Um wow. This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time. This was a political fantasy that was so tightly plotted and so well paced that I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Tao's world building felt closer to historical fiction than fantasy, although the magic system was solid. Like if Lisa See wrote a fantasy novel. The themes and violence were much darker than I was expecting and I do wish I had a little bit more of a heads up on that. Excited to see what this author does next.

I am HURT.

This book was not what I expected at all and I mean that in the best way possible. The Poet Empress was an utter masterpiece. It was deep, emotional, tragic, shocking, and every single character was so complex, multilayered, flawed, yet real. When you think one might be genuine, they may turn ugly. The kind ones may stab you in the back. The nasty ones may turn out to be genuine. It was a book full of court politics...there were eyes and ears everywhere, each day may be the last and every moment a may be a matter of life or death...UGH I ate it all up.

The sweet innocence of children, the ugliness of power, the cruelty of reality and the heartbreak of the inevitable - every single aspect of this story was masterfully written. The backstories were brilliant and deep and I must say, throughout the whole book, I found I could not predict a single thing. Every time I thought something might happen, the story would flip a 360 and it happened over and over again. I still cannot believe after going through so much, our FMC Wei was only 16-17 years old.

It was a tragic story, and it reminded me of A Song to Drown Rivers in some ways, (I'm sure many of you know that is one of my my favourite books ever). Every time I read "Ma-ro", my heart would break all over again. I did not expect this book to make me sob like I did.

Thank you so much to the author Shen Tao for the ARC, this story was unmatched!

The Poet Empress will surprise you. It will, at times, terrify you. But Tao’s rich tale is multifaceted—it is brutal, yes, but also beautiful and full of hope and kindnesses both big and small. If you love court intrigue, creative magic systems, and protagonists who know that empathy is a strength and not a weakness, even as they are forced to make impossible decisions, this is the book for you.

Want a book that utterly tears you apart? It begins in the Azalea dynasty, with sixteen-year-old Yin Wei volunteering herself as a concubine to save her famine-stricken hometown, a sacrifice as much as its resistance. In a world where women are forbidden to read or write, she dares to learn anyway.

Tao’s writing in The Poet Empress is melodic as the magical poems in the story, verses imbued with the ability to hurt and heal. There are Blessings that bestow fruit trees and crops, wielded by those only if they are willing to, and everything comes at a cost… Inspired by ancient Chinese history, the story reminded me of the classical poetry I learned in school. I was both beguiled at the beauty of the form of poetry and the misery it could create.

The invocation of couplets paired with Tao’s meticulous craft of nature and animals in the story is sparkling, and her words tethers the perfect imagery of what it was like for Wei to journey in the inner courts. Surrounded by constant scheming, poison (!) and the fractious relationship with her betrothed – the cruel and dastardly emperor to be, Prince Terren, young and absolutely terrible.

The story is threaded with ghostly specters that explain why our characters become who they are. We begin to understand that humans are always inherently complex, shaped from circumstance and choice, deepened by love or loss.

Sometimes fate forces our hand despite wanting to be kind, because it’s the greater kindness of a much crueller fate - and so while Terren is objectively the big bad villain™️, his childhood story made him such a compelling chracter despite his flaws, unforgiveable as they are.

And it is as Wei says: “if everyone who suffered became monsters, the world would be overrun with them”.

An absolute masterpiece in storytelling, and I’ll let you laugh at my ugly crying! I think for someone who wanted to spend more time connecting with my heritage, this story felt like a bridge to that - it hurt and continues to hurt more, and it’s definitely one of my favourite reads this year…

(A quick moment for trigger warnings as this book has quite a few, don’t forget to read through them if you’re thinking of picking it up)

An incredible, kick-the-door-open kind of debut that will bring you to your knees and make you cry.

I’m a sucker for beautiful covers, and the idea of poetry completely caught me off guard. My first thought was that it’d be something like that scene where Harry and Draco practice dueling, but instead of waving a wand, the hero would be reciting poems. How wrong I was, and I’m so glad about it!

The characters were written with such skill, and watching their growth and transformation was absolutely fascinating. The worldbuilding? Chef’s kiss!

I’m not sure I have enough words to describe this book. It left a profound impression on me and is without a doubt the best book I’ve read this year!

Thank you to Bramble and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not expect to finish this book in one day, but I did. It was utterly addictive and impossible to put down. Every line is crafted with such care -- there's poetry in the prose. The world itself is beautifully imagined and the characters are fully realized and believable. I will be thinking about this story for a long time, and I already know I'll reread this book in the future.

Wow! This book had me hooked from the beginning. We follow Wei as she goes from being just a village girl trying to help her family and community to her competing to be Prince Terren's concubine. She is thrust into court politics and ends up having to go through more than she bargained for. She must harden her heart and survive the cruelty of the very prince she must get close to.

I loved the writing style to this book and the way that Wei was written. The ending could have gone in so many different directions but i can see why Shen decided to end it the way she did. The fmc has been through so much that of course she can't just forget about everything. She had every right to do what she did and, whilst she had to change and adapt, she stayed true to who she was.

Terren is cruel and the things he's done are unforgiveable but as we dive into his backstory, it makes so much sense as to how he became like that and, again, you can't fully blame him for shutting himself off and becoming angry with people/hurting them.

I loved the idea of poetry magic and i can, honestly, say i was fully immersed in the storyline the whole time. The way my jaw dropped at the ending (i don't want to give any spoilers so i'll leave it at that)... i needed a moment to just stop reading and get my brain to concentrate once again. This was a lovely debut by Shen and i cannot wait to read her future books!

Thank you for allowing me to read an e-arc for an honest review!

Where do I even begin??? This book was so beautifully written, the emotions were so visceral, the tension was sky high from the start, I had to put it briefly down with ~85% left because I was so stressed but then I stayed up late into the night to finish that last 15% in one go.

The Poet Empress walks the knife-sharp line between the man and the monster with thoughtfully balanced horror and compassion.

Yin Wei’s character is written so beautifully and realistically, it was easy to forget this was just a story and get lost in the narrative.

Shen Tao is exceptionally talented, and I can’t wait for this book to come out and I will be reading literally everything else she publishes

Please note: The content warnings at the front of the book are very relevant.
There is on-page explicit violence, gore, torture, death, and abuse. On-page described history of sexual abuse of a minor (not from a character's POV, and exact details are vague). The story begins with the main character and her family after they had to bury a newborn. Please proceed with caution if any of this is triggering for you.

A visceral and incredibly grim dark fantasy that left me with an open mouth at the end. I was so pleasantly surprised how much the author leaned into the morally grey cast of characters. Written like a true grim dark novel. I have found a new favorite author!

REVIEW | 5🌟 (all the stars!!)

The Poet Empress was incredible, brutal and heartwrenching. A story that will stay with me forever and one I could write poems for. It felt like watching one of my favourite historical c-dramas, where I did not want it to end and could not look away. A riveting, poignant epic fantasy debut that masterfully explores the price of power, survival and resistance.

When we first meet Wei, she is a 16 year-old rice farmer who unexpectedly enters this glamorous and terrifying world of palace politics, court intrigue and schemes. The way her character develops and changes throughout the years from a scared, young girl to a shrewd and strategic concubine is both heartbreaking and necessary. The cast of characters are complex and nuanced, in ways that will make your heart break, rage and shatter. Although there is no romance, the story explores many different, intricate types of love.

The plot unravels in a compelling way as Wei uncovers the secrets of the palace and the cruel prince she serves. Chapters are told from various POVs between past and present to portray Azalea House's cutthroat nature, where power can corrupt all and taint the most sacred bonds. I could not put the book down, especially during the climax. Shen’s writing is atmospheric, lyrical and immersive from the 1st line. I also appreciated all the Chinese culture woven in, through the language, food and setting.

The magic system is incredibly unique and meaningfully reflects Tensha's societal structures. In a world where only men are allowed to read, only they can wield power through literomancy/poetry magic. Even then, men of lower status also do not have the means to learn. As Wei gradually learns how to read, her quest to survive becomes a powerful and widespread act of resistance.

°°°
⚠️ It is a heavy story so please check the content warnings‼️ Definitely one of my top reads of the year and I'm so excited for everyone to pick this masterpiece!

Thank you to Netgalley, Shen Tao and Tor for the digital ARC 🩷

🗓️: January 20th 2026

This is a gorgeous, heartbreaking story that digs deep into concepts of morality and duty, and is set mostly within the confines of an Ancient Chinese-inspired imperial palace. The court intrigue elements are immaculate, from the concubines scheming against one another, to the brutal yet conflicted war for the throne between the princes. The worldbuilding is so unique; magic is used and distributed in the form of poetry blessings, a facet of power withheld from the nation’s women (along with literacy). This story is both brutal and heartfelt, and Tao does a wonderful job of incorporating a number of gut-wrenching elements in an often delicate and subtle way. I love the way it dealt with ethics and humanity—what does it mean to become a monster? And what choices would we make to protect those we love, even if those choices could make us monstrous?

It was easy to root for Wei, a poor villager looking to change her fate by defying the conventions that bound her. She’s both smart and ruthless, but also has a deep empathy for others that has been carved from loss. Very few characters in this book exist in a clear good/evil divide. Everyone is morally questionable in a way, relying more on their goals, power, and duty than any overarching concept of goodness. There are so many different shades of grey, and it makes the characters incredibly realistic and sympathetic. All I will say about the ending is that it was so satisfying!

I’m grateful to have received an ARC of this book and I can’t wait to get a hardcopy when my pre-order arrives. This is a haunting and emotional debut, and one that will linger with me for a long time after reading.

The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
Recommendation: No amount of yeses will ever be enough, I’ve found my favourite book!
Review: “And even the Ancestors know that women have long been starved for power.”

Our heroine Yin Wei, of only sixteen, ventures on a journey to become a concubine to save her family from famine. Little did she know, that begging for a chance at selection would lead her to a life at Prince Guen Terren’s mercy.

Cruelty is etched in every crevice of the house of the Azalea. At the hands of Prince Terren. The other concubines. The power hungry court. The mothers.

Your heart will ache, it will twist and it will fill with rage.

The only way she can save herself and her nation from this wretched cruelty is by writing a forbidden poem to kill the man she hates. And the only way to do so? is that it must be written with love.

You’ll be left gasping for air and left pondering until the end. Does she succeed? Can she succeed?

I. love. this. book.

How do I even begin to explain in words that this book feels like it was written for me? It feels like I have been yearning my entire life for a story like this and I have finally found it. On one hand, I couldn’t stop reading and then on the other, I did not want it to end. Now that I’ve finished it and had a couple of days to sit with it, I realised I’ve found it… My favourite book.

Thank you again to Shen Tao, @torbooks @brambleromance for my @netgalley eARC.

This was absolutely amazing. I can’t believe it is a debut. I cried at the beginning, at the middle, at the end. Woke my husband up exclaiming “holy sh*t!” several times as I was reading, haha.

Following a peasant girl named Wei who was selected as concubine to the future emperor during a period of famine, this story takes you on a twisting path of political intrigue and what it means to really love something.

The prose was amazing. It’s written almost like a familiarly worded letter, as if an old friend is telling you their story, but the imagery was so evocative while still being concise and clear to the point. Oftentimes I find books veer to either side: either too weak to really imagine anything or overwrought to the point of misunderstanding. This one hit the perfect balance.

Loved the world building as well! Usually I am not a huge fan of fantasy worlds heavily based on our own, as there isn’t much work done to establish any real differences that would come from being a fantasy setting, but the integration of magical elements with Chinese culture was absolutely top notch. The way magic permeated the society and political system was incredibly well done.

If you like morally gray characters, this is your book. Everyone has so many facets to their desires and motivations, I was entertained the entire story. None of the characters felt flat or one dimensional, even the ones with very small parts in the story, because the dialogue felt so natural.

Hands-down one of my favorite books of all time. There are not enough stars to express how much I loved it! The Poet Empress made me swoon and cry (multiple times) on an emotional rollercoaster as I stayed up all night dying to know how Wei’s and Terren’s stories would end. An epic fantasy/romantasy that reminds me of Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses with the driving plot centered in a cruel, unjust world but with the lush, beautiful prose and worldbuilding of Sue Lynn Tan’s Daughter of the Moon Goddess. I absolutely loved it and can’t recommend this book and author enough, but fair warning–you will get a serious book hangover! I haven’t been this emotionally invested in a book and character since Katniss’s journey in The Hunger Games–these are the kinds of impossible dilemmas that The Poet Empress puts the main character (and you) through! More below…

Shen Tao’s debut hooked me from the first line as Wei buries her baby sister in the dirt–the desperation of her family’s poverty in a rural, peasant village motivates Wei to do anything to help her family, even offer herself up as concubine to a murderous prince. In a world where literacy and poetry hold the power to seed a starving nation or destroy it, to create life or kill, Wei is powerless and illiterate because reading and writing are forbidden to women. Her only ambition when she offers herself to the prince is to save her family and give her younger brother a chance to go to school and learn to read to better himself. Yet as Wei is thrust into the dangerous and increasingly cruel politics and schemes of the imperial court, the author puts Wei in impossible situations, constantly returning to the question of whether power is gained through kindness or brutality. Her courage is unmatched as she dares to do the forbidden: not only learn to read, but master the poetry magic that could save the nation.

I can’t say enough about this book’s character-building, not just for Wei, but for Terren, the prince whose appetite for violence makes him the undeniable “villain.” Yet despite that…I found myself rooting for Terren even as I hated him. The author’s ability to weave in Terren’s backstory made me just as conflicted as Wei. Terren is the most richly nuanced villain I’ve ever read. Because of how much you want to root for both Wei and Terren, the ending of the book is an emotional maelstrom! Shen Tao’s writing leaves you unsatisfied only because it awakens a fierce appetite for more books of this caliber. If I had one wish right now, it would be that I could read this book all over again and lose myself in the characters and world anew!

I don’t even know where to begin with this one. The Poet Empress completely shattered me in the best way possible. Shen Tao’s debut is a gorgeously brutal, lyrical masterpiece that swept me away from the very first page. It’s dark, emotional, and utterly breath-taking, the kind of story that leaves you reeling long after you’ve closed the book.

Set in the waning years of the Azalea Dynasty, this story unfolds in a world where poetry holds power, and women are forbidden to read or write it. Wei Yin, a desperate village girl, offers herself as a concubine to save her starving family and suddenly finds herself trapped in the treacherous heart of the empire, surrounded by princes, eunuchs, and concubines who all play deadly games of survival.

Wei’s journey is everything. She’s not some untouchable heroine who immediately knows how to navigate court politics; she learns, stumbles, hardens, and grows in ways that feel so painfully real. Her transformation from frightened girl to something sharp and dangerous was both heart-breaking and empowering.

And Shen Tao’s writing? Absolutely stunning. Every line feels deliberate, as if the words themselves could cut you open. The prose has this almost quiet intimacy, like an old friend telling you a story over candlelight, and then suddenly it twists, and you’re gutted. The integration of poetry magic into the political and cultural worldbuilding was brilliant and felt so natural. You can feel how the loss of magic, the weight of class, and the silencing of women shape everything.

This book isn’t a romance, but it is deeply emotional. It explores love in all its raw, imperfect forms: love for family, for survival, for power, for language. And that ending? I’m still thinking about it. It’s haunting, satisfying, and somehow both cruel and kind.

If you’re drawn to morally grey characters, poetic magic systems, and court intrigue that simmers with danger, The Poet Empress is going to steal your heart and crush it a little.

I finished this book in a day, it pulled me in so quickly. The book is told from the perspective of Wei, a peasant’s daughter who somehow finds herself in the court of a dynasty in turmoil, and must reconcile her new reality of court politics and espionage and bountiful magicked feasts with the reality of famine and hunger she grew up with.

Wei’s personality ties this story together for me, and we grow and learn about the world as she does. Tao has crafted a rich and vibrant world, loosely based on the Tang Dynasty (I think??? I wish I knew more of the history, it would be interesting to see what the parallels are) but with poetry as a tool for magic (sick). The cruelty of the rulers is depicted graphically, some parts of this book are not for the squeamish.

I was left thinking about this book for days after I finished it and though it seems to be standalone I need more set in this world!! I’ve been converted to a fan.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tor/Bramble for the ARC

This is one of those books that when you finish, you just want to sit quietly and feel sad that the journey is over. I finished this book in one sitting, I just couldn't put it down. Following along with Wei Lin and watching her adapt to life in the palace, learning more about Terren, and seeing everything come together in the end was so enjoyable! Highly recommend this book.

Sublime. Against a lush, poetic rendition of ancient China, Tao unfurls a breathlessly sweeping and brutally romantic historical epic woven with themes of feminism, courage, and morality. Powerful and poignant, THE POET EMPRESS is one of my favorite recent reading experiences.

I devoured this.

A page turner full of poetry magic, vicious politics, and a village girl you'll root for. It's a darker historical fantasy about survival and power — in a world where women are forbidden from reading, literacy is power.

The characters are all complex, multi-faceted and shaped by their circumstances. Wei's transformation in particular is very realistic.

Highly recommend for fans of The Poppy War.

I loved this. It was so well written and kept me emotionally invested - figuring out the character motivations along with Wei, as well as her character growth (that ending!), along with the rich mythology and magic system (I love the concept of literomancy). Will be easy to recommend to customers.

This was brutal to read but very good. One of the best new fantasy books I’ve read in a while. And it’s a standalone! (as far as I know, it felt complete)
The plot and pacing kept me interested the whole time but this is about characters more than anything. I love complex character building and this was exactly that. Also I cried multiple times.
I highly recommend this one with two important notes — 1) do check trigger warnings because some of this gets heavy. 2) this is NOT A ROMANCE. Take it OFF the romantasy lists please.