Today I have a review for you for a book I’ve been meaning to read for more than three years, Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean. I think you might have gotten sick of me saying that I will be reading this book soon, but not doing so. Well, it finally happened. It has been years since I read Tokyo Ever After and I enjoyed that one. This review contains spoilers for this previous book in this duology, so please be aware.

About the book

Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean
Series: Tokyo Ever Affter #2
Published by Flatiron Books on May 31, 2022
Pages: 336
ISBN: 978125076663
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young adult

Return to Tokyo for a royal wedding in Emiko Jean’s Tokyo Dreaming, the sequel to the Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Tokyo Ever After
When Japanese-American Izumi Tanaka learned her father was the Crown Prince of Japan, she became a princess overnight. Now, she’s overcome conniving cousins, salacious press, and an imperial scandal to finally find a place she belongs. She has a perfect bodyguard turned boyfriend. Her stinky dog, Tamagotchi, is living with her in Tokyo. Her parents have even rekindled their college romance and are engaged. A royal wedding is on the horizon! Izumi’s life is a Tokyo dream come true.
Only…
Her parents’ engagement hits a brick wall. The Imperial Household Council refuses to approve the marriage citing concerns about Izumi and her mother’s lack of pedigree. And on top of it all, her bodyguard turned boyfriend makes a shocking decision about their relationship. At the threat of everything falling apart, Izumi vows to do whatever it takes to help win over the council. Which means upping her newly acquired princess game.
But at what cost? Izumi will do anything to help her parents achieve their happily ever after, but what if playing the perfect princess means sacrificing her own? Will she find a way to forge her own path and follow her heart?

My review

Before reading

It has been years since I read the previous book in this duology, but I still expected to have an enjoyable reading time. I mean, these books are easy to be read, quite over the top and therefore quite investing. At the same time, serious topics are addressed. At least, this was the case for Tokyo Ever After. However, I was wondering how this book would uphold compared to that one, because sequels often do not have the same vibe or impact as their predecessors. I was wondering how the author would continue Izumi’s story in this one.

Characters

Whereas I found the characters interesting, they aren’t as memorable as other characters in  other stories. They all grow in one way or another, but I still think they fall flat. I mean, they are written well for the story Jean wants to tell, not for whenever character growth is very important to you. Main character Izumi and her mom grow a lot though, because they literally have been thrown into their role within the royal family which comes with a lot of expectations. Especially Izumi is under a magnifying glass, due to some of her decisions in the previous book. She wants her mom to be happy and decides to carve a path for herself that leads to this happiness. However, she hardly seems to think of herself and how this will impact her own future. When the story progresses, she learns to reflect more. Besides our familiar faces, the author introduces a new character. This is uncommon for a sequel in a duology, but for this story its necessary. Moreover, it works well.

Writing

As expected, the book is an easy read. The chapters are quite short, although a lot is happening at once. The book is completely told from Izumi’s POV. This is done well, but it would have been interesting to me to see how this story would work with multiple POVs. It took me a bit to get into this book though, but that was more on me than it had to do with the writing style. Once I was able to sit down with it, I flew through it in a breeze.

Plot

This book is indeed a little over the top, unrealistic and dramatic. However, Jean addresses several important themes such as finding your own identity, chosing your own happiness and breaking with set norms. All characters have to deal with this. Alongside these themes, the plot addresses many personal struggles as well as the Japanese culture. These elements were quite interesting, especially when you’re not familiar with the culture like I am. The plot itself is fast paced, a lot happens at once and there are several time jumps. The events that aren’t visible in the story get recapped in these time jumps. They are not confusing in any way though. As stated before, it took me a while to get into the story as I was a bit confused. It has been about four years since I read the first book, so I was a bit lost on the names and the role of certain characters. However, I got intrigued quickly and was able to fly through this book in a breeze once I reached that point.

Final thoughts

Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean is such a delightful read with serious notes. Many important themes are addressed, packaged in a quite over the top, unrealistic and dramatic story. The characters still undergo a certain amount of growth, and the writing makes this book an easy read due to the short chapters. Do you enjoy reading royally themed novels and do you need a palate cleanser? This duology will be right up your alley then.