Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

61 reviews

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.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Misogyny, and Death

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

periwinkle_flora's review

informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

A very quiet, thoughtful story about people and their ties to others. 
I liked the characters Chih & Rabbit, and that they have a conversation with each other throughout the book. 
A short story, but unique + nice all around.  

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Misogyny and Grief

fraise's review

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

---

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

blackcatkai's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.5

beautifully written and engaging, im interested to see where the story goes in subsequent novellas. it's more of a high fantasy than what I'm personally used to/into so I got a little lost despite how short it is, but thats a me issue. either way, nghi vo is clearly ridiculously talented with descriptions & story telling and I am absolutely reading more of her work.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: War, Pregnancy, and Grief

Minor: Suicide and Sexual assault

leanne_miron's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective 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? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Suicide

rtaire's review

emotional mysterious reflective 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? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Death, Sexism, and War

Moderate: Grief and Pregnancy

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Confinement, and Misogyny

Moderate: Grief, War, and Pregnancy

Minor: Murder, Infertility, and Suicide

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.

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

florecita_lectora's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Confinement, and Death

Moderate: Medical trauma and Grief