Welcome to Colsten Can’t Wait, which is my version of Waiting on Wednesday! Every week, me and my cat highlight an upcoming release that we’re really excited about! This week, we decided to pick Empress Of All Seasons by Emiko Jean!
Synopsis: 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.
This book has gotten a moderate amount of hype and I’ve seen glimpses of the cover in a lost of lists and Instagram posts. It’s about a competition to become empress. And oh gosh do I love stories like these. Give me trials, quests, and competitions any day and I will be happy. Plus, all the rounds are based on a certain season, which I think is really, really cool. I think I’ve only seen seasons woven into a book a little like this once before! I’m looking forward to see how this one plays out. The main character, Mari, also has a secret. She is an yōkai, a supernatural monster, and she has to keep that fact hidden if she wants to keep her life. Yes, oh yes, I love characters with secrets like this. She trains to become empress, but there are a lot of complications in her way. This book honestly just seems amazing. I can’t wait until I can judge for myself!
Empress Of All Seasons comes out November 6th, 2018. You can add it on Goodreads and pre-order a copy in the meantime!
Thank you for reading!
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