Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean (Review)

    Mari is a yōkai, a monster, a beast in a woman's body. She has claws and killer fighting skills, and she is destined to take on the four Seasons, all while pretending to be a human. Each a room of magic, a magic that is trying to kill her. Why does she do this? To become Empress. To marry the inventor and tormented prince Taro. To steal the riches of the Emperor. All the while, her friend Akira, the half human half yōkai ghost. The three clash as the state of humans, yōkai and in-between becomes perilous. Who will win, will any win?
    I'm quite shocked, this book had every advantage. Japanese mythology? Count me in. Epic heroine battling for the thrown and freedom in magical season rooms? Heck yah. A yōkai falling in love with a human? Sweet. How could this go wrong. I really question this. Somehow, with all of this book's advantages, IT WAS SOMEHOW BORING! How? How does this happen? Starting off, the romance was crap. I couldn't care less about it. Same goes for almost every character in this novel besides Mari. Mari is the only rounded character in this novel, and even her roundedness dissolves towards the end of the novel, making more of a paper cut-out of a character then a real person with solid genuine motivations. It really began to fall apart at the end. Oh and speaking of the end. It sucked. I was weak and underdeveloped. I stopped caring. That is the worst. This whole book felt incredibly underdeveloped and rushed. There were fun elements to this book, but they could not save it. I don't recommend Empress of All Seasons and give it the rating of THREE STARS OUT OF FIVE!!!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*