Tokyo Ever After

Powell's Picks of the Month

Hot new releases and under-the-radar gems for adults and kids.

Tokyo Ever After has everything: long-lost royal family, palace secrets, forbidden romance, mouth-watering izakaya descriptions, an unbeatable girl gang, a fully realized cast of handmaidens and imperial guards, an incredibly satisfying search for a sense of belonging. Izumi is my new hero, and my only complaint is this perfect book wasn't around when I was a teen. Recommended By Michelle C., Powells.com

The Princess Diaries meets Crazy Rich Asians in Emiko Jean’s Tokyo Ever After, a “refreshing, spot-on” (Booklist, Starred Review) story of an ordinary Japanese-American girl who discovers that her father is the Crown Prince of Japan.

Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi—or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom against the world. But then Izumi discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity…and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess.

In a whirlwind, Izumi travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight.

Izumi soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairy tale, happily ever after?

“Move over, Mia Thermopolis! Princess Izumi will completely capture your heart while making you laugh nonstop. With an unforgettable voice and a heart-fluttering romance, Tokyo Ever After is an instant favorite.” Gloria Chao, author of American Panda

“Emiko’s flair for sumptuous detail—Food! Castles! Swoony confessions! Court drama! Cherry blossoms by the million!—locked me helplessly into a world of splendor I never wanted to leave.” David Yoon, New York Times bestselling author of Super Fake Love Song

“Izumi’s determined spirit and character arc will endear readers to her. A fun experience that readers will want to read again and again.” School Library Journal, (Starred Review)

When Emiko Jean isn’t writing, she is reading. Before she became a writer, she was an entomologist, a candlemaker, a florist, and most recently, a teacher. She lives in Washington with her husband and children (unruly twins). She is also the author of Empress of all Seasons and We'll Never Be Apart.