Name: ploral's review of The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
Item: The Empress of Salt and Fortune
Rating: 4.5
Author: ploral

Nghi Vo

"Dangerous, subtle, unexpected and familiar, angry and ferocious and hopeful... The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a remarkable accomplishment of storytelling."—NPR A 2020 ALA Booklist Top Ten SF/F Debut A Book Riot Must-Read Fantasy of 2020 A Paste Most Anticipated Novel of 2020 A Library Journal Debut of the Month A Buzzfeed Must-Read Fantasy Novel of Spring 2020 With the heart of an Atwood tale and the visuals of a classic Asian period drama, Nghi Vo's The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a tightly and lushly written narrative about empire, storytelling, and the anger of women. A young royal from the far north, is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully. Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor's lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for. At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She's a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece. Praise for The Empress of Salt and Fortune “An elegant gut-punch, a puzzle box that unwinds itself in its own way and in its own time. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Gorgeous. Cruel. Perfect. I didn't know I needed to read this until I did.”—Seanan McGuire "A tale of rebellion and fealty that feels both classic and fresh, The Empress of Salt and Fortune is elegantly told, strongly felt, and brimming with rich detail. An epic in miniature, beautifully realised."—Zen Cho At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune

Matthew Soeder

ploral

It's so brilliant. I loved every single second of it.

kitty 

"Dangerous, subtle, unexpected and familiar, angry and ferocious and hopeful... The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a remarkable accomplishment of storytelling."—NPR A Paste Most Anticipated Novel of 2020 A Library Journal Debut of the Month A Buzzfeed Must-Read Fantasy Novel of Spring 2020 With the heart of an Atwood tale and the visuals of a classic Asian period drama, Nghi Vo's The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a tightly and lushly written narrative about empire, storytelling, and the anger of women. A young royal from the far north, is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully. Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor's lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for. At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She's a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece. Praise for The Empress of Salt and Fortune “An elegant gut-punch, a puzzle box that unwinds itself in its own way and in its own time. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Gorgeous. Cruel. Perfect. I didn't know I needed to read this until I did.”—Seanan McGuire "A tale of rebellion and fealty that feels both classic and fresh, The Empress of Salt and Fortune is elegantly told, strongly felt, and brimming with rich detail. An epic in miniature, beautifully realised."—Zen Cho

Sarah Sammis

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo is a slim but dense story set in a fantasy realm similar to ancient China. It's told over the course of a day or so of sojourning at a disused mansion. In it's narrative structure it is similar to Conrad's Heart of Darkness but not in tone, or thankfully, unnecessary complexity.

A cleric and their magical bird have come to rest on their way to record an eclipse. They are given shelter by an old woman named Rabbit. She offers them a place to stay if they help clear out the store rooms while listening to her tales of the Empress In-Yo, exiled from the North.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comm...

Sunny

It's been a while since I've written (and posted) a review here, but I needed to for this. This novella was absolutely beautiful. It was such a beautiful exploration into Chinese culture wrapped in a lovely fantasy world. Less than 150 pages and you grow to love and adore Rabbit and In-Yo and their tale, as well as being intrigued to learn more about Chih and their journey as a cleric, creating a descriptive itinerary of items within the Thriving Fortune Compound, where the Empress who had fallen out of favour was sent - but also where she began her revolution. Also, look up hoopoe birds, they're beautiful, Almost Brilliant is a sassy character themselves.

I absolutely CANNOT WAIT for the next book by this author in this series!

Maria

i reall really wish this had been longer!

Beautiful story, I am reading the second part now. Thank to this book, I am back to reading after 4-5 weeks of slump! 

Hooked from the start! I am happy to have started that book that (drama time!) saved me from a 4-5 week reading slump. I liked to follow Chih the cleric in their adventures in collecting stories in fictional old times in China. 

They have such a Lovely personality! A Good style and narrative, all that together create an enchanting atmosphere between tale/fantasy/history. Made me dream and travel. I couldn’t wait to start the second book. Lecture très agréable! 😍🧧

Barbara

Beautiful story, I am reading the second part now. Thank to this book, I am back to reading after 4-5 weeks of slump! 

Hooked from the start! I am happy to have started that book that (drama time!) saved me from a 4-5 week reading slump. I liked to follow Chih the cleric in their adventures in collecting stories in fictional old times in China. 

They have such a Lovely personality! A Good style and narrative, all that together create an enchanting atmosphere between tale/fantasy/history. Made me dream and travel. I couldn’t wait to start the second book. Lecture très agréable! 😍🧧

Michaela Hudson

Rate 3 ⭐ là vì cảm nhận riêng chứ theo mình vẫn nên đọc.

Dù ngắn (có hơn 100 trang ầu) nhưng mình lại mất khá lâu để đọc vì lối văn cầu kỳ nên não mình tốn kha khá thời gian để thấm :((( Chỉ ước gì nó dài hơn để mình có thể biết thêm nhiều chi tiết về nhân vật và câu chuyện, nhưng có thể tác giả viết theo lối văn như vầy là có chủ đích. Nên đọc là vì cốt truyện thú vị và vì truyện rất đặc sắc chất Đông Á, có thể nhận ra cả chất Việt nữa. Nói chung là một câu chuyện khá tiềm năng, nhưng mà ngắn quáaaaaaaa. 

Ngoài ra thì đây là lần đầu đọc một truyện viết bằng tiếng Anh có nhân vật trùng tên mình nên khen là đúng :)

Megan BV

Gracie Marsden

3.5 stars for my first time reading it through, but I feel like if I re-read it it will probably go up. This author is incredibly talented and careful with words. I’m used to books with explicit gory detail to manipulate reader emotions but this writer didn’t need that. I’m definitely excited for the next one.

"...but every stitch bites into her history, the deaths she left behind her, and the home she could not return to."

EMPRESS OF SALT AND FORTUNE was something I didn't realise I needed until I stumbled upon it on my library's ebook app. It's a short novella recalling the life of a deceased empress In-yo who, as the noble daughter of the north, had been captured and forced into marriage and into bearing the emperor's son, to hold as a threat over the heads of the restless northerners, in the end conquered an oppressive empire, all by employing the skills of her northern origin, and messages encoded in constellations on star maps and in fortunes told by a small yet diverse cast of tellers. Narrated by her loyal and devoted hand maiden, Rabbit, decades in the future, the story revisits the past of the strong woman, to be recorded by the cleric Chih and their journey travelling to uncover the history that has yet to be finalised in ink and paper. 

I found In-yo a very powerful figure; she did not buckle under the empire's attempt to scrub away any remnant of her culture from within her. She stayed strong with her ideals. Although there were some times I did not agree with her decisions (as did Rabbit at the time) though it may be because I was too driven by what my heart feels is right instead of what my head thinks it is best to do for the better future. As royalty attempting to unseat a higher political figure and seize an empire from him, some sacrifices must be made, despite my heart still disagreeing. The story skillfully intertwines Asian culture and high fantasy you would only find in fairy tales, discussing some pressing issues such as sexism, erasure of culture and history, and abortion. It also highlights how history is embedded in the little things around us, that we use.

"...grown up with the history of their world in the very walls of their home, fluttering above their heads, cooked into the barley they ate."

It was such a nice quick read, yet so very impactful. It reminded me to cherish my own culture, not to let my values be tainted by white supremacy. I loved it, and I would read it again.

fairuza hanun

"...but every stitch bites into her history, the deaths she left behind her, and the home she could not return to."

EMPRESS OF SALT AND FORTUNE was something I didn't realise I needed until I stumbled upon it on my library's ebook app. It's a short novella recalling the life of a deceased empress In-yo who, as the noble daughter of the north, had been captured and forced into marriage and into bearing the emperor's son, to hold as a threat over the heads of the restless northerners, in the end conquered an oppressive empire, all by employing the skills of her northern origin, and messages encoded in constellations on star maps and in fortunes told by a small yet diverse cast of tellers. Narrated by her loyal and devoted hand maiden, Rabbit, decades in the future, the story revisits the past of the strong woman, to be recorded by the cleric Chih and their journey travelling to uncover the history that has yet to be finalised in ink and paper. 

I found In-yo a very powerful figure; she did not buckle under the empire's attempt to scrub away any remnant of her culture from within her. She stayed strong with her ideals. Although there were some times I did not agree with her decisions (as did Rabbit at the time) though it may be because I was too driven by what my heart feels is right instead of what my head thinks it is best to do for the better future. As royalty attempting to unseat a higher political figure and seize an empire from him, some sacrifices must be made, despite my heart still disagreeing. The story skillfully intertwines Asian culture and high fantasy you would only find in fairy tales, discussing some pressing issues such as sexism, erasure of culture and history, and abortion. It also highlights how history is embedded in the little things around us, that we use.

"...grown up with the history of their world in the very walls of their home, fluttering above their heads, cooked into the barley they ate."

It was such a nice quick read, yet so very impactful. It reminded me to cherish my own culture, not to let my values be tainted by white supremacy. I loved it, and I would read it again.

A story of remarkable fortitude, told in a style that slowly and subtly reveals a vibrant world and characters.

Amina

A princess from the Northern kingdom it sent to marry the Emperor in the South to provide an heir with ties to the North to keep a tenuous peace. She is never accepted at the court and as soon as her duty is fulfilled she is exiled to a house imprisonment in a far corner of the kingdom. Rabbit, also originally from the Northern kingdom, is sent with her as her servant and becomes fiercely close and loyal to her. Years later, a monk, Chih, is traveling through and meets Rabbit as an elderly woman. She wants to share the story of the Empress and her years in exile for the Monk to take back and keep in the Monastary's library.

Beautiful prose. Wonderful depth of storytelling in a short work. Emotional themes. Tense politics. I loved it. This is the first in the Singing Hills Cycle following the cleric monk Chih. They can be read in any order. It is not one overarching story.

Cheryl Hedlund

A princess from the Northern kingdom it sent to marry the Emperor in the South to provide an heir with ties to the North to keep a tenuous peace. She is never accepted at the court and as soon as her duty is fulfilled she is exiled to a house imprisonment in a far corner of the kingdom. Rabbit, also originally from the Northern kingdom, is sent with her as her servant and becomes fiercely close and loyal to her. Years later, a monk, Chih, is traveling through and meets Rabbit as an elderly woman. She wants to share the story of the Empress and her years in exile for the Monk to take back and keep in the Monastary's library.

Beautiful prose. Wonderful depth of storytelling in a short work. Emotional themes. Tense politics. I loved it. This is the first in the Singing Hills Cycle following the cleric monk Chih. They can be read in any order. It is not one overarching story.

very fun read, with a lovely flow to the way the story is told. the bits and pieces of world building hint at a much larger world but this short story did leave me wanting more of it, so i am hoping the next story in this cycle will expand on it 

Jiji

Short but packs a punch. The way this story is told is so beautiful, and it unfolds so naturally. I don’t know if I want to cry or sit in silent reverie for the next 3 hours. 

Floofyflower

3.5 

a strong intro novella. i'm interested to read the rest of the series

Nessa Luna

Loved the format of this book. It switched between the perspective of a cleric attempting to uncover the true story and the Empress’s handmaiden retelling the events leading to the Empress’s rise to power. 

It was a pretty quick read and fairly fast paced. I absolutely loved the writing style and the characters. 

At times it was a bit difficult to understand and I did have to reread passages, but I think that was just me trying to read and listen to other things at the same time. 

Nataly

Loved the format of this book. It switched between the perspective of a cleric attempting to uncover the true story and the Empress’s handmaiden retelling the events leading to the Empress’s rise to power. 

It was a pretty quick read and fairly fast paced. I absolutely loved the writing style and the characters. 

At times it was a bit difficult to understand and I did have to reread passages, but I think that was just me trying to read and listen to other things at the same time. 

Boothby

Quiet, but it glimmers like almost still water. Every line holds a secret.

Gillian Rose

3.5 stars

While it was beautifully written, I had trouble understanding what was going on and connecting to the characters. I definitely would like to read more from Vo though because the descriptions were quite vivid.

Prashanth Srivatsa

“Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves. I am not worried for her in the least.”

A beautiful story of angry mothers, memories, the art of recordkeeping and how wars are won by silenced and nameless women.

Abdullah

Short and impactful with some of the most beautiful writing I've ever read. It brought up so many emotions unexpectedly. Highly recommend!

Chih, Rabbit, In-yo, and Almost Brillant were so interesting as characters and Almost Brilliant is a brilliant name.

The lore was beautiful, the crafting of the world exceptional and the storytelling captivating. I got lost at times and it kept me from fully immersing myself in the story, but it has some nice quotes and overall it's a really powerful and cute book.

Also it has a badass non binary mc so yeah!!!

Sampurna Saha 

Maybe I'm just dumb but like what was the context and concept of this.

Matthew Soeder &
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

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Matthew Soeder &The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

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Matthew Soeder &
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo