The throne of the five winds by S.C. Emmett

Name of Book: The Throne of the Five Winds

Author: S.C. Emmett

ISBN: 9780316436946

Publisher: Orbit 

Part of a Series: Hostage of Empire 

Type of book: Fantasy based on Asia, Zhaon, Khir, politics, chess game, marriage, survival, rules, drama, fashion, friendship, bonds, life 

Year it was published: 2019

Summary:

Two queens, two concubines, six princes. Innumerable hidden agendas. Yala, lady-in-waiting to the princess of a vanquished kingdom, must navigate their captors' treacherous imperial court.

The Emperor's palace -- full of ambitious royals, sly gossip, and unforeseen perils -- is perhaps the most dangerous place in Zhaon. A hostage for her conquered people's good behavior, the lady Komor Yala has only her wits and her hidden maiden's blade to protect herself -- and her childhood friend Princess Mahara, sacrificed in marriage to the enemy to secure a tenuous peace.

But the Emperor is aging, and the Khir princess and her lady-in-waiting soon find themselves pawns in the six princes' deadly schemes for the throne -- and a single spark could ignite fresh rebellion in Khir.

And then, the Emperor falls ill, and a far bloodier game begins...

The Throne of the Five Winds is the first installment of the Hostage of Empire series, an intricate and ruthless East Asia-inspired epic fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of George R. R. Martin, Ken Liu, Kate Elliott, and K. Arsenault Rivera.

Characters:

There are a ton of characters. By ton, I do mean a ton. Important characters to remember are Yala, a woman of Khir who makes sure to take care of the princess Mahara. Yala is a scholar, resourceful, and very savvy. Mahara is definitely out of her element in Zhaon and heavily relies on Yala. Crown Prince, Takyeo, is Maharas husband and is both kind and naive, willing to believe the best over the worst. General Zakkar Kai is a highly respected general who defeated Khir. 3rd Prince Takshin recently came back from another country and is both broken and sardonic but isn't afraid of going against the rules. 

Theme:

Slow is relative 

Plot:

The tale is in third person narrative from everyone's point of view. There is virtually little to no warning as to who is talking and sometimes it feels as if points of view are switched in the same chapter. In the first novel, there is no magic nor battle scenes of swords clashing. Instead, a palace harem drama ( think Royal Chaos...) hides within the pages. So far the only fantasy aspect are different nations. There are a lot of characters but despite the width of the tale, it doesn't feel as if change is occurring. Do not worry, we will meet and be introduced to all six princes, the two Khir women along with two queens, two concubines, some servants, and even a general. What's even more impressive is that I am able to keep straight of who's who. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

S. C. Emmett is a pseudonym for Lilith Saintcrow.

Opinion:

This was definitely up my alley, much to mine surprise. I loved the politics, the world building and characters. This didn't feel long at all, and I am disappointed that I am done reading it. So yes, definitely goes with my favorite five star novels. However, while I loved the world and could imagine that's what it must be like to live either in China or Mongolia, there was something that I didn't feel comfortable about and perhaps it's the fact that this particular world is Asian inspired, but there is little separation between Asian nations. My brain in particular understood that Zhaon is based on China while the world of Khir is based on possibly Mongolia. Yet there are some references to Korean words such as Soju. I also felt discomfort at how often the Khir girls appearances was referenced and talked about. Other than those factors, a definite five star political drama filled with assassinations, plots and a slow yet highly suspenseful chess game.

This was given for review 

5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)