A nice touch to the world building is interludes that tell the stories of the various gods. Almost from the very first pages the action picked up and never lulled. There were certainly places where I would have liked more detail in the world building, particularly regarding the political situation of the empire and its neighbours, but I can’t say as this really detracted from the story in any way. A prince who feels powerless, having a wife chosen for him, rather than the typical princess was a fun twist. I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing some fantasy tropes turned around. This use of folk lore in a fantasy setting is something I love, and I enjoyed it in Empress of All Seasons. But she intends to defeat the four rooms and become empress. Yokai - basically monsters, some of whom appear quite human - are oppressed in the empire. There is a further complication, however. It’s an interesting twist on fantasy tropes that I appreciated. Rather, the heir marries the woman who can survive four seasonal rooms that are basically intended to weed out the weak. But this isn’t typical arranged marriage.

The setup is straight forward: the next in line for the throne has his bride chosen for him. Emiko Jean’s Empress of All Seasons has an Asian analogue setting that really shines in places.

Whether we’re talking about folk tales, Baltic-inspired cities, Middle Eastern caliphates, Asian-inspired worlds, or something that draws from all or none of those, I love discovering unique worlds.

Empress of all seasons by emiko jean