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its2early4this's review
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was an interesting book, particularly in how it was written. I enjoyed the storytelling through someone's memories and items. I liked that the world was revealed through glimpses, and that the author didn't just tell how things work in their world, but rather showed what happened and trusted that the reader was intelligent enough to make connections and understand (this is a major plus for me in any book). The biggest downfall for me was that, because of how the story was told, the characters felt distant. I wasn't as attached to them as I might have otherwise been. And things that would ordinarily have felt tragic didn't impact me much at all. Because it is a quick read, it still is probably worth the time invested, and I wouldn't be opposed to reading the others in the series if I have nothing else pressing to read. But the book wasn't particularly memorable for me. I did enjoy how the Empress's story ended. And I did like seeing the story of someone important and powerful told through the eyes of their servant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, and Death
Moderate: Classism, Grief, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Pregnancy, and Racism
Minor: Fatphobia, Infertility, Bullying, Body shaming, and Sexual content
Most of the things that are likely to be triggering are not described in any great detail, due to the way the book is written. Loss/grief and pregnancy are probably the triggers dealt with the most in-depth. Although war plays a major role in the story, it is only really talked about from a distant perspective.books_are_magical's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility
takarakei's review against another edition
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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: War, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Murder and Infertility
thereaderfriend's review
emotional
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? No
5.0
Nghi Vo managed to expertly tell a story in a story of a oppressed woman who overthrew a patriarchal empire. Rabbit, a humble handmaiden sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of 5 packets of dye, tells the story of how In-Yo, an exiled princess turned to amazing empress, conquered what saw so little of them, to a servile cleric. Rabbit also gets taken advantage of but is redeemed with a great outcome, as well as In-Yo with her amazing overcoming. Also appreciated how Chih, the cleric, responded to learning this lesson. They were so kind and earnest about how they saw this story and how it would affect Chih's career.
Some fav quotes:
"Accuracy above all things. You will never remember the great if you do not remember the small."
"How do you live with it watching you? .. As you live with anything, I suspect. You bear it, or you end it."
"Time is the thing. I want time to get the words right. To do proper honor to those who died. I don't want them to be ashamed when others speak about them. But I know that there is only so much time left, and it will never be perfect. "
"... if a record cannot be perfect, it should at least be present. Better for it to exist than for it to be perfect and only in your mind."
"Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves."
Some fav quotes:
"Accuracy above all things. You will never remember the great if you do not remember the small."
"How do you live with it watching you? .. As you live with anything, I suspect. You bear it, or you end it."
"Time is the thing. I want time to get the words right. To do proper honor to those who died. I don't want them to be ashamed when others speak about them. But I know that there is only so much time left, and it will never be perfect. "
"... if a record cannot be perfect, it should at least be present. Better for it to exist than for it to be perfect and only in your mind."
"Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, War, and Death
Moderate: Pregnancy and Grief
Minor: Suicide, Infertility, and Murder
cheye13's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Misogyny, Abandonment, and Death
Moderate: Murder, Grief, Infertility, Pregnancy, Violence, War, and Medical trauma
Minor: Suicide, Sexual content, and Homophobia
literarypenguin'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? No
5.0
The Empress of Salt and Fortune proves that even the shortest of stories can still be well written and impactful!
We follow a cleric named Chih traveling the kingdom with their Hoopoe companion Almost Brilliant recording stories about the empress. They meet an older woman named Rabbit who recounts her adventures and travels with the empress and alongside the cleric we learn about the empress, her exile, and what she did after. I love stories where we learn alongside the characters what truly happened in the story and it was very exciting to read it this way!
Rabbit was a great character and just in her words, you could tell how much she valued her friendship with the empress and how much she truly meant to her. How she would have done anything for her and the empress in her own way would have done the same for her. Despite her strong friendship, she told the truth about the empress and people got to see her as a person instead of a historical figure.
This tells the story of a rebellion but doesn't show war or big battles, instead, it shows us what happens behind the scenes and the people that make a rebellion work. It shows people coming and going throughout the war and the impact they had no matter how short their time was. It was refreshing to see that side of a battle in a book.
This was such a good novella and I highly recommend reading this and can not wait to read the other two books in the series for myself!!
We follow a cleric named Chih traveling the kingdom with their Hoopoe companion Almost Brilliant recording stories about the empress. They meet an older woman named Rabbit who recounts her adventures and travels with the empress and alongside the cleric we learn about the empress, her exile, and what she did after. I love stories where we learn alongside the characters what truly happened in the story and it was very exciting to read it this way!
Rabbit was a great character and just in her words, you could tell how much she valued her friendship with the empress and how much she truly meant to her. How she would have done anything for her and the empress in her own way would have done the same for her. Despite her strong friendship, she told the truth about the empress and people got to see her as a person instead of a historical figure.
This tells the story of a rebellion but doesn't show war or big battles, instead, it shows us what happens behind the scenes and the people that make a rebellion work. It shows people coming and going throughout the war and the impact they had no matter how short their time was. It was refreshing to see that side of a battle in a book.
This was such a good novella and I highly recommend reading this and can not wait to read the other two books in the series for myself!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: War and Violence
Minor: Infertility
jmcampbell57'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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, Pregnancy, Death, and Infertility
larqspur's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Death
Moderate: War, Murder, Grief, and Colonisation
Minor: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racism, and Infertility
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Grief, Infertility, Pregnancy, and Xenophobia
Minor: War and 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Confinement, Infertility, Violence, and War