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.
The number one reason I was so excited for this book was the different rooms with all the seasons. I kept asking myself how I thought my favorite season would be depicted..... So, here's some of the things I think my favorite season's room would have in it:
Now after reading this, this is NOT how the summer room was depicted lol It definitely didn't include my favorite parts of summer, but for the most part, the things that were depicted, were things that reminded me of my favorite season! (Like sweat, blistering heat, etc.)
What would you like to see depicted in the summer room?
What would you like to see depicted in the other seasons?
Which room would you least like to go in?
Tell me in the comments!
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Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean is out now!
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