nightmares.

Empress of All Seasons is an epic YA fantasy stand-alone that I'm still thinking about days after finishing it. The mc in this book is not your typical heroine. In fact this book in general is not your typical YA fantasy, there's no overused cliches or tropes here. It's different to other books currently on the market, The mc's journey was a captivating one and the plot took a direction I wasn't expecting. If you're on the lookout for a book about female empowerment I would highly recommend this one.

So I actually didn’t read this because the PDF file doesn’t work on my Kindle.

Wow this book does not hold back.

“Empress of all Seasons” is a powerful story about a girl raised to believe she was less than because of her plainness, work to become that of a warrior ready to join the competition to win the title of Empress. Coming face to face with the horrors her people and others of a similar kind face in the city she pushes herself to succeed and bring honor to all and more importantly grant them the freedom they desire above all, but when enemies looking to enslave and rule go out of their way to tarnish her name she must rise up and fight using all that she knows and accept herself for who she is and not how she appears.

I know I probably shouldn’t say wow again but wow. I don’t even know where to begin, on one hand I thought this was going to follow the usual format of most fantasy novels where there’s a series of tasks the heroine needs to complete in order to gain a member of nobility’s favor while abandoning where they’ve come from but this turns that completely around and gives us someone who wasn’t able to shine until she left home but never forgot her roots and instead learned to embrace all that she was in order to go head to head with the enemy.

There’s a lot of feminism in this that I have to applaud, everything from the main character herself to the snippets of mythology that sprinkle throughout this book giving us better insights into the world and the creators all the way through to the conclusion that parallels that of Mari’s story. My only critique is that this is a stand alone! I wanted to see more of this new found self confidence and the power she had in herself to stand up for her people! Give me an entire trilogy of her and I would be the happiest girl in the world!

This book was a surprise and if you’re thinking your getting an elemental hunger games you better think again because this is a book I’m going to be recommending to any one and everyone for a long time because it’s so much bigger than surviving a competition it’s about the acceptance of who you are and that is good enough and no one, especially men or anyone else who thinks to tie you down can take that away from you.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**