Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

61 reviews

spootilious's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

 
Read: December 12, 2023
 Title: The Empress of Salt and Fortune 

Series: The Singing Hills Cycle #1 

Genre: Fantasy 

Rating: 3 / 5
 Review: 

This was a very beautiful read. It wasn’t exciting or thrilling. It was a simple and beautiful story with a wonderful aesthetic and a folklore feel. The writing was soft and the imagery stunning. No real twists or turns but a story that is meant to be admired like a painting rather than devoured like a meal. 

QUOTES: 

“Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves.” 

“Honor is a light that brings trouble. Shadows are safer by far.” 

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arkham's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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jazhandz's review

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adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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indeedithappens's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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pm_me_book_recs's review

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adventurous emotional reflective relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

After finishing this novella I promptly added the rest of Nghi Vo's works to my tbr.

I'm not sure how such a detailed world and history fit into this novella, I was not expecting it! The characters are varied and lovable, the pace is steady, the story development is delicately laid out to show each side and progression of the Empress. The end is righteous. I loved Chih's curiosity and cleverness, Almost Brilliant's snark, and Rabbit's mischief, and, just, everything about the Empress. 

Queer and Non-Binary friendly, feminist, and fantastical. I cannot wait to read the rest. 
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kingcrookback's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I've (as of writing this review) only read one other work of Vo's, Siren Queen, and I find that I much prefer Empress of Salt and Fortune. They're both frame stories that dip in and out of the embedded narrative, but there's something to Empress's setting and pacing that does it for me in a way that Siren Queen didn't. Empress moves along deftly (though I wouldn't necessarily say that it's swift), and the Vo treads the line between detail and ambiguity. Neither detailed to the point of bogging anything down nor ambiguous enough to be called vague. Rabbit's story is both touching and gripping, albeit hazed by time and memory. A nice little capsule.
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librarymouse's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book is incredibly well written and the story is simultaneously unique and familiar. The world building is vibrant and deftly done. The writing and story have a way of drawing readers in from the beginning. I look forward to reading as much written by Nghi Vo as I can.
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maeverose's review against another edition

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5.0

My first 5⭐️ of the year!!

I was expecting to like this but I wasn’t expecting it to make me cry.

The writing is beautiful and  atmospheric, the story takes it’s time and is simultaneously comforting and painful. I always love the ‘stories attached to items’ trope (is that a trope?) and this has that. I was worried I wasn’t fully understanding it at first (with all the ‘do you understand?’ moments..), but by the end I did. Well, I’m sure there are details that I missed but I understood the overall story. This is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read I think. Please read it.
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sarahsbooklife's review against another edition

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fast-paced

3.0

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thereadinghammock's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

So much of this book just, sort of, happens around you (as a reader), that it's not until, maybe the last 30 minutes of the book that I had any idea what was actually going on. The world is fascinating, but the delivery is too prosaic for me. It's beautifully written, stunning prose, and I love the respect for archival history threaded throughout the book; but it's simply a case of just not the writing for me--and that's OK!!
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