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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...

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (The Greenhollow Duology, #1)

There is a Wild Man who lives in the deep quiet of Greenhollow, and he listens to the wood. Tobias, tethered to the forest, does not dwell on his past life, but he lives a perfectly unremarkable existence with his cottage, his cat, and his dryads.

When Greenhollow Hall acquires a handsome, intensely curious new owner in Henry Silver, everything changes. Old secrets better left buried are dug up, and Tobias is forced to reckon with his troubled past--both the green magic of the woods, and the dark things that rest in its heart.

TITLE: Silver in the Wood
AUTHOR: Emily Tesh
PUBLISHER: Tor.com
YEAR: 2018
LENGTH: 112 pages
AGE: Adult
GENRE: Fantasy, Romance
RECOMMENDED: Highly

Queer Rep Summary: Gay/Achillean Main Character(s).

SILVER IN THE WOOD is a fae-adjacent romance where a Wild Man finds himself falling in love with a curious newcomer to the wood, digging up secrets long buried.

The characters are nuanced and deep, impressively so for such a short book. I liked everything: the world building; the romance; the characters; the plot. The slow-burn pace makes it feel like it builds forever, while the low page count makes it take no time at all. I'll definitely read the sequel.

CW for blood, kidnapping, gun violence, violence, major character death, death.

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A man's face formed from vines and leaves against a black background.


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