niccith's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
eternalcat's review against another edition
I am not rating this book because I don't fully understand what happened.
Here's what I think happened based on reading the book and other reviews.
Empress was sent to emperor as young girl, got pregnant, had baby boy that is going to be the heir. Had a forced hysterectomy. Emperor exiled her and sent unpopular court ladies to spend some time with empress in exile. Empress took a servant into exile with her. Servant met a man and fell in love with him. Man died, but before he died, servant got pregnant. Empress decided that servant's baby would be hers. Then the servant's baby became the empress.
Here's what I think happened based on reading the book and other reviews.
Spoiler
Empress was sent to emperor as young girl, got pregnant, had baby boy that is going to be the heir. Had a forced hysterectomy. Emperor exiled her and sent unpopular court ladies to spend some time with empress in exile. Empress took a servant into exile with her. Servant met a man and fell in love with him. Man died, but before he died, servant got pregnant. Empress decided that servant's baby would be hers. Then the servant's baby became the empress.
mxnhtrv's review against another edition
3.0
Short Asian fantasy, rich in world-building, absorbing story-telling and great female characters.
mishasbooknook's review against another edition
5.0
The Empress of Salt and Fortune is an extremely touching and emotional read. I walked into it a bit skeptical of what kind of story could be told in less than 130 pages, but I walked out with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. This is a wonderful story - so much of it is merely implied. The world building is thin but present, and it’s theme of the rage of women resonated with me. It is definitely short, and very bittersweet. I would have loved another 200 pages of this story, to live longer with Rabbit and the Empress, but perhaps it is best that it is so brief. I highly enjoyed this book. It has made me feel emotions that I can hardly describe or explain, and I love it for it.
danacoledares's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't sure I'd like the back-and-forth narrative, but it actually suited the reading mood I've been in lately quite well. I haven't had the mental stamina to sit down for a long period and really focus on a book for an extended time.
The writing is poetic without being too lush for what I wanted. It was easy to relax into the soft, lilting style peppered with vivid details. And while it was brief, I didn't feel like it was cut off or harried. What was there was simple and clear and enough. Like a macaron: delicate and flavorful and pretty and sweet, with a slight bitter undercurrent that adds depth.
The writing is poetic without being too lush for what I wanted. It was easy to relax into the soft, lilting style peppered with vivid details. And while it was brief, I didn't feel like it was cut off or harried. What was there was simple and clear and enough. Like a macaron: delicate and flavorful and pretty and sweet, with a slight bitter undercurrent that adds depth.
mspilesofpaper's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Chih, a Cleric of the Singing Hills monastery is on their way to document history when they arrive at Lake Scarlet where Empress In-yo was sent in exile. Here, they meet Rabbit - an old woman who used to be the Empress's maiden. The majority of the chapters start with the documentation, which acts as a description, of items that Chih found in the palace at Lake Scarlet, before Rabbit tells the Empress's story. The true history of Empress In-yo as Rabbit's allegiance "lies with the dead, and no matter what the clerics say, the dead care for very little".
It is a short and beautifully written novel about politics, traditions (and therefore what is expected of women), revenge but also love. Despite being barely over 100 pages long (or roughly over 2 hours long as an audiobook), Nghi Vo managed to create a world that feels real and immersive. I felt transferred into this Asian-inspired fantasy world instead of sitting in a bus on my way to university. The storyline and the prose are not like we are used to from novels from US-American/Western authors, and it takes a bit to get into it, but I think it is what makes the novel so beautiful and catching.
Read if you like short books with Asian-inspired worldbuilding and quite an oomph as the book is, in the end, a feminist condemnation of patriarchy and empire(s).
It is a short and beautifully written novel about politics, traditions (and therefore what is expected of women), revenge but also love. Despite being barely over 100 pages long (or roughly over 2 hours long as an audiobook), Nghi Vo managed to create a world that feels real and immersive. I felt transferred into this Asian-inspired fantasy world instead of sitting in a bus on my way to university. The storyline and the prose are not like we are used to from novels from US-American/Western authors, and it takes a bit to get into it, but I think it is what makes the novel so beautiful and catching.
Read if you like short books with Asian-inspired worldbuilding and quite an oomph as the book is, in the end, a feminist condemnation of patriarchy and empire(s).