I loved this book! The combination of fantasy, political drama and time period were perfection for me. Yes, it is dark, please be mindful of the triggers, but that is one of my favorite aspects. I appreciate that the author went beyond what’s safe. It was a beautifully written story.

Wei and the cast of characters were fantastic, her growth throughout the novel is enormous. Both Maro and Terren were such complex people, some of the journal chapters really tugged at my heart. The author made me care and sympathize with Terren, even though he was a cruel tyrant, I admit I shed a couple tears for their brotherly relationship. When Terren asks Maro to turn him? 😭😭😭 I was on the metaphorical floor.

There are many political aspirations and intriguing court meddling, every character has a distinct personality, it was a fully immersive world filled with magic spells and powerful sigils. I loved this setting and all the magical themes, the message of women secretly learning to read and write had me emotionally invested and I really enjoyed the whole story.

The audiobook was majorly performed by Katharine Chin, with a few background chapters narrated by Eric Yang. Katherine did a wonderful job bringing this story to life, I loved the Chinese pronunciations, her delivery fit the story perfectly and had me fully engaged. I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Tor Books/Bramble for the advance review copies.

Title: The Poet Empress
Author: Shen Tao
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️