The Weeping Empress (Weeping Empress, #1) by Sadie S. Forsythe

May 01, 2012 Barbara Rayne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sadie is an incredible writer. I got drawn into Chiyo's world from page one and couldn't put it down until I finished.

The book started with Chiyo not knowing where she was or what was happening, and as I went through the same emotions, it had an effect on me as if I was there, going through the same situations. That created an emotional bond with Chiyo, which intensified as the story progressed.

I'm a huge fan of Japanese world, their tradition, and sense of morale and duty, so I was rather susce...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Chiyo Alglaeca was happy in her life. She was a mother, a wife with a nice home and then one day it was all gone. Chiyo wakes up in a strange land, in a time period long gone, and in the middle of a battle. She soon discovers that the fighting she does on the outside is easy compared to the raging battle going on inside her, that of missing her family. Finally coming to terms that she will never get back to the life she once knew she moves forward becoming the fiercest warrior there is.

This boo...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Hilola rated it 4 of 5 stars

4 stars. Although the story was mainly dark and depressing, and there wasn't even one moment to cheer the reader up, it kept me on edge wondering where it was heading and how this all would end for Chiyo. I could not accept or justify how she went killing people back and forth with no apparent purpose, but I felt downright sorry for her. I was hoping for at least some cheerful ending but no, there was none... But hey, there will be a sequel!

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Jun 18, 2012 L.K. Jay rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Oh my God, I'm out of breath! I have literally just finished reading it and boy, am I pleased I did. I started reading this yesterday on a train journey and I haven't been able to put it down since. If this isn't picked up by a publisher, becomes a trilogy, then films and sells by the truck load, then I'll eat my hat. Again.

'The Weeping Empress' begins with our protagonist, a normal modern woman called Chiyo wakes up in her pyjamas in the middle of a battle in what appears to be medieval Japan....more

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Sep 10, 2012 guiltlessreader rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, fantasy, reads-2012, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I wasn't expecting this! In a very good way! Review coming soon!
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Originally posted on my blog Guiltless Reading:

I know why she weeps.

The book in one sentence: The making of a Japanese folk hero ... from the future.

My two cents: Imagine being ripped out of your own cozy world --- in your pajamas no less -- and thrown into a totally different time. This is what happens to housewife Chiyo, a modern-day woman who wakes up to find herself in a middle of a life-death situation, in the distant pa...more

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Jun 13, 2012 sjm rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Chiyo Alglaeca, a modern-day wife and mother awakens in the midst of a battle. She is forced to fight for her life and discovers instincts and abilities that she never knew herself to possess. In a strange land, that bears more than a passing resemblance to the samurai-age of Japan, she finds herself the companion of two strange rebels, the foretell savior in a cult’s prophecy, and hunted down by the emperor. Her two rebel companions reluctantly allow her to accompany them and teach her sword fi...more Chiyo Alglaeca, a modern-day wife and mother awakens in the midst of a battle. She is forced to fight for her life and discovers instincts and abilities that she never knew herself to possess. In a strange land, that bears more than a passing resemblance to the samurai-age of Japan, she finds herself the companion of two strange rebels, the foretell savior in a cult’s prophecy, and hunted down by the emperor. Her two rebel companions reluctantly allow her to accompany them and teach her sword fighting. Over time she becomes more violent and unrestrained, all the while struggling to come to terms with probably never seeing her husband or child again.
The weeping empress has a promising first few pages, the stage for a brilliant novel is set. The concept of a modern-day wife and mother being cast into an unrelenting vicious warrior-society is an intriguing concept. However, the Weeping empress falls short in several areas, and the plot soon thins. Early in the book Chiyo is portrayed as fighting out of necessity and instinct, but shortly thereafter, the reader will be astonished to see an almost overnight transition. In the span of a few pages she changes into a gratuitous killer, killing less for necessity and more for an apparent pleasure that it affords her. The two rebels, Senka and Muhjah are even less easy to fathom as there appears to be no definite reason for there actions beyond gratuitous and unrestrained violence. At one point their motives appear to be freeing the people from the emperor’s oppression; Nevertheless this motive falls through as the reader is never fully shown just how they are accomplishing this goal. And the showy and violent scenes of battle and gore begin to vastly overshadow any apparent motives they may have had. By the end of the book readers will find themselves hard pressed to remember, any of what Chiyo Alglaecea was in the beginning, all humanity is apparently stripped away, leaving a skeleton of fury and violence, that is truly terrible to behold.
The Weeping empress also has numerous problems with progressing the plot along; at many times the story becomes an amorphous blur of fight scenes and wanton bloodshed. At one point the book progresses nearly four years with little point of references for the reader. The mythology in the book comes across as contrived in many places, and many readers will have trouble accepting Chyo’s extremely abrupt transformation from mother and wife to ruthless killer, it speaks less of the hand of destiny’s interplay in her life and more of almost sociopathic tendencies. It’s not the fact that she kills but she begins to like it too much. One would imagine that she would at least feel a little remorse or possibly regret at her actions, but the emotional interplay of conflicting emotions is never shown.
The Weeping empress is not all bad, it does contain a few small rays of literary light that redeem the book somewhat. The Sacerdotisa, the religious cult in the book, are an interesting group of women. The author is definitely talented at providing visual descriptions with the written word. And the cover of the book is beautiful, providing a nice counterpoint to the text.
Overall, the Weeping empress is not an awful book just not a great book. The book would have possibly have received three stars, but I had to honestly ask myself one question would I read it again and the answer for me is, no. It’s an okay read, but doesn’t distinguish itself.
Disclaimer: Book was provided for review from author.

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Jun 28, 2012 Daniel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: from-authors

An intricate world of bloodshed, slaughter and demise brings forth a young woman named Chiyo Alglaeca. Waking up in an unfamiliar part of the world, Chiyo finds herself enclosed in a battle with unknown forces. She does not know who the hero or the villain is, she does not know where her family is and she does not know where to go.

The battle results in two energetic yet serene men with triumph and Chiyo, deciding that she has nowhere else to go, follows along. Chiyo has evolved throughout the n...more An intricate world of bloodshed, slaughter and demise brings forth a young woman named Chiyo Alglaeca. Waking up in an unfamiliar part of the world, Chiyo finds herself enclosed in a battle with unknown forces. She does not know who the hero or the villain is, she does not know where her family is and she does not know where to go.

The battle results in two energetic yet serene men with triumph and Chiyo, deciding that she has nowhere else to go, follows along. Chiyo has evolved throughout the novel by travelling with the two men overtime that are like brothers to her and transformed into a bloodthirsty warrior that shows no remorse to her victims. As Chiyo strengthens in terms of her form and skill, she becomes a companion to the two men who love to cause mayhem for the deceitful emperor.

The first part of this remarkable novel that I absolutely adored was how Sadie S. Forsythe describes each situation in extraordinary detail. The way the characters feel, appear and interpret situations is just one of many factors that highlight the theme of revenge. Forsythe has an obvious passion and talent for writing as she explores the life and experiences of her characters. They develop into confident and unstoppable beings that have a purpose in their world. I was constantly entranced into the world of Chiyo and did not want to put the book down for any reason whatsoever. The end of each chapter left me keen to continue and discover what happens in the next impeccable section.

There was a slight part of this novel that I didn’t find very appealing. It was the fact that whenever there were words in another language, I had to keep flicking back to the glossary to see what it meant. It occurred very rarely in the novel and was not enough to lose a star. The cover of the novel was also a little bit bland and does not give readers a reason to pick up the book. This was also not enough to lose a star because the content of the novel was outstanding and impressive.

Overall, the novel was a breathtaking debut and it left me eager for the sequel to come out (even though that will take a while). With the superb content that it has, The Weeping Empress is a novel that should be read by all people between the ages of 14+. Sadie S. Forsythe is an amazing author that should be renowned for the time and effort she put into The Weeping Empress.

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Jul 02, 2012 Nadja T rated it 4 of 5 stars

I recieved The Weeping Empress for free through goodreads. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to read and own it because this book is incredible!

The cover of the book doesn't do the book justice, because to me it looks a little bit boring. Therefore if I found it in the library or in a book store I probably wouldn't take it home with me. But The Weeping Empress is defenitely not boring, after reading the second chapter I couldn't put the book down again.

It's well-written, the characters are...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Harv Griffin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, reviewed

I’m a new Sadie S. Forsythe fan. Empress is not my preferred type of reading, but Sadie won me over completely with her superb narrative drive. She is a GrandMaster—excuse me, GrandMistress—at narration. This book should be on bestseller lists, if there is any justice in “this world.”

Now my method of dealing with time travel is to go all High Tech, get into Time Renormalizing Theory and Closed Timelike Curves and then cop-out by saying that superior aliens developed the technology which is beyo...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Scott Skipper rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: self-published

Imagine a modern housewife and mother wakes under strange skies, the last thing she remembers is having a glass of wine while she loads the dishwasher. When she is fully awake she finds that she is in the midst of a battle. Two samurai warriors are attempting to save a cluster of refugees from a larger band of warriors. What else can she do? She joins the fight.

Chiyo discovers that she is in Dashkalil, which is curiously similar to feudal Japan. The two samurai conduct the refugees and Chiyo to...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Simona rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have recieved The Weeping Empress by Sadie S. Forsythe (thank you very much, Sadie!) in exchange for my honest review.

I have started this book the same day that I recieved it. I was really amazed that the pages were really full of words (not like other books) and only after reading a few pages I have felt that I read much more.

The story follows Chiyo Alglaeca. In the beginning of the book she finds herself in the middle of a battle, confused and not knowing how she got there. As the action pro...more

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May 28, 2012 L.S. Fayne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, horror

I don’t really understand why, but I know this book is important to be read! It strikes a deep personal note. It’s personally enlightening.

The book is stark and pungent. It made me feel restless, recognizing that something was stirring on a deeper level than that which I understood. As I read on, I asked just where was this concept coming from, and where was it going? How the hell did it even get to evolve? It’s not just a book, or just a story. It’s a rousing. To personal anger or madness? No,...more I don’t really understand why, but I know this book is important to be read! It strikes a deep personal note. It’s personally enlightening.

The book is stark and pungent. It made me feel restless, recognizing that something was stirring on a deeper level than that which I understood. As I read on, I asked just where was this concept coming from, and where was it going? How the hell did it even get to evolve? It’s not just a book, or just a story. It’s a rousing. To personal anger or madness? No, but to something recognized by the primitive part of the soul.

I had trouble with the very first couple of paragraphs. In point of fact, I groaned. I read on deciding to trust in the author, and she delivered. I realized the reason for my problem with the beginning was that I didn’t find it very creditable. That was because Chiyo’s response was totally foreign to me. If it was me waking up as she did, my fight or flight instinct would be kicking in probably before I even opened my eyes! She didn’t rouse to any level of emotion until the solders roughed her up, and only then did she berserk. I realized that this was just a sleep patterning difference. It had nothing to do with the believability of the book. Different people would in fact, stir differently. Chiyo was simply lethargic upon waking.

I understand her “beast”. I would term it a berserker rage. Giving in to that rage, will give a person strength and push fear aside, allowing them to do amazing things. Chiyo was furiously angry and felt that she had already lost everything. This gave her the freedom to seek and cling to her darker nature. The killing allowed her to distract herself from all that she had lost, and give her an outlet to the anger. I understand the initial rage. I don’t understand its continuation. That’s okay. I’d rather not understand if you get my drift. She later felt betrayed yes, but she was already a killing machine. The betrayal was not an excuse to the killing.

I liked Muhjah and Senka, but never understood their madness. Senka needed to kill. Muhjah’s purpose seemed to be to direct Senka’s killing. It was shocking to realize their brutality, and still like them as characters. Part of that liking though was because of the way they absorbed Chiyo.

The concept of the Goddess was interesting. It wasn’t intrusive to the story, but did come across as real. I liked the relationship between the Goddess, mankind, and the snake.

The story was shocking in the careless way it portrayed killing. It was brutal and swift. It was deliberate. I have often wondered just how our ancestors managed this. It’s a fact that they did. Have we really evolved away from this? We still kill, but not so much with hands on, not so personally. I’ve seen the eyes of solders who have killed hands on. They come back different, dark. The term , “eyes of a killer” is true. They are never the same again. We see the nonchalant killing in the movies, but in reality, those who kill, rent their souls.
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Apr 26, 2012 Anna (Pocketful of Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is self-published but don't let that put you off. If you like martial arts, epic journeys, fantasy, anime and manga then you should definitely check it out. It brings it. It brings all the blood.

Chiyo is a ruthless killer. But she didn't used to be. She used to be a mother, a wife, presumably a friend, living in, we assume, surburbia. From what she describes, she was comfortable and happy. However, this book starts when she is thrown out of that world and lands in an unforgiving new o...more This book is self-published but don't let that put you off. If you like martial arts, epic journeys, fantasy, anime and manga then you should definitely check it out. It brings it. It brings all the blood.

Chiyo is a ruthless killer. But she didn't used to be. She used to be a mother, a wife, presumably a friend, living in, we assume, surburbia. From what she describes, she was comfortable and happy. However, this book starts when she is thrown out of that world and lands in an unforgiving new one where she is being rounded up like cattle by armed men who could have who-knows-what intentions. Even though she has no idea where she is, or how she came to be there, she fights these men as she has never fought before: for survival. And she never stops. It's like Kill Bill in here.

I really loved Chiyo. She is weak and vulnerable at the beginning, but after a bit of roughing up and asamurai sword training montage she is soon equipped to slash through soldiers with the best of them. Muhjah and Senka are the men she travels with who train her up, and they are very well-developed characters. Each has distinctive traits and they feel dangerous and unpredictable in their own ways. Senka in particular, with his silent approach and fierce loyalty, feels both a threat towards Chiyo while also being her best hope of safety.

The plot really makes you think. You put yourself in Chiyo's shoes and wonder how you would react; how could you cope knowing you had been ruthlessly torn away from everything you've ever known for no particular reason? And now you're being hunted by people you don't know or care about? The emperor wants to capture Chiyo because word has gotten around about this new stranger who is fighting her way through his men and people are whispering about her potentially becoming a new Goddess (their previous Goddess abandoned them some time before). Chiyo fits the prophecy for the new Right Arm of the Goddess and so she is suddenly becoming revered for something she knows nothing about. Chiyo doesn't care about any of this. She just wants to go home. I loved that about her; none of it ever goes to her head or fazes her- she knows who she was and violence is the only way she can stop herself crumbling because of it. She doesn't care about these people in this world or saving anyone from anything- she is no hero. She isn't moral or doing anything for the 'right reasons' because she has no reason to love this world that she was so cruelly flung into. She wants to get out of there and, if that's not possible, live the simultaneously violent and peaceful life she has acquired with Muhjah and Senka.

There is something beautiful about the way Chiyo finds that to completely block the memories of her previously cosy, motherly, nurturing life is to embrace the opposite; a bloody, ruthless, merciless one where killing provides joy. She becomes the best she can be, physically, at one point realising that she is no longer 'voluptous' and is instead 'all angles', there is no longer anything 'soft' about her- neither physically or mentally- no vulnerability or fear left at all. How could she have got there cradling babies and doing the washing?

There were only a few downsides to this book. One was, I felt, the lack of world-building. I can understand why Forsythe has done this, because it makes the landscape even more anonymous and disorientating and we as readers are put in the same position as Chiyo in terms of not having a clue where we are! But I like descriptions and details, and I would have liked to be able to envision things better. I also would have liked the Emperor, who sits up in his tower like an ineffective pig waiting to be slaughtered, to have been more evil and more involved in the story. He does order some pretty horrific things to be done to Chiyo, but I was still never really afraid of HIM. I feel like if I had been it would've added a whole other layer to the story.

Overall, I really liked this story. It was very original, and had a badass sword-wielding female protagonist who unleashes her inner beast. I am so excited for the sequel, as I am told her family from her old life enter the picture. Will she be able to reign in the beast? I'm not sure if she can...I hear once you get a taste for blood you don't go back.(less)

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Jul 17, 2012 Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads-review-books

Chiyo Alglaeca was living a happy with her husband Michael and their daughter Hannah. When she unexpectedly finds herself in a faraway land of Dashkalil with no memory of how she got there. She meets up with Muhjah and Senka on the road escaping the nyims wrath. Muhjah and Senka are drawn to Chiyo in ways neither can explain. Chiyo does not accept being helpless and tries to change her circumstances for herself and those around her. Senka believes Chiyo is Muhjah's pet project and limits his con...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Christine Keleny rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am going to try a different format to my reviews. I saw some else do this and I liked it for its simplicity. I could go to any section of the review to find out what I wanted about the book - thus saving me time. I am always looking for ways to save time. [Imitation is the sincerest for of flattery - right?] So here goes.

Genre: YA fiction fantasy

Synopsis: (from Goodreads) Chiyo Alglaeca was happy in her life. That is, until it was all taken away. Forced into notoriety, stalked by a mysterious...more I am going to try a different format to my reviews. I saw some else do this and I liked it for its simplicity. I could go to any section of the review to find out what I wanted about the book - thus saving me time. I am always looking for ways to save time. [Imitation is the sincerest for of flattery - right?] So here goes.

Genre: YA fiction fantasy

Synopsis: (from Goodreads) Chiyo Alglaeca was happy in her life. That is, until it was all taken away. Forced into notoriety, stalked by a mysterious cult, hunted by the emperor, and facing betrayal at every turn she clings to the only safety she can find: two enigmatic men and the sharp bringer of death, Salvation. The Weeping Empress explores the devastating effects of loss, the hunt for redemption, and the price of destiny. It questions the true meaning of evil and asks what monster is not also an innocent?

Things I liked: I like how the author made up a whole new religion. I assume it's a new religion. I've never heard of it and as odd as this religion is, I think I would have. I also like that the religion has no rules - as unlikely as that might be, and that the head of this religion is a woman. That the main character, Chiyo, is a strong woman. I like the epilogue too, but I won't say why because that will give something away for people who want to read the book.

Things I didn't like: Chiyo falls into this past time and easily develops a blood lust. Later on in the story the author explains more about this, but I think it would have worked better - been more believable if she would have put that explanation earlier in the story. It just seems out of place for a modern day wife, mother, and presumed employed female of the 20th century to fall back in time and not bat an eye at opening people up with a sword. I can understand her first battle - it was a matter of survival, but it should have really taken Chiyo a while to "enjoy" all the killing she does or at least have a reasonable explanation for it, but that doesn't come until later. I also would like to have seen why the bad guy - the Emperor - was such a bad guy. You just have to take it on faith that he is but it's hard to root for Chiyo and her killing cohorts -Senka and Muhlah - when you know nothing about why he is bad. I also don't get the logic of Kali, the Goddess that is the head of this religion, and why she is asking he followers to do what they do related to Chiyo - which is why Chiyo ends up as she does. Maybe I'm dense, but I don't get it. And lastly, the use of foreign words is make reading it difficult because most of the time Forsythe does not give you any context to figure out what the words means or a translation within the story. She does it on occasion so I'm not sure why she didn't do it throughout.

As you can see, I have more things that I don't like about it than I do, but overall, it wasn't a bad story, it just needs some polishing.

Rated: 3/5

Thank you Sadie for a free e-copy of this book.(less)

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May 17, 2012 Michael Griffith rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this book, but only because I was able to understand a lot of the Japanese concepts of the Samurai that are present throughout the book. This book is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for readers who like a rich and vibrant back story to give them insight into what is going on in the story. This book starts very sharply and not a lot of explanations are given for the actions that occur. The reader doesn't find out about any of the real back story until about chapter 3 or 4 of the boo...more I liked this book, but only because I was able to understand a lot of the Japanese concepts of the Samurai that are present throughout the book. This book is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for readers who like a rich and vibrant back story to give them insight into what is going on in the story. This book starts very sharply and not a lot of explanations are given for the actions that occur. The reader doesn't find out about any of the real back story until about chapter 3 or 4 of the book, and even then you don't have a really good grip of what is going on until about 50% of the book. I think that this book is much more of a following the character book as opposed to presenting a world and the people in it. By this I mean that this book is very linear and one cause leads to one event and on and on; where as world books are ones that give you an event, and then explain how that event works into the overall story of the world and how that effects the people in the world. Some people may like the more linear story lines, I don't as much. With that said as a story I think the book is good, there are some things that I think the author could have done to make it better but as it is I think the story is good. The writing style is very descriptive, with very little dialogue present for most of the book. The description that is given is very vibrant and well done but I think that it makes the book thicker and more dense than it would have to be.

One thing about the story that I did enjoy about it was the realness of it. Aside from the Goddess angle and everything involved in that, this book is a Historical Fiction novel, and I good one at that. The characters are very real, and by this they become effected by what they do, which is to honestly kill people, there is no way to get around that. It also shows how even the most innocent of characters at the beginning are not as innocent as the reader believes they are at the end and the most vile and evil villians have a reason for what they do and they feel that with their whole being that they are doing what is right. That makes the reader have to take a step back and figure out who really is the bad guy in this book, is there a bad guy in this book or are there no real good guys in the book. This element of realness does make the book better but does not redeem it completely in my mind.

With all of that said, if this book were considered Historical Fiction and placed in an actual historical setting then this book would be a 4 or a 5 imo, but with that said, I don't think that it is. I think this book is a Historical Fantasy novel, going light on the Fantasy here, and as such I believe that more background would need to be given in the story itself. I understand the linear plot structure and I think that it could have worked very well had only the author given reasons for what was going on in the story, or given more of a lead up story instead of just getting thrown into the book.

Out of all of the characters the one that had any real connection with was Muhjah, as he was along for the ride in most parts and did his best in his situations. That isn't to say that he is helpless or that he is to blame for everything that happens, but I do think that he would have been perfectly fine had he not been apart of the events of this story, particularly the growth and maturation of Chiyo. My reason for this is that even though he accepts her into the group first, his feelings for her never change, he is always the outside observer and does not get to connected with her in case she were to become missing and or happen to slow them down. All the other characters I couldn't connect with them, they seemed too distant and as one of them says, doesn't really care about anything that is going on except for living to see the next day. Not that that notion isn't important in the story but I think the author could have made them a little deeper than they were.

So, all in all this book was good, it has a lot of ways that it could improve but as it is I think it is good for people interested in Samurai fiction novels or simply Samurai stories(less)

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Sep 05, 2012 Oliver Prior rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of anime, swords, adventure and mystery

Shelves: teen, action, first-reads

Won in GoodReads First Reads

Mysterious woman joins seemingly innocent cult? Leaves life behind? Has no idea where she is?

Welcome to The Weeping Empress, a brilliant debut novel which has very high ambition but falls short in places. Okay, I admit, I was hooked, I finished it in under 24 hours, it was like all those awesome shonen anime mixed in one with an element of mystery and surprisingly decent characters. I do have an issue with the character design however, I feel Chiyo has this rich back...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Adele symonds rated it 3 of 5 stars

Chigo Aglaeca wakes up from her cosy life with her husband and daughter to find herself in another time and place and in mortal danger.

Muhjah and Senka help her escape after she has killed some of the guards trying to kill her.

They go off on an adventure which involves lots of killing.

She is proclaimed to be ‘the Arm of the Goddess’ that the people have waited for.

I was expecting to really love this book but unfortunately it disappointed. It took a long time to read because it didn’t grip me. I...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Sitt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Being a Fan of Japanese fighting movies and recently also into action video games like call of duty made it for me easy to follow the action filled novel. I am rather got used to this form and I might as well see that this novel will make an excellent playstation or xbox game which I would want to play rather than read. This way it is more graphical. I imagine to play in the novels heroine character Chiyo who is taken by a supernatural force out of her modern natural environment and placed into...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars

For more reviews visit my blog here: http://possessionofbooks.blogspot.com

Betrayal, lust, power, murder and blood, lots and lots of blood. This novel was absolutely amazing I literally spent the whole weekend reading it and now that I think back on it I wish I hadn't finished it so fast because I'm really not ready to leave Chiyo's blood-thirsty world. Chyio Algaeca suddenly finds herself waking up in an unknown location where she is immediately thrown into a strange but exciting danger, pursued...more For more reviews visit my blog here: http://possessionofbooks.blogspot.com

Betrayal, lust, power, murder and blood, lots and lots of blood. This novel was absolutely amazing I literally spent the whole weekend reading it and now that I think back on it I wish I hadn't finished it so fast because I'm really not ready to leave Chiyo's blood-thirsty world. Chyio Algaeca suddenly finds herself waking up in an unknown location where she is immediately thrown into a strange but exciting danger, pursued by a mysterious cult, envisioned by a beautiful goddess, prey to a psychotic emperor she clings and quickly learns from two powerful warriors to lead through the chaos that attempts to slowly but effectively destroy her. She becomes but a small pawn in life's deadly game.

Firstly, the writing style and technique of this novel was just beautiful and of an experienced author. Each chapter teleported me into a breath-taking situation where I experienced what Chiyo attempted to fight off. You can tell Sadie Forsythe has a deep passion for writing and most chapters kept me with the suspense I needed to continue reading. I sometimes found myself fazed and somewhat astounded by Chiyo's careless regard for human life, she made death seem like some elaborate and beautiful dance and was mesmerizing and enthralling to read about. Chyio was such a strong and courageous female protagonist who never once throughout the whole novel doubted her actions. This really added to the novel's overall feel and I think it was this braveness that made me enjoy it as much as I did.

The novel shifted various times within a chapter to different perspectives and this really helped in the understanding of what was happening and it was really interesting to see how various other characters thought but occasionally it got a bit confusing.I also think that the cover of the novel should be slightly more colorful in order to entice more people to read it. For me the most interesting part of the novel was the mysterious cult, they kept me on the edge of my seat and I was really interested in their customs and beliefs mixed with hints of deceptiveness. Two of the male protagonists who we meet early in the novel (Muhjah and Senka) were intriguing especially with their actions and their trivial care for human life and it's through these two characters that we see Chyio develop into an even stronger woman. These two male protagonists to me because sometimes indistinguishable and I sometimes had to re-read the dialogue to figure out who was actually speaking. The novel was action-packed, a refreshing change to what I'm used to and the ending was unexpected yet satisfying. There were many questions left unanswered in which I assume to be leading up to a much anticipated sequel which I would love to get my hands on.

Therefore In conclusion, this book was an action packed novel of murder, strength, the hunt for redemption and deceit.This is a must read for anyone who is looking for a new novel and I know personally that I am really excited for the sequel (even if it is a year or so away)

Also a big Thank you to Sadie for sending me a review copy!(less)

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Sep 08, 2012 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: goodreads-first-reads

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

One of the best things about these giveaways is you can try a new genre of book that you wouldn't normally purchase, without investing much more than your opinion on it. For example, upon reading the blurb of The Weeping Empress, I wouldn't have necessarily purchased it, as I have never read anything quite like it before. However, I was pleasantly surprised at what I found within its covers.

I have to confess, the...more I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

One of the best things about these giveaways is you can try a new genre of book that you wouldn't normally purchase, without investing much more than your opinion on it. For example, upon reading the blurb of The Weeping Empress, I wouldn't have necessarily purchased it, as I have never read anything quite like it before. However, I was pleasantly surprised at what I found within its covers.

I have to confess, the names had me a little up in the air. A handful of pages within and I stopped trying to mentally pronounce them as they were written; my brain decided to make up it's own interpretation of the words and it stuck to them. I think this was the best course of action for me, as the narrative felt a little stop-start when I was trying to read accurately, but I began to become much more immersed in the plot and happenings within it when I stopped focusing on this, and the whole thing seemed to flow a lot more

This book's main downfall, and the reason I am only rating it 4 stars not the 5 I would like to give, is it's lack of description of settings. People and events are described in a very vivd way, but it could have been set anywhere. There weren't as many world-building passages as I would have liked, and I didn't feel as if the place was entirely real, to the effect of the novel playing out more like a theatre production in my head - the settings were there but only the characters within the action were illuminated, as opposed to seeing it in a real-world scenario. It could have done with a bit of an edit too, I found a few careless mistakes such as 'she murmur' instead of 'she murmured' or 'many of the guards were surprise' instead of 'surprised'; the use of US English also irked me a little (being from England), but these are all minor things that can be overlooked thanks to the good plot.

I did enjoy the book, though I was indifferent to the plight of the characters (possibly due to a lack of understanding in their motives!). Not enough was explained about the how and why, which made it a little hard for me to be empathetic towards them. However, the fast-paced action throughout kept me reading quite happily, pulling me along at a reasonable pace; the epilogue was a very fitting and satisfying conclusion to the story.

An enjoyable read - I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who has the ability to go into a book with an open mind!(less)

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Sep 11, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: action lovers, romance haters,

[Reviewed after winning in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway]

So you load the dishwasher, have a glass of wine, a quickie with your husband and you fall asleep in his arms. Next morning you wake up, look after your baby girl and life goes on...

Right?

If your name's Chiyo, it doesn't quite work like that.

Chiyo Alglaeca wakes up in the midst of a bloody battle, centuries into her past with no knowledge of how she gets there. Desperate to stay alive, she picks up a nearby sword and defends herself, a...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Sean DeLauder rated it 4 of 5 stars

A reader, like the main character, Chiyu (whose name I pronounce in my head like the latter portion of an explosive sneeze), is likely to begin this story a bit disoriented. Here we have a perfectly normal woman in her night clothes inexplicably surrounded by the gristle and blood of broken bodies, soldiers in tunics hacking medievally at citizens, and two invincible warriors resisting them.

Holy beans! (or something equally, if not more profane) you think to yourself. Where on God’s green Earth...more A reader, like the main character, Chiyu (whose name I pronounce in my head like the latter portion of an explosive sneeze), is likely to begin this story a bit disoriented. Here we have a perfectly normal woman in her night clothes inexplicably surrounded by the gristle and blood of broken bodies, soldiers in tunics hacking medievally at citizens, and two invincible warriors resisting them.

Holy beans! (or something equally, if not more profane) you think to yourself. Where on God’s green Earth are we? How do I return to whence I came? Nevermind that. Let’s get out of here.

Chiyo obediently follows this same train of thought, linking up with fleeing citizens, the two warriors guiding them to safety. Pretty standard stuff that proceeds about as much as you might expect. Then, after all of their efforts, the two epic heroes do something shocking (a euphamism that with any more detail would be considered a spoiler) and at the same time we learn about a fairly striking prophecy. At this point the story takes off.

From this point on I enjoyed this story. Not that I didn’t enjoy the story leading up to this unexpected turn of events and important reveal, but this is the point where the tale entered fabled New Territory, piquing my interest as it had not before. Suffice to say, characters we anticipated might be archetypal and bland were abruptly not so. I’ll spare readers any further detail outside of this small tidbit: the title fits, as you might expect.

As an added bonus, I enjoyed the tidbits of scripture, or what have you, provided at the outset of each chapter, giving us an insight toward a prevailing religion and shaping the ensuing story. As a fan of Watership Down and The Shipping News, this can be a remarkably effective device if done well, and if the author is either studious enough to locate an appropriate quote, or clever enough to invent one of their own. Forsythe gets the nod on the latter (assuming the religious text she quotes doesn’t actually exist).

All in all, an excellent story that, once I crested that first mount of “where am I and what exactly is happening here and… oh! That was unexpected!” I cruised along to the wholly satisfying conclusion.

Why, oh why deduct a star, then? The missing star lends entirely to preference. There are several different styles of writing, and I tend to prefer tight narratives, where this story tended to offer descriptions that bordered on excessive, such as using two sentences to describe something where one might suffice. (e.g., “She couldn’t breathe. Her breath came in sharp uncontrollable gasps.” “…panicking and uncertain of what to do…”) That said, to each their own, and Forsythe gets full marks for all but the Personal Preference category, which is completely subjective, but something that weighs heavily in my opinion of a story’s enjoyability.

This isn’t a romp, or a happytime joystory full of girlish frolicking and adventure, and I think that is the story’s biggest strength. A good story is a convention turned on its head, and this story demonstrates some skillful acrobatics.(less)

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Jun 21, 2012 Tânia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, read-2012, for-review

Sadie Forsythe is a good writer, and it’s noticeable from the first page when we are confronted with an unusual story about an ordinary woman who lives a happy life alongside her husband and daughter, but who suddenly finds herself transported to an alternate reality in which happiness is an equivalent to struggle, particularly Chiyo’s struggle with her inner beast. Despite being interested in the course of the story, it took me a while to get used to because I’m not really into the Japanese wor...more Sadie Forsythe is a good writer, and it’s noticeable from the first page when we are confronted with an unusual story about an ordinary woman who lives a happy life alongside her husband and daughter, but who suddenly finds herself transported to an alternate reality in which happiness is an equivalent to struggle, particularly Chiyo’s struggle with her inner beast. Despite being interested in the course of the story, it took me a while to get used to because I’m not really into the Japanese world, in spite of being fond of games and movies addressing the concept of the samurai. What could have been a book taking the risk of becoming easily boring, it was enhanced by the multiple action scenes and the journeys in the company of three unlikely warriors, Chiyo, Muhjah and Senka.

What captured my interest in this book was the synopsis, particularly this one question: “It questions the true meaning of evil and asks also what monster is not an innocent?”. I was instantly curious to know how an author can balance good and evil in order to create this magnificent dance between the three main characters. And I have to say the author does so with such intelligence, almost subtly, I would say if we don’t take into account the few subtleties of these warriors. I was both surprised and shocked at how easily I accepted Chiyo, Muhjah and Senka by their heroic qualities as opposed to their darkness. The blood shedding became as natural to me as it was for them to kill their adversaries. The downside is I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, perhaps because there’s lack of background story. I would’ve liked to learn more about the enigmatic Senka. Sometimes his silence was annoying, but also a part of being an enigma. I feel like there was a lot left to say about the lives of these unlikely companions, and the book would have beneficiated from an in-depth exploration of their stories.

All in all, this book is different, but interesting, with a kick-ass heroine, a peculiar plot with a lot of action scenes and great characters. I think it could have been improved with more character development and descriptions of this strange world. However, that final touch in the end was nice, with a mysterious epilogue that leaves the reader in suspense.

Will there be a sequel?

Favorite Quote
“You know, when I was very little, I was afraid of the dark – afraid of what monsters might be lurking out there just past where the eye could see.” She gestured into the darkness. “Even as an adult I’ve always been uneasy in the dark, but here I’m sitting with two practical strangers in the dead of night under an unknown sky, and I’m not afraid of the dark. There’s too much else to fear, and it’s all so much more frightening than the mere unseen.”(less)

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Jun 10, 2012 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Autumn

Chiyo Alglaeca is living quietly with her husband Michael and her young daughter Hannah. Until one fateful night, she wakes up and finds herself in an unknown land. She encounters two warriors by the names of Muhjah and Senka and she decides to join them in their fight against the evil Emperor Kenichi. They can’t help but marvel at how she survives each ferocious battle given that she has no proper training.

Muhjah and Senka are not the only ones that notice t...more

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Apr 30, 2012 {eri} rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

There is no way I can surmise the plot of this story better than the synopsis above. The more I think about this story, the more I like it. Dragged a bit in places for me but overall interesting and enjoyable! The moral dilemmas and questions about power and religion that it raises are such good ones. Even as a fan of Disney princesses I relished and agreed with the authors assertion about the helpless female stereotype which the protagonist is not! (Read the interview here: http://en.paperblog....more

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Aug 12, 2012 Tara rated it 1 of 5 stars

I feel like I've been dropped into a Japaname cartoon. Never before have I visualized the characters as I've read this way and I owe it to the dialog. It is clipped and way to brief, and when a character speaks to the heroine, Chiyo, she responds way out of proportion to the question or statement. Very much like the drama-queen females of Japanese animation. I really had problems identifying with the characters in this story; their responses to situations were completely foreign to me. For examp...more

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Jul 31, 2012 R.M. Fraser rated it 5 of 5 stars

What an amazing unique story. I will tell you all that i fell in love with this book by the end of it, but let me give you an idea of what the story is about.

The story is of a woman named Chiyo. At the very beginning of the story she is thrown into battle with two samurai against the emporer's goons. It is not her time or place. She went to bed a modern day Japanese woman, married with a daughter, only to wake up in what appears to be feudal Japan centuries ago.

The two samurai are Muhjah and Sen...more What an amazing unique story. I will tell you all that i fell in love with this book by the end of it, but let me give you an idea of what the story is about.

The story is of a woman named Chiyo. At the very beginning of the story she is thrown into battle with two samurai against the emporer's goons. It is not her time or place. She went to bed a modern day Japanese woman, married with a daughter, only to wake up in what appears to be feudal Japan centuries ago.

The two samurai are Muhjah and Senka, highly trained samurai who live to disrupt the emperor and all the nyims who follow him. Chiyo joins them and is trained by them. As they create problems for the emperor in the name of bloodlust and rebellion, Chiyo is rumored to be sent by the Goddess Kali herself to save them and lead them into the future. Will she accept this new life and prophecy?

For me this book read just like an anime cartoon, and more specifically, a Manga from the 1990s. The way Forsythe describes battle scenes and how the plot unfolds is dead on for that kind of genre. I admit to having a great love for dark anime, especially Manga. Even better than that though, was the fact that the dialogue is in the authors own words. I don't know the japanese language at all, but i do know that most dialogues in anime cartoons are awful because of dubbing into an English translation. There is nothing cheesy about Forsythe's dialogue in this book and it makes it even better.

Although there are no crazy super-like powers that the characters in the story possess (at least not as exaggerated as one would find in an actual anime), there are some things that go beyond the sense of reality. In my opinion its good to have this aspect muted somewhat in a novel. But just like many animes do, Forsythe really takes a look at the nature of humans in general as a society. One chapter in particular dwells on this and it is done beautifully. Most action movies never get too focused on such things and its a shame. However, many animes do, and this book falls right in line with it. Its great to see because it makes the story multi-dimensoional. For all the action and mayhem there are still things to get philosophical on.

There were some minor editing/grammar issues along the way in the story. They were minimal though, and i attribute a lot of such mistakes to a lack of good editing. Its tough when you're an indie publisher, so seeing this occur as far and few between as it was isn't bad, and didn't really distract me from my enjoyment of this story.

Finally, the Alfred Hitchcock style ending was the perfect finishing touch to the story. It took me to a place I did nit expect to go, but once I was there it fit as though anything different would have been a disappointment.

All in all, I feel it is my duty to give this book a high rating. I am absolutely head over heels for this, knowing I will reread this at least a few more times in the future. If not for the minor editing mistakes, this book would be 5 full stars. Since lack of editing was present, I have to give The Weeping Empress by Sadie Forsythe 4.5 stars. Thank you for an incredible read! (less)

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Sep 06, 2012 Derek Broughton rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Perhaps I owe someone a bit of an apology. A while back, I had an argument with a self-published author who claimed that readers held indie authors to a higher standard than those published by mainstream houses. I disagreed. I have to admit that perhaps we were both right to a degree. The problem is, readers give authors a bit of a bye when their work goes through a large publishing house. It's the publisher's responsibility to see that the work is properly edited, and even when it's obvious tha...more Perhaps I owe someone a bit of an apology. A while back, I had an argument with a self-published author who claimed that readers held indie authors to a higher standard than those published by mainstream houses. I disagreed. I have to admit that perhaps we were both right to a degree. The problem is, readers give authors a bit of a bye when their work goes through a large publishing house. It's the publisher's responsibility to see that the work is properly edited, and even when it's obvious that the writer can't write, we blame the publishers, because their editors should have caught and fixed the problem.

So, in the case of self-publishing, I still maintain, we're not harder on the author-as-author, but we may be harder on the author-as-publisher! I will repeat my mantra: no author, independent or not, can afford to publish work that has not been edited by a qualified third-party. Which gets to the long-missed point of this review —

This is a fine story, and with good editing it would be worth at least 3 stars, quite possibly 4, but the editing (if there even was any) is tragic. It's not just the silly typos ("loose" for "lose", at least three times), they're not actually much more common than in many a mainstream novel. It's the use of sentence structure that is either, at worst, bad English, or at best, local idiom. It's the use of local trade names (hands up if you know what a "Sheila maid" is - and if you do, would you expect to encounter it in an Oriental-themed fantasy?). It's redundancy: "She hadn't recalled hitting her head, but she obviously had" - if you've done your job as an author (and she did!) you don't need to insult the reader by saying "she obviously had". It's the use of words and phrases that the author has probably used all her life, but are just plain wrong: somehow, I feel a Kimono dragon is just not quite as frightening as she intended.

All in all, I'd be happy to reread the 2nd edition, when a publisher picks it up, but I'm not likely to read another self-published Forsythe.(less)

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Apr 25, 2012 Xdyj added it

Shelves: o, fa, poc, rtw

I received it for free. Its writing style is a bit different from many other contemporary fantasy books e.g. the author tells more & shows less. Also there are some reference to Japanese stuff mostly in the first half. The ending is satisfying.

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Book Giveaways: 3-ebooks, Open INT The Weeping Empress by Sadie Forsythe	2	9	Sep 22, 2012 01:57am
Advanced Review R...: The Weeping Empress - 3 ebooks, open INT, ends 10/06	1	4	Sep 21, 2012 09:37pm
Book Giveaways: 3 e-books, open INT (ends 10/06)	1	4	Sep 21, 2012 09:12pm
Creative Reviews: Seeking reviews for The Weeping Empress	11	65	Aug 01, 2012 12:49am
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Barnes & Nobl...: Grab a copy of The Weeping Empress free	6	98	Aug 01, 2012 12:35am
Advanced Review R...: Seeking reviewers for THE WEEPING EMPRESS	13	69	Jul 21, 2012 08:14am

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