The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle, #1)

by Nghi Vo

Alyssa Winans (Artist)

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.

• ISBN10: 125075030X
• ISBN13: 9781250750303
• Publish Date: 24 March 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 128
• Language: English

Reviews

[Ace]

1. Written by a BIPOC
2. Influenced by Asian (Vietnamese?)
3. Has a wide variety of queer chara
4. I'd hazard a guess there's not one caucasion person in this story
5. Despite one of the MC being the Empress its anti-monarchy
6. Incredibly well crafted through the use of flashbacks

Negative- it's only just over 100 pages so I was left wanting so much more of their story

[nannah]

You know when you meet someone and have an instant connection with them, and you just know in that moment you’ll be best friends for life? That's the sort of feeling I got in about the first two pages of The Empress of Salt and Fortune. There's no doubt I've got a new favorite book and a new favorite author!

Content warnings:
- forced sterilization

Representation:
- the main character is non binary
- most characters are from a place similar to imperial China
- the Empress In-Yo seems to be from a place inspired by Mongolia (I'm guessing?)

An archivist visits the place that was once home to a banished Empress--who's now in her high power--to catalog and record the history left there, both by physically going through the house’s belongings and by listening to the old grandmother who remains there. The grandmother, called Rabbit, begins telling the archivist the brutal truth about her friend, the lonely, cunning, and vengeful Empress In-Yo, and the secret she’s been hiding all these years.

The Empress of … is the first in a series of novellas, and although it’s short, it doesn’t feel rushed or lacking in plot. I’m fairly inexperienced with novellas, though, let alone Tor shorts, but it also feels very refreshing in that it moves at that slower, unhurried pace following Rabbit’s tales--instead of sprinting from plot point to plot point. The story, and the secrets it carries, unfolds in such a masterful way that I can’t stop thinking about it and the beauty of storytelling. What a wonderful book.

And what beautiful writing! Need to read the second one as soon as possible!

[kerrydarkeyes]

A quick novella but beautifully told and richly detailed, the retelling of an exiled empress’s rise to power through the eyes of her handmaiden, who in turn shared the story with a traveling cleric.

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of The Empress of Salt and Fortune through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune is the debut novella of Nghi Vo, and that means we're about to dive into an imaginative and lush world. Described as being a merger of Atwood and classic Asian drama, this is a story that is sure to capture the attention of many a reader.

Fantasy and societal storytelling combine to create an enchanting tale. One full of politics as well as many surprising elements. In a society that treats women as being replaceable, one should never be surprised when they rise up.

A young woman, later to be known as the Empress of Salt and Fortune, was sent south for an arranged marriage. Once she was no longer needed, she was sent somewhere nice and far away from the kingdom. Now, the truth of her story is being revealed through the words of her handmaiden.

“Accuracy above all things. You will never remember the great if you do not remember the small.”

The Empress of Salt and Fortune is arguably one of the most iconic novellas I've read this year. It was beautiful and poignant. It was powerful, carrying a variety of emotions and more than one message for the reader to walk away with.

The thing I loved the most about this novella is the raw emotion shown within the pages. There was something so real and untamed about it. And yet there was a very real sense of it all happening behind closed doors. Until now, at any rate.

The entirety of the story is told through Rabbit's words – the words of the handmaiden. She's revealing the truth of the past to Chih. I actually love the relationship and dynamics at play here. This method also allowed for clever storytelling moments as well as careful obfuscations of the truth. Saved for later dramatic reveals.

Repetition also played a large part in this tale. “Do you understand?” This phrase resonated deeply, ringer louder and louder the more it was said. It took a powerful story and made it something more.

Another important element of this novella is the perspective itself. We have seen countless stories of kings or emperors marrying all of the women they please. But rarely do we see the story being told from the other side. This is one of those exceptions, and it shows all of that emotion and energy happening behind the scenes.

If I'm being honest, I loved everything about The Empress of Salt and Fortune. It was striking and beautiful, all while being utterly afraid to be exactly what it is. There's something to take away from that.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

4.5*

This is such a lovely gem of a book! I'll admit, I was a little unsure at the start. I felt a wee bit disconnected, and didn't know if it'd be for me. But I am so, so glad I stuck with it, because it was extremely well worth the time! The first thing that drew me in was the writing. It is truly next-level phenomenal, lyrical and lovely without being overdone.

It's both a story, and a story-within-a-story, and I found the telling of it to be such a fresh take. And while a large chunk of the events in the book took place long before, you can tell how deep an impact they still have on Rabbit, the old woman sharing her story. I loved how the tales wove together, seamlessly uniting the past and the present.

This story will absolutely make you feel things, too. The author manages in a short number of pages to pour out tons of emotion. You will care for the characters and their relationships, about the people who defined their lives. And while it can be quite dark at times, it will undoubtedly provide hope in humanity.

Bottom Line: At it's core, it's such a wonderfully feminist story, full of friendship and love, and strength. Do yourself a favor, and read this one immediately.