A review by fruitbatwoman
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

emotional inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

 This was a lovely novella with a story inside a story. As wandering cleric Chih slowly unravels and writes down the history behind the former empress of their country, we also learn more about the wandering clerics and the world itself, which had a lot of love and worldbuilding put into it. The characters were loveable, and the tender and poetic writing style felt straight from a fairytale.
A short, feminist, Chinese-inspired fantasy, perfect to take a break from a hectic day.