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The Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

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 yokai, 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 yokai 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-yokai 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...
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Strangers in Court by Seanan McGuire (October Daye, #13.5)

Strangers in Court is a novella set before the events of Rosemary and Rue, providing some welcome backstory and a chance to see some of the characters mentioned there while they're still around. 

This story was placed at the end of the first book in the series, Rosemary and Rue, and that’s definitely the right placement. It provides just enough context to make sense even if read separately, but the importance of many of the secondary details lies in how they inform the reader’s understanding of the first book. It fills in some interesting backstory which was hinted at in the main book, as well as providing some more history for the character relationships therein. It is complete enough to stand on its own, artfully balancing the need to focus on its own story while also informing the larger narrative. It was nice to meet this younger version of the MC and I definitely recommend it to anyone who’s reading the main series.

CW for pregnancy, gaslighting.

Clear Your Shit Readathon 2020 prompt: Shortest Book

Bookshop Affiliate Buy Link (Rosemary and Rue)

A woman in a leather jacket stands in front of a blood-spattered iron gate.


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