It isn’t often that a book wins me over like The Throne of the Five Winds did! I usually know my general sentiment towards a book within the first fifty pages or so. My mood will change for better or worse as the story unfolds, and a 2-star book might make it to 3 or vice versa, and once in a while, a 4- or 5-star book plummets to 1 star because of an unforgivable sin. When I began this book, which I received as an eARC from Orbit and NetGalley, I was not feeling it.

Moreover, I really dislike it when someone tries to sell me a series by saying “for fans of Game of Thrones.” Because, like it or not, Game of Thrones is mainstream now. It’s like saying “for fans of Harry Potter” or “for fans of Marvel movies”—that’s not a useful category any more. And I honestly don’t think this book is very much like Game of Thrones, for many reasons, but hey, that’s not what this review is about.

Lady Komor Yala (house name, first name) has been sent from her home country of Khir to Zhaon. She accompanies her princess, Mahara, who is a bride and tribute to the Crown Prince of Zhaon following Khir’s rout at the battle of the Three Rivers. Yala and Mahara are alone in Zhaon, with no other Khir around them, forced to adapt to a strange culture. There are 6 princes of Zhaon, from 3 different women—two queens and a concubine. A second concubine of the emperor has adopted a son, General Zakkar Kai, who is unpopular with some because of his humble origins. Yala and Mahara barely have time to catch their breath before the latter is wedded and the assassination attempts begin.

People are going to tell you this book is long. Boy is it ever—but I don’t see that as a particular stumbling block, and I don’t think that’s even what those commenters are really picking up on. Sure, it’s long, and we could discuss how the story might be streamlined. But perhaps what we’re actually noticing is that almost all of the scenes in this book are two-handers, or perhaps three-handers in a pinch. There are certainly some larger crowd scenes, often action scenes. Yet so much of this book comprises private conversations between two characters, often involving intrigue veiled behind courtesy. That’s why this book feels longer than it is: everything is embedded within subtext, and so it takes twice as long to say. There is a lot of dialogue but also a lot of stillness, and S.C. Emmett’s description tends towards the poetic, with many quotations from writers in this world and comparisons of people’s movements to calligraphy.

Emmett also tends towards the “hard no” side for exposition and is even so hardcore as to put “untranslatable” terms into the book with footnotes explaining their meaning in English. So that adds to the initial learning curve. Frankly, I don’t blame anyone for noping out within the first twenty or fifty pages. It’s not easy to get into this book.

But if you persevere, you might decide it’s worth it. The Throne of the Five Winds has so many tropes of fantasy/historical fiction: palace intrigue, succession crises in the making, subtle love triangles, capricious queens and princes, a dying emperor, and assassins lurking behind every arras. Despite this surfeit of tropes, though, the book never feels that clichéd. The cornucopia of characters allows Emmett to wend and wind the plot through this world with a narrative deftness that keeps us on our toes.

There are downsides, of course. Another reason I couldn’t get into the book at first is that I didn’t feel invested in any of the initial protagonists. Why did I care about Yala being sent away from her home country? Who is this Kai dude, and why should I care about him and this emperor? Which of these princes am I supposed to care about? Similarly, the antagonists are two-dimensional. We’re supposed to like most of the protagonists and dislike most of the antagonists. Even Takshin, who is a fairly obvious antihero, is supposed to be the “lovable rogue,” in contrast to the Second Prince, Kurin, who is portrayed as an inveterate schemer. Emmett tries to give Queen Gamwone some depth by making it seem like her gambits are merely a way of ensuring the survival of herself and her sons in the limited ways she can as a woman in this world … yet the narrative voice of the book is so biased towards portraying her as a rude, vindictive, and petty woman that this little attempt at balancing the scales is insufficient, to say the least. And as far as the Khir nobility goes … we get, what, 4 scenes with them?

In other words, The Throne of the Five Winds has all the intrigue I love in a political fantasy novel. Nevertheless, it is still quite messy in some ways, and its characterization is shiny yet not always substantial. Emmet’s writing is beautiful in most cases, particularly as we watch Yala grow in her appreciation of her new home. I recommended this book to a coworker who enjoys reading sprawling court epics.

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This is one of those books people will either love or hate depending on their reading preferences. Its a very character driven story, not a plot driven story, so if you don't like the characters there is nothing to keep you invested in the book. The world is based on Asian cultures in a fantasy setting. If you like stories based on Asian cultures you'll probably enjoy this

My personal feelings:
I liked to book but I wanted more. There is a hint of a love triangle where two brothers seem to be in love with the same woman but nothing really ever comes from that. I wanted more of a plot, character driven stories aren't my favorite. I'll probably read the next book in the series, when it comes out, with the hopes that the first novel was just a build up novel; if its more of the same I will probably put down the series.

Two kingdoms were at war but now that war is over. In the clash of kingdoms what do you do to keep things from escalating again, give a sacrifice or a hostage. One princess of Khir is sent with a loan lady to the kingdom of Zhaon to become the crown princess and marry the crown prince of Zhaon. In this kingdom there are Many princes though, 6 to be exact, as well as 2 other princesses, 2 queens and even 2 royal concubines. This many people can always lead to a lot of politcal strife as well as political intrigue.

This was a great book, especially as a debut book in this genre for this author. Going into it I had no idea that SC Emmett was a psuedonym for Lillith Saintcrow who is mostly know for her urban fantasy type books, this made this book all the more of an accomplishment because it was such a departure from Urban fantasy. In fact it wasnt even typical fantasy but much more eastern influenced right down to needing a glossary of terms that were used that were not terms most people would know.

What I didnt like about this book:

If there was something that I had to pick that I didnt like, it was probably that the book was a bit slow to move. At times it felt a bit longer than it needed to be. There was quite a bit of repetition as well with the assassins coming and going like they did, which of course all lead up to what happened in the end of the book.

This did feel like the begining of the story, and while this is neither good nor bad, it FELT like the beginning of the story, where it was plodding to get out those basic details about this is who this person is and this is who this person is, etc.

All of that said one of the things that I did enjoy about this book was the immersive world building. This was something completely new, a new world so to say, and Emmett does a great job or establishing the people and the customs, as well as the different cultures, some of which were only alluded to until some of the final moments of the book.

The other thing I feel like I must mention is the cover of this book. It really is beautiful and what initially caught my attention leading to reading a summary.

Overall a solid first entry into a new series. I look forward to seeing where the second book in this series will lead the characters, although I do hope to find out where the story might actually be going on the end.

4 stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. This was one of my most anticipated releases and I am so glad I got to read it! Great read! Will read more from this author in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be available on October 15th.

Admission: I judged a book based on its cover. The cover is incredible and immediately piqued my interest. That it’s a politically-charged fantasy didn’t hurt either. Beautifully written, if a bit dense, this east-Asian inspired fantasy was the only of its kind I’ve read this year.

It took me quite a while to become invested in this book. I was almost halfway through, and considering not finishing, before I found myself interested in the story. There’s that much setup. The pacing was much slower than with many fantasies, and takes some getting used to.

The writing was flowery, which alternated between annoying and impressing me. What can I say: sometimes I’m hard to please. That being said, I am of the opinion that if I had cloistered myself away for a few days and read this book straight through, I would have enjoyed it more. The subtle chess-like moves made throughout this book were very well done and it’s apparent that the author has an intricate plan for the series and knows exactly where everything is going.

My biggest complaint is less of a complaint than an observation: it was really difficult to keep track of all the characters for the first bit. Next time I pick up a book of this scope, I’ll write down character names and relationships if there isn’t a glossary of characters in the book.

If you like slow-building books, political intrigue, and flowing language, this is a fantasy to read.

After Khir is conquered by Zhaon, the Great Rider's daughter Mahara is sent to be the Crown Prince of Zhaon's wife to secure peace. Komor Yala, Mahara's friend and lady-in-waiting, is the only one to accompany her and protect her in a potentially hostile country. Seemingly welcomed, Yala quickly learns there are six princes angling for the throne and two queens and two concubines who will do anything to attain glory for their children. Caught in a deadly game, Yala must use all of her training with a deadly hidden blade to keep her princess safe.

The Setting

If you're looking for fantastic world building, look no further. Emmett really took her time with crafting a world that made sense and and could support the characters and story. Inspired by East Asian cultures, it painted a beautiful, yet deadly world centered on the court of Zhaon. The reader is privy to how the people are entertained, what they wear, what they read and study, and what they eat. It's a remarkably well-done world that one can easily be immersed in.

But as beautiful as the world is, I must admit it took me some time to really immerse myself in it. My Kindle read 11% before I finally caught on to who the main characters were and how they related to each other. The names are foreign, the relationships are different and sometimes hard to follow, and there are "foreign" words peppered throughout (there are footnotes to translate). It all adds great atmosphere, once you can figure everything out.

My only other complaint is that there was often too much extraneous detail. By the end of the book, I did not care what this man's top knot was caged in or what kind of tea that lady preferred. On one hand, it lends a great deal to the world building. It paints the world and the characters as real, but it also felt a little like overkill. Still, I can't dispute that this was an intriguing world, and it was fun to pick out what was inspired by the East Asian cultures I'm familiar with. Though I did sometimes feel like I was being slapped by a Western hand.

The Characters

The characters felt like a bit of a mixed bag to me. Some were extremely well-done, and others felt a little one note. There are six princes, two queens, two concubines, a general, the Emperor of Zhaon, Lady Yala, Crown Princess Mahara, and the households of each prince, queen, and concubine. Of course it makes sense that not every character can be fleshed out, but sometimes they played a larger role and it would have been nice to see some complexity to their character.

Much of the story revolved around Yala. She had the most freedom to move around, so it made sense for the story to be told primarily through her eyes. It was refreshing to not have an overpowering sense of royalty behind her character as it offered a fresh perspective to a court without seeing it through scheming, devious eyes. Yala was always dutiful and poised, but she had a way with people I can't help but be envious of. I think the only problem I had with her character was that she drew romantic feelings from two men, creating a triangle I didn't fully enjoy. Still, it offered her protection as she was without any. I just had a problem with a single lady from a neighboring country drawing the attention of two Zhaon men when much of the larger court schemed against Yala and Mahara.

The Story

I spent much of the book enjoying the world building, to the extent that it wasn't until the last quarter of the book that I realized the plot was a bit flimsy. Other than a few assassination attempts, all of which felt kind of brushed over in the grand scheme of the story, not much actually happened. Most of the book was centered on exploring and describing the world. I got some of the schemes of the princes, queens, and concubines, but there were also a few hints about schemes from Khir. All of it felt more like it was being hinted at. Something for the second book to more fully explore?

This was the story of six princes, two queens, and two concubines scheming for the throne. I have a feeling it was there. It just wasn't as present as the world building. I'd say the world building took precedence in this book and the plot was more of something it simply had to have. After all, a book where the sole purpose is to describe a world would be pointless.

Unfortunately, I felt the story itself was lacking. It's a long book where not much happened. Though what did happen was exciting at the moment. But there were also moments of action and excitement that we just didn't get to see because the narrative switched to another character and all we got where the beginning and end of the action.

Overall

In terms of world building, this is an excellent book. In terms of a well-balanced book between setting, characters, and plot, it was a little lacking. Still, this was an interesting East Asian-inspired setting I enjoyed, and I can clearly see how it's set up for a trilogy. I just hope that the next two books have more story and less world building. I think this first book sets the world up very well and I'd be interested to see how the story progresses. I must say, though, that, as much as the cover delivers a sense of war and battle, I was pleasantly surprised at the minimal violence present in this rather long book (the paperback is listed as being 704 pages).

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for a free e-copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Link to post: https://thelilycafe.com/book-review-the-throne-of-the-five-winds-by-s-c-emmett/

The Throne of the Five Winds is a big book. A big, thick, dense book that’s overflowing with key characters, scattered locations, and tangled relationships. It’s neither an easy read to get into nor a quick one. As beautifully written as it is, and as strong as the characters are, it still took me a couple of hundred pages to become comfortable with the story – but it all pays off eloquently in the final pages.

The politics and family drama here rival anything to be found in epic fantasy and it all begins with an Emperor whose disregard for the women in his life starts a tumbling of political dominoes. Queens and princes, wives and brothers, they’re all plotting and scheming, playing off one another with silvered tongues and poisoned kisses – not to mention assassination attempts and actual poisonings. You need a scorecard to keep track, but as you get deeper into the story and more familiar with the characters, the entertainment value of those conflicts increases significantly.

Mahara and Yala are the heart of the story, and that relationship between hostage princess and loyal lady-in-waiting is the best-developed one in the novel. They are genuine, with an emotional back-story, and it’s easy to believe in the loyalty they feel for one another. Standing in contrast to the two is Queen Gamwone, a cruel, foul, deplorable woman who is something of a guilty pleasure every time she appears on the page. Her cruelty to her children doesn’t just illuminate their characters, it defines them, creating sympathy and empathy that cracks open the density of the narrative.

Politically and geographically, S. C. Emmett has crafted an Asia-inspired fantasy and the world-building behind it stands up to the political maneuvering in front of it. Customs, morals, and languages are so well-defined that innocuous terms and comments for one character are amusing or offensive for others, and mistakes in translation are realistically common.

If I were to have any complaints, it would be that The Throne of the Five Winds is far more heavily character/relationship focused, and a sometimes light on the complexities of plot. I would have preferred that it start before the end of hostilities, partly to inject some action into the plot, and partly to give the political sacrifices more significance.

The author was able to create a world like no other with the detail writing, in depth storyline, and mass range of characters in which case I did try time and time again to immerse myself into this fantasy world but sadly it was a no-go.There is a massive amount of characters, world-building and an intriguing plot but unfortunately I wasn’t able to make any connection nor resonate with this epic fantasy novel which is the main reason why I have decided not to continue reading this. Sad to say, I was definitely not the best suited audience for this piece but would still recommend it to readers who are fans of George R. R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones” series.

**Thank you to Orbit, S.C. Emmett, and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**

The Throne of Five Winds is a new Asian inspired Adult Epic Fantasy series that seems to gain inspiration from George R. R. Martin in political intrigue and battles for thrones. You have several nations, however the Empire of Zhaon dominates the novel, with it's recent acquisition of neighboring land, Khir. In payment to their new overlords, Khir "Great Rider" sends his daughter, Mahara, to marry the Crown Prince of Zhaon. Yala, her best friend, is sent to serve as lady-in-waiting to Mahara. Both girls are very honorable and take their fate in silence.

The Throne of Five Winds has many characters, so it is hard to pin down a "main" character. There is 1 Emperor, 2 Queens, 2 Concubines, 6 Princes, 2 Princesses, Mahara, Yala, etc. It is very difficult, especially in the beginning to keep everyone straight. This is also due to them having traditional and similar Asian names. The chapters are told by different points of view, but aren't denoted as such like usual, which makes it difficult to follow along as well.

I have many thoughts about this book. For one, the writing if very beautiful and flowery, but overdone for my taste. However, this is on brand for Asian inspired novels as well as Adult Epic Fantasy. There was very little that happened except pointed conversations and some general court intrigue for the first 70% of this book. I like to think of it like chess, where most of it was used to set up the events of the final quarter of the book, which then sets up the next book in the series. However, this got old at points and it was a struggle to keep interest in this book for that reason.

This being said, the last quarter of the book was fairly interesting. I think the second book will be more exciting because of how this one ended (no spoilers!). I did become invested in the characters, even the ones that were meant to create tension and turmoil by being bad. The ending brought this book up in rating for me, which I was happy to have happen.

I suggest The Throne of the Five Winds for fans of Epic Fantasy, Asian inspired stories, and George R. R. Martin. Readers should have good patience and interest in chess game style novels. Whereas this book was not always my cup of tea, I would suggest it for those who enjoy the above.

Did not finish.
The author has clearly put a lot of time and effort into the world building, but it’s all too much. There’s no need for annotations or multiple POVs. I had difficulty keeping track of the massive character list and everyone’s relationship to each other.

This breathtaking fantasy novel features lots of politics, plotting, and princes. The Emperor of Zhaon has two queens and two concubines who, along with his many children are caught up in a fine dance that walks a thin line between polite royal disputes and outright offensive plots. One of our main characters is Princess Mahara of Khir who is being married to the Crown Prince of Zhaon in order for the Zhaon Emperor to more steadily control the recently conquered Khir.

Despite a bit of a confusing start to this novel, it was extremely enjoyable and intriguing. The beginning confused me a little bit because there were so many characters and many of the names were hard to keep straight. Once I got past the exposition, which introduced the many characters and different countries, this book became addictive.

The world building was phenomenal. Each country had its own customs and language/dialect, and though we mainly just learned about how Zhaon customs differed from Khir customs, this added so much depth to the story. I especially liked how two of the main characters, Lady Yala and Princess Mahara, were shown to have been learning the Zhaon language and occasionally made mistakes with their grammar.

Additionally, once I became familiar with the different characters, I enjoyed the many points of view because it gave us some insight into what certain characters valued and what their opinions were on specific conflicts.

Beautifully told tale that absolutely wraps the reader up in court drama, intrigue, and the impact of royal decisions on the immediate family. It is a lengthy read, but the narrative absolutely flows with such eloquence that I could not put it down. I do not know how I will bear to make it until book two.

The Throne of the Five Winds by S. C. Emmett. This was a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't want to put it down. There were a lot of people to keep track of but once that was sorted everything flowed well and it was told from a lot of different perspectives. Great Book! I can't wait for the second one.

I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Soooo, I loved this. I absolutely flipping loved this. I didn’t want to reach the end, I just wanted this story to keep going and going and going. I just NEED to be in Emmett’s world

This book was slow moving but the plot is so super in depth that it doesn't leave you waiting for speed. If you want a super quick plot and an easy story line, this isn't your book. This book is intense and amazing. It is so rich and complex that I read it twice before I even sat down to write my review. I absolutely and DYING for the next book.

Emmett is a genius in the way they concluded this book. It really sets you up in anticipation for the next book.

This is a series I can see myself reading over and over again. I have already added this to my must read 2019 list!

I absolutely loved this book. I didn't want it to end and every time I put it down, I looked forward to picking it up so I could re-enter that world.

This is a slow-moving epic. If you're looking for fast action, and a quick and simple plot, you will struggle with this book. I did find it hard at the beginning to keep track of everyone and their places within the story. I think a family tree and a map at the beginning would help readers tremendously. But once I figured out all the relationships, I was completely drawn in.

The blurb compares this to the work of George R. R. Martin, and I understand why. This is an epic tale of political machinations, within a richly layered, amazingly detailed world, but everything occurs a much gentler pace than Martin's works. For me, the pace and tone works well with the setting, which is loosely based on medieval east Asian culture.

I can't wait for the next installment.

I absolutely loved this rich, complex story, which is filled with what feels like a multitude of characters that each have their own motives and purpose within the story. The Throne of the Five Winds is simply beautifully written and one I whole-heartedly recommend.

Thoughts:
Oh my goodness – this book is long. 704 pages long. I’m not used to reading for hours and not be 10% into a book. Well, truthfully, it took a bit longer at the beginning because of the overall complexity of the book and sheer number of characters. The first few chapters switched between the different locations and characters and I had to learn how to keep it all straight – for example, when someone was referenced in chapter 4 or 5, I needed to go back and see what was said about them in chapter 2 to put all the pieces together in my mind. For this reason, the first several chapters were not ones where I could put down the book and pick it back up later and immediately know where I was in the story. However, once I figured out who the 2 queens, 2 concubines, 6 princes, 1 adopted-son/prince, and 2 princesses were plus the characters from Khir, it became a much easier read.

In The Thone of the Five Winds, there are three main characters: Yala – a noble lady who agrees to be Princess Mahara of Khir’s lady-in -waiting as she goes to Zhoan to marry Crown Prince Takeyo. Kai – General of Zhoan and adopted son of Second Concubine Kanbina, and third prince Takshin – a son who had been sent at a young age to another kingdom to serve under a Mad Queen.

Within the kingdom of Zhaon, Emperor Tamuron’s wives and various sons play games as they jockey for power. Some of these games are very subtle – where they might say something that sounds pretty benign to me and yet mean a huge insult to another character. But some are not subtle – there are poisonings and multiple assassination attempts. As a lady-in-waiting, Yala must work through all the politics and slights to ensure Princess Mahara’s honor and dignity remains intact. It is in this where you find what the main story centers around.

At the end of the book it comes to a conclusion where you can see the author’s handiwork in getting it setup rather nicely for the next book in the series. It concludes with multiple plot points to pick up where we leave off in this one as well as heightened tensions that you can see coming, but are not there yet. Overall I really, really enjoyed this Asia-inspired fantasy book. I truly appreciated it’s maturity level and its seriousness. Sometimes you want to read a light-hearted fantasy that has a more modern feel to it and then there are times when you don’t – where political games are done very subtly. It took a while to read through, but what I enjoyed was how excited I was to get back to it every chance I got. I am really looking forward to the next in the series.

Rating: 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

**publishes on blog on 10/12/19**

This book is so amazing! The political drama is extremely well presented. The characters live and breathe, constantly and consistently surprising while remaining true to themselves. The world and cultures are so very well thought out If you enjoy political fantasy, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

An intriguing concept executed with poise. I enjoyed the machinations and backstabbing between the protagonists. The author painted vivid pictures with descriptions. Every character straddled the line between good and evil. A refreshing read.

This was an incredible book. There's six princes fighting for the throne, as mentioned into the book summary blurb, along with a lot of women, some of whom are smarter and just generally more awesome than some of the princes. The political aspects of this fantasy world are well explained without being boring as are various relationships of many forms between characters. It's quite a long read and since it's the first book in a planned series, there are some slow points where people are being introduced and this world is being explained but it's all necessary to understand the story. Overall, an excellent book, one that I understand the comparison to GRRM even though it's not the same by any means. S.C. Emmett is a pseudonym for Lilith Saintcrow so if you've liked her books, I think you'll like this too.

For a first book in the series this is well done, the author is able introduce the world and its characters perfectly. I really enjoyed the plot and culture in the book. I look forward to more in the series.