Reviews tagging 'War'

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

72 reviews

larqspur's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and Death

Moderate: War, Murder, Grief, and Colonisation

Minor: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racism, and Infertility

paperpaladin's review against another edition

emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Since this is a novella I don't want to get too much into the plot of the book since most things I could say would be a spoiler or told better through the story itself. Chih is a monk of the Singing Hills, an order whose purpose is to record all history. The story begins with the death of an Empress and some private lands being made open to the public. Unable to avoid the mystery of these lands Chih heads to this area to record what she can of it.

What follows is a slow unraveling of the mystery of this place and Nghi Vo does an expert job of teasing out the mystery. The prose in this book is beautiful but feels effortless. Lines are well written and just flow off the tongue. I have described this style as what Hemmingway wanted to be but never quite achieved. Not a word is wasted but there is no excess either. The story itself had me gripped until the end. This book was amazing and I highly recommend it to everyone.
 
My rating system
1 - Did not enjoy
2 - Not irredeemable but has too many flaws to say I enjoyed
3 - Enjoyed it
4 - Great book but didn't love it
5 - Amazing book 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War and Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicide

ablaine's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

How do you a tell a political history from personal objects left behind? How do you read between the lines of official records to see their unofficial purpose? I found this beautiful, folkloric novel difficult to pin down, but I realized there’s something to learn here about how stories are shaped by both what is recorded and what is omitted. 

I first listened to this as an audiobook and was immediately lost. A mystical creature, a gender non-binary cleric and a funeral for an empress were too much for my auditory processing to grasp all in the first few seconds. I’m grateful to my friend for encouraging me to pick it up in written form. 

Each chapter begins with an inventory of significant objects and reading reveals the historical meaning of each within this imagined political landscape. Reading this while grieving a parent and taking stock of objects and memories made this a sad and reflective experience, but I’m grateful for it. 

Thanks for the recommendation, Hannah ❤️

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Murder, and War

Minor: Body horror and Sexual content

shakakan's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: War

puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Grief, Infertility, Pregnancy, and Xenophobia

Minor: War and Suicide

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Grief, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Confinement, and War

Minor: Pregnancy, Violence, Murder, Suicide, Animal death, and Sexual content

lain_darko's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, and War

Moderate: Confinement, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Slavery

Minor: Suicide

horationelson's review against another edition

mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Confinement, Infertility, Violence, and War

mlewis's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Death, and War

Minor: Grief, Infertility, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry

reviewsandreadathons's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Death, and Pregnancy

Minor: War