Scan barcode
A review by willowy
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
5.0
Read for Reading Rush 2020!
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
Length: 112 Pages
Genres: Fantasy
Rating 5 out of 5 Stars
"One drunken evening, many years on, In-yo would say that the war was won by silenced and nameless women, and it would be hard to argue with her."
This gorgeous novella by Nghi Vo takes place in an Asian inspired fantasy world with fox girls, talking birds, and codes sent through star charts. We follow the cleric Chih and their neixin, a hoopoe named Almost Brilliant, as they travel to Lake Scarlet where the now dead Empress was once exiled by her husband. With her she took many different girls, some of the Emperor's other wives, and one, a servant girl called Rabbit because of her jutting front teeth. Chih is there to learn the truth behind the legend from Rabbit, now elderly and the only person left at Lake Scarlet. This story was told with such poetry that I was entranced by the very first words on the page.
I loved learning the history of the barbarous Empress from the North, In-yo, and her rise to power using her wits and, sometimes, acts of violence.
This story was one of the most original fantasy ideas I've read in a long while and can't wait to pick up the next novella in the series. My review really doesn't do it justice. It's a must-read for any fantasy lover!
Come check out my blog for more reviews!
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
Length: 112 Pages
Genres: Fantasy
Rating 5 out of 5 Stars
"One drunken evening, many years on, In-yo would say that the war was won by silenced and nameless women, and it would be hard to argue with her."
This gorgeous novella by Nghi Vo takes place in an Asian inspired fantasy world with fox girls, talking birds, and codes sent through star charts. We follow the cleric Chih and their neixin, a hoopoe named Almost Brilliant, as they travel to Lake Scarlet where the now dead Empress was once exiled by her husband. With her she took many different girls, some of the Emperor's other wives, and one, a servant girl called Rabbit because of her jutting front teeth. Chih is there to learn the truth behind the legend from Rabbit, now elderly and the only person left at Lake Scarlet. This story was told with such poetry that I was entranced by the very first words on the page.
I loved learning the history of the barbarous Empress from the North, In-yo, and her rise to power using her wits and, sometimes, acts of violence.
This story was one of the most original fantasy ideas I've read in a long while and can't wait to pick up the next novella in the series. My review really doesn't do it justice. It's a must-read for any fantasy lover!
Come check out my blog for more reviews!