Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

27 reviews

blacksphinx's review

mysterious 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

4.0

This is a lovely little story that is being terribly misrepresented by the plot synopsis on the back. The plot of this story is that a cleric from the abby at Singing Hills, Chih, has been sent to record information about the events leading up to the reign of the Inuit-coded Empress of Salt and Fortune, In-yo, over the Chinese-coded empire of Ahn. She is recently deceased and all of her records are still intact at the compound where she was once held in exile. Chih winds up obtaining an account from an old handmaiden of In-yo's nicknamed Rabbit, who reveals how she came into the Empress' confidence. At first Rabbit doesn't want to come right out and say anything direct to this cleric, as she tries to decide what should be left on the floor of history. But over the duration of their many conversations, Rabbit decides to let go of some heavy secrets she's been carrying.

I can see how this wouldn't be the book for everyone. If you wanted to be reductive, the plot is an old woman recounting long-ago events to a cleric and their talking bird. But I kept finding myself getting lulled into the word of the story, the glittering court and the crafty Empress. I understand why this series has gotten so much attention and I'm definitely in it for the long haul. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Trafficking, Death, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicide, and Grief

Minor: War, Blood, Medical content, and Infertility

Passing mention to forced sterilization.

hannahhmh's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, Infertility, and Grief

melodyseestrees's review

emotional mysterious reflective medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Confinement, and Misogyny

Moderate: Grief, War, and Pregnancy

Minor: Infertility, Suicide, and Murder

o_romeo's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Death, Abandonment, and Infertility

Minor: Medical trauma, War, Xenophobia, Infidelity, Fatphobia, Violence, and Sexual content

avacadosocks's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Confinement, and Misogyny

Minor: Infertility, War, and Suicide

indeedithappens's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Infidelity, Suicide, Abandonment, Infertility, Violence, Classism, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, War, Colonisation, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Murder

kaziaroo's review against another edition

mysterious reflective relaxing medium-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

4.75

I normally go for substance over style, but I liked this one a lot. It's very atmospheric and immersive, and I really enjoyed the narrative style and framing. The storytelling was very subtle and I'm still a little confused about the timeline of events but it suited the overall tone. It took a while for me to realise what made the empress so great and even now I feel like I barely know her, more as a shadow in the mist than a person. As someone who tends to read chunky novels, it feels strange and almost uncomfortable to finish a story while not knowing so much about the characters. It kept me company for a few hours, and now it's gone. I'll definitely keep the other books in the series on my to-read list for next time I have a long journey.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Misogyny, and Death

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

singlier's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

The Empress of Salt and Fortune 5/5 🐇s

I read this book on the  recommendation of an online friend and was absolutely not disappointed. This book is a quick read, only around 120 pages, but what it manages to do in those pages is astounding. The story follows a young cleric, Chih and their hoopoe companion Almost Brilliant as they listen and catalogue the artifacts of Rabbit, a servant who worked for the late Empress In-yo. Over the course of the book, they learn the story of Empress In-yo, a princess from the north entrapped in a political marriage who, after bearing a son for the Emperor, is sent into exile. Years later, In-yo returns to the capital, where she overthrows the Emperor and enshrines her daughter on the throne as the head of a new dynasty. 

This books is short but powerful, mixing the catalogue of Chih's findings with the stories Rabbit tells her. It is a story of anger, magic, and retribution, all set in a high fantasy imperial China setting. The cast is small, with most named characters being women. There are two more books in the series, and I can't wait to read them.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Infertility

fraise's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Confinement, Grief, Sexism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Violence, War, Suicide, Infertility, Colonisation, Murder, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal death and Slavery

turtlebrainlibrarian's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Confinement, and Misogyny

Moderate: Grief, War, and Pregnancy

Minor: Murder, Infertility, and Suicide