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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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Early June Reviews (2024)

Greetings

Welcome to the Books That Burn Fortnightly Roundup! Releasing every two weeks (one week early for Patrons).

News and Events

I track upcoming book releases by authors we've previously covered on a shareable google calendar.

Notable JUNE Releases:

  • Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse

  • Moonstorm by Yoon Ha Lee

  • Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire

  • Lord of the Empty Isles by Jules Arbeaux

  • We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim

Signal Boost

If there's no ceasefire in Gaza by the time you read this, please use resources like Ceasefire Now to contact your representatives and ask them to support a ceasefire in the crisis in Gaza. The link includes information on planned protests and demonstrations, and has information for people internationally on what they can do to get involved.

Recent Reviews

WORLD RUNNING DOWN by Al Hess is Sci-Fi, with queer character(s), marketed as Adult. Valentine is a salvager trying to get enough money to get to Salt Lake City and surgically transition. Told in First Person with Single POV.

GLITTERLAND by Alexis Hall, book 1 of Spires Universe is Contemporary/Romance, with queer character(s), marketed as Adult. Ash thinks he's unlovable because he's bipolar, then he falls for a one-night stand from Essex. Told in Third Person with Single POV.

PROVENANCE by Ann Leckie is Sci-Fi, with queer character(s), marketed as Adult. Ingrid has a plan to outmaneouver her brother, but things get very strange when the person she rescued isn't the right one. Told in Third Person with Single POV.

BOYFRIEND MATERIAL by Alexis Hall, book 1 of London Calling is Contemporary/Romance, with queer character(s), marketed as Adult. Luc needs a boyfriend for an event, and Oliver agrees to fake-date him for a few months. Told in First Person with Single POV.

LORD OF THE EMPTY ISLES by Jules Arbeaux is Sci-Fi, with queer character(s), marketed as Adult. Remy curses his brother's murderer... then he gets the curse as well because their fates are intertwined. Told in Third Person with Single POV.

PAGE OF TRICKS by A.K. Faulkner, book 5 of Inheritance is Fantasy/Romance, with queer character(s), marketed as Adult. Quentin has run out of time, his father has run out of patience, and Frederick kidnaps Laurence in order to save Michael. Told in Third Person with Dual POVs.

Reviews forthcoming for HUSBAND MATERIAL by Alexis Hall and TRANSLATION STATE by Ann Leckie.

Rereads and Older Reviews

As part of working on my essay about Alexis Hall’s writing (available now for Patrons, available in July for everyone else), I’ve been reading and re-reading a bunch of their books.

Current Reads

I’m paused on a bunch of books, and for several of them I should really accept that they’re DNFs by now. Some, however, I am actively reading, such as A CROWN SO CURSED by L.L. McKinney, DREAMS OF THE DYING by Nicolas Lietzau, and FOR REAL by Alexis Hall (re-read).

In Case You Missed It

This time last year I read LOST IN THE MOMENT AND FOUND by Seanan McGuire, part of the Wayward Children series.

Pluggables and Podcast News

If you're looking for a place to buy any of the books I've reviewed, please consider our Bookshop page (if you use our links to purchase any books we get a small commission). Let us know if there's a category you'd like to see curated and we'll see if we can get some titles together.

Speaking of Bookshop, I've put together top picks lists for 2021 onwards. Books are included based on the year they were published, so occasionally older lists might get new titles. To be in the Top Picks list a book needs to get a five-star rating from me, and be published in the year of the list. You can find the 2024 list here.

As for the podcast, hopefully you're enjoying our most recent episode. If you'd like to receive episodes early, as well as bonus content, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Patrons receive this newsletter one week early, as well as a list of upcoming podcast episodes and even more planned reviews.

Patrons pledging $20 or more each month receive a bonus episode. Patrons pledging $50 or more can vote once per month on what we'll cover in the podcast. You can find all of those polls here. Patrons at any level receive the booklist with our planned episodes for up to three months at a time.

Thanks for reading, the next roundup will be in two weeks!

-Robin

Co-host of Books That Burn

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