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Series Review: The Brothers Sinister by Courtney Milan

Greetings and welcome to Reviews That Burn: Series Reviews, part of Books That Burn. Series Reviews discuss at least three books in a series and cover the overarching themes and development of the story across several books. This review is for The Brothers Sinister by Courtney Milan. Full Audio Here   The Governess Affair Miss Serena Barton intends to hold the petty, selfish duke who had her sacked responsible for his crimes. But the man who handles all the duke's dirty business has been ordered to get rid of her by fair means or foul. She’ll have to prove more than his match… The Duchess War The last time Minerva Lane was the center of attention, it ended badly—so badly that she changed her name to escape her scandalous past. So when a handsome duke comes to town, the last thing she wants is his attention. But that is precisely what she gets... A Kiss for Midwinter Miss Lydia Charingford does her best to forget the dark secret that nearly ruined her life, hiding it beneath her smi...
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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 fantasy.

PUBLISHER: Clarion Books
YEAR: 2019
LENGTH: 400 pages
AGE: Young Adult
GENRE: Fantasy
RECOMMENDED: Yes

Queer Rep Summary: No canon queer rep.

I loved reading THE EMPRESS OF ALL SEASONS, but I've had a little bit of trouble putting my thoughts together about this book in a way that is coherent and doesn't spoil too much. It's a story of duty, subterfuge, and sacrifice, one which uses familiar story beats such as a contest to win the heir's hand, but in a way that questions the tropes it deploys. None of the characters ever felt like they were being pushed into a decision just for the sake of the narrative, and at several points I was genuinely surprised by where the story went. 

With that said, I liked this while I was reading it, but I also don't really know specifically what to say about it. I think at least part of that is because it is a young adult coming of age story, something I hadn't quite realized when I started it, I've aged out of that being a type of story that's very meaningful to me. If that is still a genre that you're excited about, please give this a try! I like the characters, the world building is coherent and detailed without getting overburdened by specifics, and I was genuinely surprised by the ending, all while it completely fit with the rest of the story.

If you like this you may like:

  • Night Shine by Tessa Gratton
  • A Thousand Steps Into Night by Traci Chee

Moderate CW for racism, xenophobia, sexism, violence, death.

Minor CW for sexual assault, pregnancy, child death.

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The bladed end of a glaive crosses diagonally in front of a pattern of flowers on blue silk


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