Freedom. That is what I want. A life without obligation, without expectation.

Recently I've been drawn to a lot of Asian fantasy YA books, one of the major thing that I'm really amazed is the introduction. Each of them has their own origins, what they have all started to believe in and how they have all come up to rule an empire. It was a very different setting to me and I really loved it. Empress of All Seasons is one of those books that automatically grips you at the beginning. You get to see and feel how the gods and goddesses created nature, mankind and yokai. From the start that sparked a lot of interest on me. To be able to feel the origin of the story is major point on my opinion.

"Through pain you will achieve greatness." Strike.
"Through suffering you will gain honor."
Strike.
"Through sacrifice you will rise." Strike.

The Empress of All Seasons clearly defines what its supposed to be. A woman that can surpass all the calamities that every season can brought upon to mankind and yokai. It is a powerful and a heavy duty to be an Empress. But the protagonist, Mari clearly sets out the standings even before the competition starts. She wasn't described as a strikingly beautiful yokai maiden, but her fierceness and bravery made her uniquely stunning. Because this girl can strike anyone with her naginata and she  knows her true nature from the start. She doesn't want to be one of a typical Animal Wife that steals fortune of a man and just run away, Mari knows she is more than that.

There's more to this book, told from three POV's, Akira, Mari and Taro, I'm able to see their character development.  Although I found Taro and Akira's character development seems a bit rush, Mari was exceptional. Throughout the book, you get to see how this woman sets out to make her decisions to choose between love and duty. Her own battle is one of the integral parts of this book. Reaching the plot twist could've been better but I still liked it. The decisions that has been made sets out how original and powerful the book was written.

A weapon tempts violence, courts bloodshed. Once you've beckoned death, you cannot unbeckon it.

Empress of All Seasons has its own dash of feminism and love. I liked how the characters discovered their own nature to change and fight for freedom and equality. Emiko Jean made the setting and plot captivating.


When Emiko is not writing, she is reading. Most of her friends are imaginary. Before she became a writer she was an entomologist (fancy name for bug catcher), a candle maker, a florist, and most recently a teacher. She lives in Washington with her husband and children (unruly twins). She loves the rain.

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*images are from Pinterest*

Title: Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix (Rise of the Empress #2)

Author: Julie C. Dao

Genre: Fantasy, Retellings, Young Adult

Publisher: Philomel Books

Release Date: November 6th 2018

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

SYNOPSIS

This fairy tale retelling lives in a mystical world inspired by the Far East, where the Dragon Lord and the Serpent God battle for control of the earthly realm; it is here that the flawed heroine of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns finally meets her match. An epic fantasy finale to the Rise of the Empress novels.

Princess Jade has grown up in exile, hidden away in a monastery while her stepmother, the ruthless Xifeng, rules as empress of Feng Lu. But the empire is in distress and its people are sinking into poverty and despair. Even though Jade doesn't want the crown, she knows she is the only one who can dethrone the empress and set the world right. Ready to reclaim her place as rightful heir, Jade embarks on a quest to raise the Dragon Lords and defeat Xifeng and the Serpent God once and for all. But will the same darkness that took Xifeng take Jade, too? Or will she find the strength within to save herself, her friends, and her empire?

Set in an East Asian-inspired fantasy world filled with breathtaking pain and beauty, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is filled with dazzling magic, powerful prose, and characters readers won't soon forget.

Fans of Stealing Snow, Red Queen, and The Wrath and the Dawn will hungrily devour this page-turning read.

Source: Goodreads

First published October 10, 2017

ISBN13 9781524738297

An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress--and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high?

Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins--sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute

Source: Goodreads

Typically when there is a fairytale retelling of a book it portrays the protagonists. I've read several of them like The Flame and the Mist, To Kill a Kingdom and The Wrath and the Dawn and they hold a special place in my heart. They are wonderfully unique and their characters are truly magnificent.

The Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is a different kind of retelling, if I might say. At first, I did not know it was a fairytale retelling. I have a habit grabbing a book and not knowing what is the actual synopsis. *HAHAHA* To start of, the setting gave me the feels of being inside the Ancient China. Where Empress and Emperors rule an empire. It was a breath of fresh air to me.

Xifeng, the protagonist in Julie Dao's book embodied a powerful young woman. Being raised in a simple village with her 'aunt', her dreams transcends beyond that village. I admired Xifeng's determination to have her freedom and to be a powerful lady someday. She has her clear insight how to reach the palace and fight for her worth.

Now, remember when I said this isnt your typical fairytale retelling? Because little do I know that Julie Dao just created a wicked and powerful anti-hero retelling, prequel type of story about Snow White's Evil Queen. YES! IT WAS A SUDDEN REALIZATION TO ME. Xifeng's character development is stunning. From being an ordinary villager, into a runaway daugther, and to be a lady-in-waiting in the palace was not an easy feat. Xifeng's powerful heart made the book so much more magical than just a typical fairy dust. She knows when to enter the battle of deceit and attack with no restraint.

This book surprised me in every chapter, with Xifeng's the destiny to rule Feng Lu, everything comes with a grave sacrifice. Seeing Xifeng's undoing is one of the most unnerving moment on me.

So if you're thinking twice if you should read The Forest of a Thousand Lanterns,   you should definitely READ THIS BOOK. Julie Dao is an author you should watch out for. She creates a wonderful and a powerful story that entails how a character can mold their own destiny in a beautiful and deadly way.

*images are from Pinterest*

Title: Turtles All The Way Down

Author: John Green

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Published October 10th 2017 by Dutton Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 0525555366 (ISBN13: 9780525555360)

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

Source: Goodreads

"I was so good at being a kid, and so terrible at being whatever I was now."

"And the thing is, when you lose someone, you realize you'll eventually lose everyone."

"You seemed locked inside of your mind, and I can't know what's going on in there, and it scares me."

"You'd think solving mysteries would bring you closure, that closing the loop would comfort and quiet your mind. But it never does. The truth always disappoints."

"You remember your first love because they show you, prove to you, that you can love and be loved, that nothing in this world is deserved except for love, that love is both how you become a person, and why."

JM is delivering news about the YA Fall '18 Release of Bloomsbury. One of the most anticipated books is, of course, KINGDOM OF ASH!!!

 The most memorable part is that I just did not win books, I also gain friends that I can share my bookish feelings on them. 

Title: My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises

Author: Fredrik Backman

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Paperback, 340 pages

Published June 4th 2015 by Sceptre

ISBN13: 9781444775846

EVERYONE REMEMBERS THE SMELL OF THEIR GRANDMOTHER' HOUSE

Everyone remembers the stories their grandmother told them. But does everyone remember their grandmother flirting with policemen? Driving illegally? Breaking into a zoo in the middle of the night? Firing a paintball gun from a balcony in her dressing gown? Seven-year-old Elsa does. 

Some might call Elsa's granny 'eccentric', or even 'crazy'. Elsa calls her a superhero. And granny's stories, of knights and princesses and dragons and castles, are her superpower. Because, as Elsa is starting to learn, heroes and villains don't always exist in imaginary kingdoms; they could live just down the hallway. 

As Christmas draws near, even the best superhero grandmothers may have one or two things they'd like to apologize for. And, in the process, Elsa can have some breath-taking adventures of her own ...

Heartbreaking and hilarious in equal measure, the new novel by the author of the internationally bestselling phenomenon A Man Called Ove will charm and delight anyone who has ever had a grandmother.

It's very difficult not to love someone who can hear you say something as horrible as that and still be on your side.

A grandmother is both a sword and a shield. 

Because not all monsters were monsters in the beginning. Some are monsters born of sorrow. 

The mightiest power of death is not that it can make people die, but that it can make the people left behind want to stop living.

There's something quite special about a granny's house. Even if ten or twenty or thirty years go by, you never forget how it smells. 

Published October 3rd 2017 by HarperTeen

ISBN: 0062330624 (ISBN13: 9780062330628)

A contemporary novel about three adopted siblings who find each other at just the right moment.

Being the middle child has its ups and downs.

But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including—

Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family’s long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can’t help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs.

And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.

Far From the Tree gave me one of the most important things in life, wherever you came from, a family is one of the treasures that God gave to us, whether they are your biological family or from an adopted family.

That's what parents do. They catch you before you fall. That's what family is.