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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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The Circle by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergmark Elfgren (Engelsfors, #1)

On a night after the apparent suicide of high school student Elias Malmgren, a blood-red moon fills the night sky.

Minoo wakes up outside her house, still in her pajamas, and is drawn by an invisible force to an abandoned theme park on the outskirts of town. Soon five of her classmates—Vanessa, Linnéa, Anna-Karin, Rebecka, and Ida—arrive, compelled by the same force. A mystical being takes over Ida’s body and tells them they are fated to fight an ancient evil that is hunting them. As the weeks pass, each girl discovers she has a unique magical ability. They begin exploring their powers. The six are wildly different and definitely not friends . . . but they are the Chosen Ones.

In this gripping first installment of The Engelsfors Trilogy, a parallel world emerges in which teenage dreams, insanely annoying parents, bullying, revenge, and love collide with dangerous forces and ancient magic. An international sensation with rights sold in 26 countries, The Circle is razor-sharp and remarkable from start to finish.

TITLE: The Circle (English translation)
AUTHOR: Mats Strandberg, Sara Bergmark Elfgren
PUBLISHER: The Overlook Press
YEAR: 2011
LENGTH: 608 pages

Queer Rep Summary: No canon queer rep as of when I stopped reading.

Did not finish, 14% in. Maybe I’ll try this again someday, but the mood whiplash from the very early, very graphic death which kicks off the plot was too much for me. The plot shocked me and then meandered for a while, I’m sure it has a destination but I’m not ready right now for the journey.

CW for fatphobia, homophobia, bullying, toxic relationship, adult/child relationships, drug use, confinement, grief, mental illness, eating disorder, dysmorphia, blood, self harm, suicidal thoughts, suicide (graphic), child death (graphic), death (graphic).

A red book dripping with blood atop a garland with flowers and two black feathers.


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