This stunning short story wrapped me up in the bright tapestry of its storytelling. The world was flush with magic and vibrance and I felt instantly connected to the characters of the book. I was curious to learn more about the world and intrigued to hear about Rabbit’s stories.

This is a story about women and how they are moulded and shaped by their men, their masters and their situations. They can turn on one another, be connected to each other, love one another. The strands of each tale are so interwoven in the history of this fantastical country and it’s beautiful to see the tapestry come together.

I really enjoyed this short but memorable read and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to escape from the real world for a while.

read my review on mousethatreads.com

The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a short (I mean incredibly short, its just 74 pages) but strong and powerful read. At first the world building and the language seems kind of confusing, but then I got used to it. All the characters were well-built but still it me more than a day just to realize that Almost Brilliant is the name of Chih's pet bird.
Chih is a cleric who is cataloguing household items as its her duty. During her stay at Thriving Fortune, a place beside the supernatural lake scarlet, an elderly women nick-named as Rabbit recounts the story of the Empress who was exiled here, In-yo, better known as the Empress of Salt and Fortune. In-yo was the princess from the North, who was sent away to get married to the Emperor of the South just to bring peace between both the kingdoms. After her days of usefulness are over, that is after she provided an heir to the emperor she is forced into exile. But she doesn't go into silence and depression like the other empresses. Instead, she decides to fight back.
Each chapter begins with an elaborate description of some objects that Chih finds in the house, unravelling its past which involved the Empress in some way or the other.
The story is weaved very elegantly with strong strings of feminism. As it is said in the book,"Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves.” In short, it is a short but thrilling read full of friendship, love, anger, joy, revenge and victory nonetheless.
I thank NetGalley and Macmillan/Tor-Forge for giving me the amazing opportunity to read and review this awe-inspiring book.

short and powerful. I'm tempted to give it five stars, but the world building did confuse me in the beginning while I was getting used to the writing style, so for now I'm leaving it as a four.

2.5 stars

I appreciate what this book did but it really wasn't for me.

Usually I like to start certain books knowing almost nothing about them, and this is what I did with this novella as well. In hindsight this has proved to be a mistake on my part: I think I would have benefitted from reading some reviews, although I don't think it would have changed my enjoyment of it.

My biggest problem: I'm not someone who can read descriptions and see a clear picture in my head, unless I want to spend a lot (and I really mean a lot) of mental capacity focused on this task alone, which means sometimes spending five minutes on a paragraph alone. Something I frankly wasn't ready to do with a 100-pages novella. Don't get me wrong, I didn't have the impression that most of this book was made of descriptions, and yet I just somehow never saw it in my head. I guess I can fairly say that the writing style, while objectively good, was simply something I didn't vibe with.

The story is more about female friendship and female agency than any particular big event, and it's a story that happened decades ago and is now told by Rabbit to Chih, who uses they/them. It's a story told through objects as well as words, and I do think it was very interesting to see. I was impressed to see how minor characters from the past had a complete personality even when they were only on page for maybe one chapter at the time. I more than once thought character X was going to become very important, only for them to never appear again. How they became so vivid in the span of a few paragraphs is beyond me and I think the author really did a great job there.

It's always hard to realize a book is not for you when everyone 5-stars it, and especially it being casually queer I really wanted to love it more than I did, but the truth is while I enjoyed some parts I kept feeling like there was something wrong with me for not caring about it or not seeing what everyone else is seeing. I do want to keep an eye on the author but this unfortunately fell short for me.

I often feel that novellas leave me wanting more, but Vo has been able to create a story that comes full circle as Rabbit tells her story of servitude to an Empress to a cleric and their bird. The ending chapter packs as we learn why the new empress is so important to Rabbit and the power and strength women possess. As I read this, I visualized the cover of the children’s fantasy, Where The Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. It was in that book the power of Chinese fantasy. The lush richness of that cover art so well illustrates the great storytelling power of The Empress of Salt and Fortune.

This was one of those types of novellas that I really enjoyed but that also felt like not quite enough. I really loved seeing how things got to the end that had clearly occurred but just wish there was a little more time spent exploring things and less time jumps going on that glossed over events. This could have easily been made into a full length novel.

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.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune wasn't a bad story; it just wasn't a developed enough one for me. My impression upon finishing this novella—"...that's it?"—remains my lasting impression of this novella as a whole. In other words, I was underwhelmed.

I want to say that I found this underdeveloped because it was so short, but that would be doing a disservice to all the short fiction I've recently read that has been excellent despite, and even because of, its length. The Empress of Salt and Fortune had all the bones of a compelling story: a world based on Asian history and mythology, a story-within-a-story narrative, a focus on the inner workings of an empire from a female perspective. Sadly, though, these facets just didn't come together for me; the compelling parts didn't cohere into a particularly compelling whole, here. The characters, especially, felt insubstantial, lacking definition. What little character development they had was confined to their roles, and to the attendant set of qualities you would expect them to have based on those roles (handmaiden = self-effacing, unassuming; empress = bold, self-assured). It was characterization that felt more uninspired than anything else, producing characters that were less fleshed out and complex and more archetypal and one-note.

The plot, as well, only made my issues with the one-note characterization more glaring. It was a fairly traditional, linear plot, moving in exactly the direction you would expect it to move in. That is to say, it's a plot that ends very conservatively, so much so that I was a bit baffled when I got to the ending because I didn't think that the author would go in such an unexpected, and frankly underwhelming, direction.

Having said all of that, I don't expect every story I go into to be ground-breaking or insanely innovative; I love me some good ol' classic tropes (hate-to-love romances, found family, etc. etc.) from time to time. The issue here is that I didn't think the tropes in this particular story were as well-executed as I wanted them to be; for me, The Empress of Salt and Fortune was just one of those stories that were more compelling in theory than in actuality.

Although I did enjoy this book by Nghi Vo, it was a little too short for my taste. I would have prefered some more background and to get to know the characters better, because I loved the setting!

Was this what I expected? No. Not even close. It was so much more.

This was a short read packed with so much. This is a great example of what can be done in ~100 pages. This is something you have to think about, and savor, and should not read passively.

Recommended: yes
For a short read that packs a punch, for beautifully lyrical writing, for a story that emerges through clues and fog and whispers, for a surprisingly gorgeous depiction of a life through objects

Thoughts:
Do not make the mistake of thinking that since this is just over 100 pages that it is sparse in detail or not much happens or you would not have time to learn the characters. We get all of that and more, and in such an elegant way, that it's stunning to think how few times you actually need to turn the page.

The story is told by Rabbit to the cleric cataloguing the household items as is their duty. Each chapter begins with a spare examination of objects, and yet what's revealed in the items' descriptions and mere existences carves a story through time of the exiled Empress. From the very beginning In Yo told Rabbit to learn how to look from the side of her eye, rather than moving her whole head. The style of this story shows that she did eventually learn that lesson, as we hear the Empress's story through her past possessions and the words of another. Receiving her thoughts as understood by another lends a specific kind of warped knowledge of the empress; we know her, yet only as seen through the eyes of another.

Each set of objects also allows the progression to jump from moment to moment, highlighting changes and events that mattered most. There's no time for mundanity here. The mix of flashbacks, portrayed as stories Rabbit gives the cleric about each item, blends well with the current state by way of writing it as if it were an oral retelling. This keeps the timeline clear, with no jarring contrasts or abrupt changes.

You are left with some unexplained and ambiguous elements, like the lake's glow and ghosts and such around the magic of the world. Be willing to accept that you will leave with some unanswered questions. It's more beautiful for it's mystery, leaving you with a sense of quiet wonder.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a beautiful and whimsical new fairytale. I really enjoyed how the tale flowed, it was whimsical without being too flowery. I highly recommend picking it up!

I wasn't expecting this book to be so short, but I really enjoyed it, and I think the length was perfect for the story being told. This book alternates between Chih, a cleric who uses the pronouns they/them, and the perspective of Rabbit, a lady-in-waiting to the Empress of Salt and Fortune, In-yo. I liked the story-within-a-story setup, as well as the timeline. The Rabbit telling the story to Chih is an old woman, whereas she was very young while serving the Empress. I think this gave a certain depth to Rabbit's character, although of course she was not the primary focus.
Chih, on the other hand, while I really liked reading from the perspective of a character who doesn't conform to the gender binary, didn't have a lot of depth since they were essentially used for the reader to hear the story of In-yo as Chih does.
In-yo herself was such a great character, and I think that not reading from her perspective gave me a greater understanding of her.
Aside from the characters, the writing was simply beautiful and the story consistently engaging.

I don’t know whats wrong with me at the moment, I can’t seem to get into anything and it’s hard to tell if it’s what I’m reading or my own mood.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a good book and I do recommend picking it up if you’re interested in reading it. I did really love the writing , it’s beautiful. Despite that, it was hard to sink into. I wasn’t really connecting with it. I was reading it so that I could finish it rather than because I was wanting to and so despite it being a novella it felt long.

I’d still be keen to revisit it later though because of what I mentioned first off but on the first read it didn’t really connect with me.

“Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves.”

Original! Refreshing!

The cadence of this novella has a pure and lyrical quality. Reading it was like watching a traditional Chinese scroll unfold, the painting rich and nuanced.
And yet the story of a princess contracting to a political marriage, and how she rises to power is a far from traditional tale, even as the telling invokes that.
Told from the viewpoint of Rabbit, the handmaiden to the young exiled Empress, gives a distinct voice to the story.

A Macmillan-Tor/Forge ARC via NetGalley

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.

This was lovely. And fascinating. I have the feeling I’ll need to read it again to have even a shot at picking up everything there is to pick up from this tiny and perfect little story.

It feels like the creation of a myth – or the exploration of one. It reads like it’s a bit of hidden history – a history that has been suppressed and that, of necessity, will continue to be suppressed.

From one perspective, it’s the story of all the women who have been lost to history – all of the lost and the murdered and the exiled and especially the silenced. It’s a tale as old as time, but not one of the pretty ones.

It’s the story of a princess bartered away for peace between two kingdoms, a princess who is cast into exile and imprisonment when her days of usefulness are over. And it is all the tragedy that the scenario implies.

At the same time, it’s a story about not just fighting back, but actually about triumphing over one’s oppressors. About taking what are supposed to be the ruins of a life and turning them into something sharp and pointed and ultimately victorious.

It’s a story about being forced into the shadows and becoming the knife that strikes from the dark.

An empress is forced into exile. Instead of taking her exile in any of the ways that exiled empresses usually do, she finds a way to turn the tables on her oppressor – by gathering up the talents of all the forgotten ones in the land she will come to rule.

But this isn’t her story. Not exactly.

It’s the story of her faithful servant, handmaiden and secret lover. The story of the woman who befriended and enabled her, and who sacrificed her own happiness to make her rise possible.

So it feels a bit like a historical fable, in the setting of an Asian period drama. It also has something to say about history, how it’s written, how it’s discovered, how it’s preserved.

Whether the teller of that history is a ghost, a spirit or just one of those forgotten voices is left to the reader to decide.

But whoever is telling this story, or discovering it, or recording it, it’s beautiful and haunting every step of its way.

Escape Rating A-: It took me a bit to get into this, quite likely because it wasn’t what I was expecting. The story is not told in a straightforward fashion. Instead it’s dribbled out in little sips and small bites, as the former handmaiden – or her ghost or spirit – reveals it bit by bit to the historian who has come looking for artifacts to document the hidden facets of an all-too-recent history.

It reads like a legend, like a myth or story being told, with hints and oblique views and a lesson that’s meant to be inferred rather than explained.

There’s certainly a feminist bent to it if you look, as all of the major characters are female and this is definitely a story where the woman who was supposed to fade into obscurity instead takes control – and is extremely subversive but effective at it.

In the end, the empress creates her own myth, and we’re reading that myth as it’s told by the person who helped to create and shape it. There’s a lyrical quality to the telling that doesn’t so much grab the reader as insinuate itself into the reader’s consciousness.

Although this is labelled as fantasy, it’s fantasy of the mythic variety. It’s fantasy because it’s not SF and it’s not anything else – not because there is any practicing magic. But magic there definitely is.

A northern barbarian is sent south to marry the emperor. Once she bears a son, she's sent into exile with only her faithful servant at her side. But her story doesn't end there. Her story is just beginning.

Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves.


Oh. My. Goodness.

READ THIS NOVELLA. READ IT NOW. IT IS AMAZING.

I cannot even begin to describe how amazing it is. It's about the anger of women in a society built to keep them powerless, and how women can get away with literal political coups by using the very tools that men poo-poo as silly, frivolous things to rip power away.

It took me a minute to get into the story, as it's set about 60 or so years after the events take place and things were a little confusing at first. Cleric Chih is on a quest to uncover what really happened during the Empress In-yo's time in exile, and stumbles into the empress's former handmaiden, Rabbit.

While the main action occurs through Rabbit's tales of the past, the present is very much important.

However, Rabbit recounts her fierce bond to her mistress, and how their unlikely relationship endured through the years—Rabbit wasn't seen as a threat by the men in power and therefore was allowed to remain, but she was probably the most important part of In-yo's schemes because she was the most invisible of them all.

I absolutely adored In-yo, the "uncouth barbarian" who eschewed southern etiquette for practicalities.

In all fairness, she did a great deal of business from her bed, still in her nightclothes. In-yo used to say that if she were going to be doing this kind of business, she might as well be comfortable.


Anywho, it's short, feminist as fuck and very Asian. If you're into all of those things (in addition to fantasy), definitely check this novella out.

In-yo would say that the war was won by silenced and nameless women, and it would be hard to argue with her.


Do you understand?

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an early copy in exchange for a review.

I really loved this fantasy novella - the world building was better than most full length novels I’ve read in the past, the plot was so well thought out and the characters were fully fleshed out. This is a story I’d love to read in a full length (at least 800 page) novel because it was such a good book!

In this we are following a monk-like character called Chih (referred to throughout with they/them pronouns) as they travel and collect stories. Their order is renowned for remembering history and stories to tell others, and they bump into Rabbit, an old lady pottering around a house on her own.
Rabbit slowly tells Chih her story and her relationship with the late empress.

There are LGBTQ+ rep and trigger warnings for slavery, babies being taken from mothers, loss of loved ones and suicide.

I really enjoyed this novella. The story was interesting and the pacing was great. I would recommend this if you are looking for something interesting and quick to read.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo is a standalone novella set in a fantasy-tinged world based on imperial China. I picked it up because the blurb seemed interesting and also because it was a novella.

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.

This story is told in two timelines: a framing narrative set in the "present", in which a cleric, Chih, is investigating the titular Empress, and a series of flashbacks as Rabbit tells Chih about slices of her life with the Empress. As we gradually learn throughout the story, the Empress was pretty awesome, as were the people she chose to associate with. I liked the way in which the story was revealed in discrete chunks that furthered our understanding of the underlying story and the worldbuilding.

Honestly, the only negative thing I have to say about this novella is that I read it during the initial intensifying part of the pandemic (for where I'm living) and as a result I found it very hard to concentrate on it properly. I am pretty sure this wasn't the book's fault, since I very much enjoyed it when I was able to focus on it better. I think this will be one I'll have to reread at some point in the future. I feel confident that I'll enjoy it even more the second time around, for spotting the foreshadowing as well as my improved concentration.

I recommend The Empress of Salt and Fortune to readers who enjoy intrigue but don't feel like reading an entire epic fantasy trilogy for their fix. Also to readers who enjoy Chinese-inspired fantasy settings and/or framing narratives and/or are excited by the idea of war mammoths. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Vo's future work.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: March 2020, Tor.com
Series: No
Format read: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley