Review: Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa (#Ad)

I received this eProof for free from HQ Young Adult via NetGalley for the puposes of providing an honest review.

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

Published: 1st November 2018 | Publisher: HQ Young Adult | Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Julie Kagawa's Website

A single wish will spark a new dawn. Every millennium, one age ends and another age dawns...and whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers holds the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for any one wish. The time is near and the missing pieces of the scroll will be sought throughout the land of Iwagoto. The holder of the first piece is a humble, unknown peasant girl with a dangerous secret. Demons have burned the temple Yumeko was raised in to the ground, killing everyone within, including the master who trained her to both use and hide her kitsune powers. Yumeko escapes with the temple's greatest treasure - one part of the ancient scroll. Fate thrusts her into the path of a mysterious samurai, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan. Yumeko knows he seeks what she has and is under orders to kill anything and anyone who stands between him and the scroll. From Goodreads.

Trigger Warning: This book features abuse, discussion of desire to rape.

Continue reading Review: Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa (#Ad)

Review: Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean (eProof)

Published: 8th November 2018 | Publisher: Gollancz | Source: Publisher via NetGalley Emiko Jean's Website

In a palace of illusions, nothing is what it seems.

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 yōkai, 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 yōkai 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-yōkai 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. From Goodreads.

I received this eProof for free from Gollancz via NetGalley for the puposes of providing an honest review.

Trigger warning: This book features child abuse/neglect, body shaming, and slavery.

Continue reading Review: Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean