The Poet Empress

by Shen Tao

TO KILL A MONSTER, SHE MUST BECOME ONE . . .

As the emperor lays dying, the once-great Azalea Dynasty plunges towards civil war. While its princes plot for power, a more hidden war - to become the next empress - occupies the imperial court.

Wei Yin - peasant girl turned concubine to the cruel Prince Terren - has already endured unimaginable suffering. Ripped from her family, she has no title, no allies, and no escape. But she does have a secret . . .

In the shadows of the palace, surrounded by enemies, she is learning a skill forbidden to women. Because when words are weapons and poetry holds an ancient magic, the fate of a girl - and a nation - can both be rewritten. All she has to do is compose the perfect poem - a tale so powerful, it can kill any man, even the next emperor.

The epic political arena of The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang meets the intimate tragedy and luscious language of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller in this sensational debut novel by visionary new talent Shen Tao, unmissable for die-hard genre fans as well as readers of literary fiction looking to make their first foray into fantasy.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction, Adult, Fiction, Romantasy, Historical

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2026

About the author

Shen Tao immigrated to Canada at an early age, and grew up inspired by both Chinese and Western stories. She has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. The Poet Empress is her first book.

Reviews

[Yun · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Everyone believes their own cause is noble."
"Then may everyone do what they must to win."

Epic, beautiful, devastating—I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that The Poet Empress might just be the best historical fantasy I've ever read. And it's possible my heart may never recover.

It feels like I've been waiting all my life for this story. When you're raised on Chinese mythology, imperial dramas, and Zhang Yimou films, it's only natural to want more and better. And before anyone points me to Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I confess I craved something a little more contemporary (and a little less intimidating). So of course along comes Shen Tao to deliver everything I've ever wanted, right in her debut.

From the first page, I knew this was going to be something special. The writing is so sharp and vivid, it immediately drew me in to Wei and her plight. To be hungry and poor is her destiny and the destiny of everyone in her village. So when the opportunity arises to be concubine to the crown prince himself, what could Wei do but reach for it with both hands. She understands that to gain anything, she must first suffer. And so starts her journey into the scheming, treacherous Inner Court of the Azalea House.

So long as I was never hungry again, they could do to me anything they pleased.

What follows is a tale brimming with so much strength and resilience, and so much hope. I love strong female characters, and Wei is exactly that personified. She faces so much hardship, yet through sheer determination and cleverness, she overcomes it again and again. To cheer for Wei is to cheer for all the stories out there about little girls conquering insurmountable odds to bring nations and dynasties to their knees, and I'm so there for that.

I think one of the things that makes this story so riveting is that there is so much on the line. There is danger and death around every corner, and Shen Tao doesn't shy away from bringing the darker elements onto the pages. I often complain about low stakes ruining a story, so it's thrilling to read a book where the stakes are so high and the cost of failure so unthinkable that my heart was in my throat the whole time.

But Wei isn't perfect. In fact, no character in here is. And the exploration and revelation of every hero and every villain's good and evil is one of the most interesting aspects in this story. There are no good paths on the road to victory, only agonizing choices, so to lose bits and pieces of one's heart and soul is but a foregone conclusion. And this nuanced and complex characterization is at the center of this immersive tale's appeal.

It's also worth mentioning that this is a standalone, which I am a huge fan of. At a time when the fantasy genre tends to embrace ever longer series, it's refreshing to come across a book where the entire universe and narrative arc is kept to less than 400 pages. It means that the writing must be sharper, the plot tighter, and the resolutions more swift and satisfying. That's not to say I would mind if Tao ever decides to add to this story with a sequel, but it isn't necessary because everything is already wholly contained.

When it comes to fantasy, the one thing that makes me a little hesitant to go in is always the worldbuilding. You're just never sure what you're going to get. Will you slip right in seamlessly, or will you be spending hundreds of pages mired in the weeds before anything interesting even begins? Well, no fears here, my friends. We slip right in to a world where the rules of magic and poetry rein, but it feels as effortless as if it were our own.

But in order to enjoy this book, you do need to go in with the right expectations. First and foremost, there are parts of this story that are extremely dark. When you think about it, you can't have a tale about war and famine and suffering through the eyes of a concubine without it veering in that direction. There is abuse in all of its forms, and while it isn't gratuitous, it is present on the pages. For the right reader at the right time, that suffering adds to the authenticity and emotional resonance of the tale, but it isn't for every audience.

Secondly, in a publishing world where romantasy is the genre de rigueur and every conceivable story is implied to be one, this isn't it. This isn’t some sort of slow burn enemies to lovers, if you only waited long enough; this is enemies period. There is no romance in here whatsoever, only historical fantasy. All you readers who enjoy your fantasy with a big heaping pile of romance, you have been warned.

Sometimes I feel like what I think I want as a reader and what I actually want are two completely different things. I think I want cozy and easy, to just float on a bubble of happiness through a book. But what I actually want is to be put through the wringer, to step all over broken glass, and to feel my heart ripped out and broken and made anew. After all, what is the point of living if not to feel, what is the point of reading if not to be swept away on a tide of emotions so intense, it makes real life pale in comparison?

And so The Poet Empress achieves all that and more, coming in and completely trampling my heart and mangling my emotions. I have no doubt this fierce, lush, breathtaking story will stay with me for a long, long time.

"What is the point of suffering if we have nothing to gain?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧

[Jaime Fok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guys, this is my new A Song to Drown Rivers OMG you must read this IMMEDIATELY when it comes out!

Such a brutal, tragic but beautiful story. It’s a different type of a story where instead of getting lots of action & complex plot, we instead do a dive into the past and dig into the upbringings of certain complex characters in the story.

It’s one of those stories that will have you feeling conflicted feelings about everyone throughout (which is personally my fav type of book). You need to give this one time to cook, and when it cooks, it’s SO GOOD.

[Emily May · Rating 5 out of 5]

"So you see now, Lady Yin, power is such a wicked thing. Razing everything in its path, consuming all, leaving none untouched. Not even the kindest of souls among us are spared, once they have had so much as a taste."

THIS IS NOT ROMANTASY.

In fact, this confirms what I had already suspected— that some quality fantasy novels are being buried under the Romantasy label. The Poet Empress is full of complex characters (including villains who are not allowed to be merely villains), court intrigue, plotting and backstabbing, and dark themes like child sexual abuse, gruesome violence and torture. It is not a romance novel in any way.

And I absolutely could not put it down.

I know you should give all books a few chapters, a fair chance, to grab you, but it is truly so nice when one grabs you immediately as this one did. Straight away I knew Wei was my kind of character and straight away I became invested in her story.

Living in an impoverished village torn apart my famine, when Wei sees an opportunity to become concubine to the prince and heir she does not hesitate. Even though the prince's cruelty is legend. Even though it means leaving her family and entering a nest of vipers in the palace's Inner Court. There, power is currency, and everyone is out to get it no matter what they have to do or whom they have to hurt.

Wei forges alliances and makes powerful enemies, but what makes it so compelling is that these are all characters with depth— the allies have their own ulterior motives, and the enemies are never one-dimensional. Even the most egregious villains are multilayered to the point that it is not so easy to assign blame, and arguably any outcome would have felt bittersweet.

The magic system— literomancy, or spells written as poems —was captured well and very exciting for a bibliophile like myself. A major theme of the novel is how women and girls are excluded from education and literacy, and this particular kind of magic adds an additional layer to their repression, limiting their power, which is of course the whole intent of limiting women's education.

If anything is lacking, I would say that the world of the novel feels a bit vaguely-sketched and in the background. No map is provided, and I felt like I did not have a clear picture of the lands mentioned. But I am not rating down on this because it is not a dealbreaker for me. I prefer stories about character drama and court intrigue anyway.

So, to reiterate: it is definitely not a romance. But don't let that make you think it is devoid of passion, urgency or emotion. It is a breathless and poignant read that I can't stop thinking about.

[Kaila.Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need time stare at a wall and I’ll come back to write a review. GEEZ.

[Greekchoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felt like chewing broken glass. 5 stars. Oh my god.


Please note that I work for Macmillan but opinions are my own. I am not involved in book production.

[MagretFume · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very reluctant to read this one because of the title. I  might be prejudiced, but it felt really "generic romantasy". 

I was very wrong, it was anything but. 
It's absolutely not a romance and it's a rather low fantasy setting.

But this is one of the strongest character work I've read in the last years. It is not an easy read, and it dives into a lot of difficult subjects, but it is absolutely worth it. 

I listened to the audiobook version and the narrator was absolutely perfect. She added great rythm and empathy to the story. 

The plot and court intrigue are excellent, but most of all, it's the development of the characters over the course of the story that will stay with me. Their feelings, the horrors they go through, their motivations, and every thing that make them what they are. 

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio for this ARC!

[Nancy •͙͙✧⃝•͙͙✩ͯ {Ramadan hiatus} · Rating 4 out of 5]

──⟡⋆˙✩ 4.75 stars ✩ ⋆˙⟡──

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ 𝙒𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙, 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝙎𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤, 𝙨𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙. ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

     I thought the ending was going to be heart-wrenching. I was wrong. The entire book was heart-wrenching. From start to finish. It’s so painful it manifested as heartache. I teared up, cried, sobbed. I screamed into my pillow.

     “Just stop. Stop this,” were my pleas.

     Objectively, this book is a masterpiece. Objectively, once I split open the skin of my chest, dig my heart out, and bury it in a grave, when I can read this book without sentiment weakening me, I admit it. I can see why the average rating for this book is so high.

     If the last twenty pages of this book did not exist, this would have been a six-star read for me. Yes. This book really is that good.

     But I’m never objective when reading, rating, or reviewing a book. I drag my feelings into everything. I rate based on how I feel. I write my feelings down. And right now, my precious feelings are telling me to bury this book and burn the world down.

     You know that feeling of not really being in your own body? Everything feels distant. And you are so, so lost.

     I don’t know… I don’t know anymore. I should stop crying. Who knew I was capable of this many tears? It hurts. It hurts. It really does. This is the second time I’m sobbing while writing a review. I’m such a joke. I don’t know how to make you understand that this book fucking hurt.

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹✦⊹˚₊𐙚⋆

I’ll be back to write the full review after I’ve… calmed down a little.

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹✦⊹˚₊𐙚⋆

     ✦Okay✦

     The rest of this review is going to be fully devoid of feelings, because that is the only way I will survive this.


. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁ . ⊹ ₊ ܁.. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁ . ⊹ ₊ ܁.. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁ . ⊹ ₊ ܁.. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁ . ⊹ ₊ ܁.. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁ . ⊹ ₊ ܁.. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁


𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕀𝕤 𝔸𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥: ℕ𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕪 𝔼𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ᯓ★

     Yin Wei is a village girl who joins the selection to become a concubine of Crown Prince Guan Terren, even though he is known to be a cruel, brutal tyrant. He selects her, to everyone’s surprise. Every night she is summoned to his chambers. Every night he tortures her. Sometimes he makes her stab herself. Sometimes he forces her to drink muddy water. Sometimes he throws her into a barrel of starving rats. Sometimes he forces her head into a pond until her lungs burn.

     And as a village girl with no power, she is also bullied by others in the court.

     Eventually, she gets fed up and decides to kill him. But he is known as “The One Who Cannot Die.” The only way to kill him is to write a ballad of love for him, a poem so heartfelt it can only be written by someone who knows every part of him. And so the true journey begins. She is on a mission to uncover all his secrets. To find out what changed him from the kind, sensitive boy he used to be into this cruel tyrant.

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

     I wish she had never done it. I wish she had never gone on to truly know him.

     I am not like her. I have forgiven everything. Every bad deed of his. I have forgiven it all. Because the truth of his past? It’s too devastating. It eviscerated me. I could no longer look at him and see a tyrant. I only saw a boy desperate to be loved. A boy who only ever wanted to heal and protect. A boy whom the world failed again and again.

     Everyone failed him. I hope they burn and suffer for eternity.

     If I were there, I wouldn’t have stopped him. I wouldn’t have saved the world from him. I would have helped him set it on fire. I don’t care how terrible that is. I do not care.

     Wait. No. I’m supposed to be devoid of feelings.

     I’ve started crying again. I’m taking another break.


. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁ . ⊹ ₊ ܁.. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁ . ⊹ ₊ ܁.. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁ . ⊹ ₊ ܁.. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁ . ⊹ ₊ ܁.. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁ . ⊹ ₊ ܁.. ܁₊ ⊹ . ܁ ⟡ ܁


Yin Wei: If everyone who suffered became monsters, the world would be overrun with them.

     I am very angry at her. That is my personal feeling, and I shouldn’t bring that here. Objectively, she is an excellent main character. Very well-rounded. Complex. Her character arc was phenomenal.

     She starts as a village girl who bows her head and avoids trouble. Who refuses to kill someone even after they try to poison her. She is kind. And in this world, girls are forbidden to read, so she is also illiterate.

     Then she learns to read. She reads books. She realizes the palace is a treacherous place, that trouble will not avoid you and mercy will not find you just because you keep your head down. So she learns to stand upright. She learns to wield her power and make people fear her. She learns to scheme and frame. She learns to be wicked.

     Objectively, she is phenomenal. Subjectively, I’m mad at her, but don’t worry about that.

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

      Let me say this to those worried that this is a typical bully romance, where the male lead is an abuser but the female lead falls for him anyway because he’s hot. To those worried this book romanticizes abuse: you need not worry.

     Yin Wei is not like that. I say this as I howl in agony like an animal, because why couldn’t she just—nevermind.

     Also, the marketing for this book is quite misleading. The tags say “Romantasy” “Romance” and it couldn’t be further from the truth. There is NO romance in this book. NONE. Yin Wei and Guan Terren never have any romantic feelings for one another (they come to care for each other eventually, yes, but NOT the romantic kind). In fact, there isn’t even a spark of physical attraction between them. They are just two people who are married.

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

Prince Guan Terren: It was like he did not know who he was, if not someone who held a blade.

     I want to be objective. I want to harden my heart and tell you all that he is a monster. You know those books that promise a ruthless, terrifying villain and then fail to deliver? This is not one of them.

     He is far worse.

     The abuse he puts Yin Wei through is relentless. The author does not sugarcoat or romanticise it. Yin Wei never forgets about it.

     He cuts her, mends her, then cuts her again. Once, he stabs her in the chest and leaves her to bleed all night. Is it a surprise she hates him? And it’s not just her. Whenever he is in a foul mood, he kills someone. He cuts off tongues. Fingers. Sometimes for entertainment. Sometimes because he is angry and needs an outlet.

     He is, by all accounts, an irredeemable villain.

     This is what I wish I could say. Proudly. Cleanly. Without the pain clawing at my chest.

      But I cannot.

     I have committed a crime. I have fallen in love with him. I betrayed myself.

     Throughout all my years of reading, I have had clear boundaries. If he physically hurts her, cheats on her, or assaults her, he goes on my blacklist. Terren does not do the last two. But the first? He does more than enough.

     So why don’t I hate him? Why can’t I hate him? Why do I only want to hold him?

     Yes, he has a heart-wrenching past. And no, that does not justify his actions. Logically, I know this. If I were objective, I would know this.

     But my heart says otherwise.

     He is one of the most complex, layered, nuanced characters I have ever read. He is written so incredibly well that if I weren’t so upset with the author for that ending, I would go down on my knees and thank her for writing him.

     You may not relate. I’ve only told you the terrible things he’s done. I haven’t told you about his past, and I won’t. The discoveries hit hardest when you know nothing.

     Just know this: he was once a shy, sweet, quiet boy. He barely spoke. He flinched at loud sounds. He was meek. He had three toys, Tiger, Niu Niu, and Little Sparrow, which he carried everywhere. He loved his older brother, Maro. He loved the golden carps in the palace pond.

     The first spell he ever wrote was born from grief. He cried over a dying fish and wrote magic to save it.

⋆˚✿˖° That little boy on the bridge, the one who had refused to let a carp die—where had he gone? The one who had written his first spell to save a small and exuberant life? ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

     Stop. I’m crying again.

     At sixteen, he was so broken that he sobbed and begged his brother to turn him into a fish. Or a flower. Something nice.

     “If you can’t turn me into a fish,” he sobbed, “at least turn me little.”

     I will now go drown myself bye-






⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
        Pre-Read
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹

Apparently this is the new A Song to Drown Rivers? BUCKLING UP CUZ I AM READY TO GET MY HEART BROKEN FOR THE SECOND TIME

I have clearly learned nothing from my first heartbreak.

(ง ͠° ͟ل͜ ͡°)ง

Edit: You know a book is about to be DARK when the starting sentence is this

        "My sister Larkspur was the fifth child we buried."

[DianaRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

a favorite read of 2025🩵

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

the poet empress emphasizes the importance of literacy; literacy equates knowledge and knowledge equates power… those who are literate hold all the power.

i am completely blown away by this debut, so much so i had to double check that the poet empress even WAS a debut. full of political intrigue and betrayal, mental and physical abuse, i think the saddest character is (one of) our villain terren. when all you are taught is hatred and suspicion, that is what you become.

the scenes of him as a child with his toy friends broke my heart. he really did just love his older brother…

what a powerful way to end my 2025 reading year.

as for the audio, the narrator did a phenomenal job.

i’m beyond excited to see what the illumicrate edition looks like!!

——

next arc/alc combo💪🏼 very excited to dive in as i’ve seen this everywhere and it’s a pick for a big book subscription box

[Samantha (ladybug.books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Poet Empress reads like a slowly twisting knife to the heart. This book is vicious, brutal, and completely captivating. I am absolutely obsessed, and I need everyone to read this.

In this book, we follow Yin Wei, a young rice farmer from a very poor province who becomes the unlikely concubine to the heir to the empire. With her betrothal to the prince of knives, Wei is thrust into inner court politics, a succession war, and the magic of literomancy.

The Poet Empress beautifully explores the lure of power, the way that monsters are made, and what you would do to be able to say that all your suffering was worth it. It has some of the most breathtakingly complex characters. The story constantly unveils new layers to the characters in this story, making for a consistently engaging and heartwrenching read. I love the way that the events of the past were revealed throughout the story and the different perspectives we get on such crucial moments in the princes' lives. These moments add so much depth and complexity to the different characters.

There is compassion to be found in the corners of this story, and yet there is also so much brutality, unforgivable actions, love, and heartache. It kept me on edge the entire time as I was torn between all of these different emotions and hopes for the characters. It was the perfect way to depict a morally complex character, and I loved how the story constantly kept me guessing.

I loved watching Wei navigate the complex politics of the Azalea House. She begins her journey with such clear, pure goals. When she is confronted by all of the opulence and corruption in the court, she has to learn to move forward in pursuit of her goals. But the palace and its selfishness also change her as she spends years trying to survive amongst these people. I loved seeing her journey to uncover the events of the past that have led to the brutal succession war tearing the Dynasty apart, and what she chooses to do with that information.

This is the level of complexity that I crave in my fantasy court politics. The Poet Empress will be the book to beat for my favorite read of the year.

Thank you so much to Tor for the advanced copy!

Links to my TikTok | Instagram | Bindery Books

[fadheela ♡ (ongoing ME war hiatus)]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷・❥・𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀・❥・ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

⤿🏮22/01/26
forecast says I will be miserable after this book, pray for me to survive besties 😔🙏🏻
p.s. apparently the pain is worse than ASTDR, say less, I'm not ready 😃

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

”If everyone who suffered became monsters, the world would be overrun with them.”

i truly thought i would not like this book.. little did i know it’d punch me in the face and all i’d feel was pain. the magic system and the use of language and poems was very unique, the writing was beautiful as well. Wei is only a young teenager when she’s caught in the web of politics, unaware of the true harsh cruelties of the prince she’s soon to be married to. she endures torture repeatedly at his hands and still manages to hold her ground enough to move forward with her own goals. there isn’t an inherently “good” person in this entire book, nor does the story try to sway you into thinking otherwise. the emotions are raw and so very real.

”If I’m a star, then let me burn. Let me burn and burn until the whole empire is devoured, along with all it’s corruption, it’s villainy, it’s rot. Until this night is not remembered, nor this year, nor this dynasty. Until even history is buried in ash, and then maybe green things would grow again.”

prince Terren was one of the most complex characters I’ve ever read about.. getting to know him through Wei’s research into his childhood life and the people who used to be closest to him shed so much light onto why he’s the way he is. at the core of it all, he wasn’t always how he is now and that doesn’t excuse any of his behavior in the slightest.. but it does make you realize how broken he is. the love between him and his brother was something he cherished above all else and in the end it became his downfall. he’s also someone who experienced his own trauma, letting anger overtake any of his other emotions. the way this book ended was both devastating, impactful and triumphant. i am in awe.

➴ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Macmillan Audio for the alc, all opinions are my own.

[yuvi • semi~ia]

ʚɞ❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･pre-read *.ೃ࿔❀⋆ʚɞ
↠━━━━ღ◆ღ━━━━↞
oml the cover is STUNNING
guess who just bought this book😏😏😏
omg i've actually been dying to read this one for months.
the premise sounds right up my alley and i've heard that this is astdr 2.0?! Sign me up🫡🫡🫡

[rina · Rating 5 out of 5]

‎ ‎ ੭୧‎ ‎ 5 stars‎ ‎ . ۫

‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ “ maybe, buried heart-deep, i really did love him. not the kind of love a wife shared with her husband-that was not possible, but the kind of love one human could not help but feel for another when they had to pry away blades to find them. ”

overall thoughts — i fear this was everything i imagined and more!! i went into this book with extremely high expectations, being my most anticipated read of the year, and somehow shen tao not only met them but completely shattered them. if this book is setting the bar for future 5 star reads, i wonder if the bar is even attainable anymore.

from the very first pages, i felt that rare, exhilarating certainty: i am going to love this book. i loved it for its premise before i even began. i finished it loving everything, the story, the characters, the writing. the character development is so palpable, the story is painful, tragic, and emotionally devastating. my heart has been irreversibly damaged. it hurts to even think 🤕

shen tao's ability to craft such complex characters who commit cruel, devastating acts and yet remain painfully, deeply human is beyond impressive. i empathized with people i didn't want to forgive, i constantly felt emotionally conflicted—this is what literature should do: unsettle you, wound you, and leave you seeing the world a little differently.

everything about this book completely hooked me. i was so incredibly invested and could not put it down. the amount of sleep and sanity i lost, 😔 in the midst of my finals season too ??? this book is extremely similar to a song to drown rivers, but dare i say, much much better (coming from someone who adores astdr). the grief is 10x amplified and the plot is infinitely more devastating. also the plot twists and the state they left me in....sick and twisted...SICK AND TWISTED.

i have some very minor critiques, but they are so nit-picky and pale in comparison to the good i have to say, that i don't think it's even worth mentioning.

੭୧ yin weiㆍ“ it could be the greatest nation in the world, the most magnificent empire there ever existed. but if it could not keep its own children safe and fed, was it really something worth fighting to save? ”

yin wei is such a wonderfully written heroine. watching her wrestle with how much of herself she must lose in order to protect what remains is emotionally brutal. her heart never hardens completely, and that is both her strength and her curse. i was wholly and utterly invested in her story, her conflict between rage and compassion, and her pain. i felt every fracture of her heart as if it were my own.

੭୧ prince terrenㆍ“ turn me into a fish. or a flower. or a peach tree. if you're really sorry, then turn me into something nice. ”

prince terren is not a character designed to be liked. he is cruel, violent, and deeply broken. and yet, he is also terrifyingly human. shen tao achieves something rare here: she creates a character who commits monstrous acts, and yet forces the reader to confront the fact that monsters are often borne from pain, fear, and a desperate hunger to be loved. terren's relationship with wei is toxic, tragic, intimate, and devastating (*not romantic). i hated him. i pitied him. and sometimes, against my will, i understood him. he is not a simple character. as a reader, i never necessarily felt compelled to excuse him, but rather, i feel shen tao forces us to see him.

‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ “ it is true, he has suffered, but if everyone who suffered became monsters, the world would be overrun with them. ”

i adore how hauntingly the novel explores how love and hate so often exist side by side. to know someone deeply is to open yourself to the full spectrum of feeling: tenderness, rage, resentment, grief. the intimacy of truly knowing another person is what allows such extreme emotions to exist simultaneously. this is nowhere more visible than in wei's relationship with terren.

also, something i genuinely appreciate and respect about the poet empress is how thoughtfully it depicts and tackles themes of physical and sexual violence/abuse. one scene that particularly stayed with me is the portrayal of wei's dissociation during the examination. the numbness, the distance from her own body, the way her mind pulls away as a form of survival. these little moments seem inconsequential, but it showed me just how much the author cares & understands, and it's one of the reasons this story stayed with me so deeply.

please be very mindful of content warnings before reading.

final thoughts — i finished the book emotionally wrecked, heartbroken, and completely in love with everything shen tao created. i urge everyone to put this on their tbr's immediately!!! if this is only the beginning of her work, i genuinely cannot wait to see what she writes next <3

thank you to the author and publisher for the arc!

੭୧ㆍcontent warnings: famine, torture, intimate partner violence, sexual abuse, physical violence, murder, death

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

finished: 01/15/26
TAKE ALL MY STARS JUST TAKE THEM 😖 !!!!!!

pre read: 01/12/26
omg my most anticipated read of the year, and i just got the arc 😭🥹 side note: i requested this an ENTIRE month ago, manifested religiously day and night that the publishers would accept, and netgalley actually pulled through!!! i am combusting. this is going to be my new a song to drown rivers <3 genuinely expecting this to be my first 5 stars of 2026!!!!

[BookishByTammi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[itsjessamess · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolut PHÄNOMENAL!
Direkt ein Jahreshighlight geworden!
Eine Welt die von Reichen regiert wird, Arme immer ärmer werden, es Frauen VERBOTEN ist das lesen und schreiben zu lernen, und MAGIE ausgerechnet durch Schrift und Poesie entfaltet wird…
Ich war durchgehen on the edge of my seat…eine Geschichte voller düsterer Themen, Plots und Twist die mich UNFASSBAR überrascht haben. Jede menge Female Rage und Revenge! Denn die Protagonistin schafft es die Schrift und Poesie der MAGIE in dieser Welt zu erlernen obwohl es Frauen ausdrücklich VERBOTEN IST!!!?!?!?
Ein Grausamer Prinz der die Macht hat, der Sie foltert und fertig macht. Der keinerlei Gefühle zeigt, mordet und foltert wie und wen wer will. Man HASST ihn.

Aber ist alles wirklich so wie es scheint?
Yin Wei findet es heraus und somit auch wir, und ich war GEBROCHEN UND IN SCHOCK nach diesem Buch. WOW WOW WOW!!! Niemals hätte ich das Ende erwartet.
Wundervoll! Die Storyline, die Charaktere, die Welt, die Übersetztung. Einfach Wow.

[Zana · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Wow! What a debut!

If you prefer something cozy or a romantasy, definitely look away. This is neither of those. And despite being published by Tor's Bramble imprint, this is NOT a romance. The GR tags lied. (And as a romantasy hater, I'm actually really totally fine with this.)

As a huge lover of dark fantasy, this novel was very intense. Hell, I love anything dark and the first half was even a little too dark for me. At times, it was giving torture porn.

But as a masochist, I couldn't stop reading and I'm glad I didn't stop reading. (And between you and me, this was what I thought Alchemised was going to be.)

If you love court politics and royal intrigue, this really delivered in that department. The rags to riches story was also done really well. I also loved Wei's character development, which drove the simple plot forward.

And the villain? It's been a while since I've hated a fictional character so much. My god. I wanted him dead the first time he tormented my girl, Wei.

This would've been a perfect five stars if there was more poetry magic. But due to the FMC being a woman, it just wasn't possible. And honestly, I'm glad that the author made these restrictions "realistic" in terms of Wei's situation.

I haven't been so glued to a novel in a long time. I even had to pace myself just so I wouldn't finish this book quickly. If there's a special edition or signed edition, I'm placing an order. Hell, I'll probably reread/relisten to the audiobook once it drops.

Thank you to Bramble and NetGalley for this arc.

[tahaslibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovers of angst and grimdark stories simultaneously cheering and sobbing because of the glory that is The Poet Empress. Genuinely, did I finish this book or did it finish me?

Absolutely phenomenal debut from Shen Tao! I finished reading this in under 24 hours. I stayed awake until like 5am to finish and potentially cried through approximately 35% of this book.

The Poet Empress is a top contender for favourite read of 2026. It has been days since I've finished reading and I'm still thinking about this story.

The court politics, the world building, the magic system, and the character arcs were incredible. The Poet Empress is an example of morally grey characters and villains done right. The story is grimdark, brutal and doesn't hold back on its punches. The suffering almost feels relentless at points, but that's what I loved about it.

There are times when reading dark fantasies where you might feel repulsed by the glorification of abuse and traumas or the use of them for shock value. Sometimes those plot points are abandoned and you're left just hurt and annoyed at the suffering with seemingly no cause. That's not the case in this story. All the traumatic beats are treated with respect and weaved throughout the story. There is cause and effect and reason.

Yet, the author doesn't go heavy handed with overjustifying behaviours and decisions the characters make. Tao trusts and respects you to follow the story and put pieces together. You can tell the characters were written with so much attention and care. The fmc Wei Yin is a star, I tell you.

I genuinely can't find a flaw in this book. Trust me, I've thought about it exstensively. (I've done little else except think about this book.)

I was in pain for the entirety of this book and I loved every second tyvm.

Thank you Bramble Romance and Tor for the eARC!

[Shelby Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I say I crave multi-layered characters that feel like real people this is what I want. I need to stew on this for a few days but damn that was good

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally published on Before We Go Blog

4.75 stars (update 2 weeks later: increasing from high 4 to almost perfect 5 stars because I CANNOT stop thinking about this book, it haunts me in the best way)

If you have seen The Poet Empress floating around and thought, “oh yay/no, another enemies to lovers fantasy romance”, then I am here to tell you that you could not be more wrong. Think more like The Poppy War meets She Who Became the Sun meets The Dandelion Dynasty, except exchange the battlefields and blades in those books for battles of the mind, words as sharp as knives, and insidious schemes inside the palace halls. This book does not care about genre expectations, does not care about reader comfort, and frankly does not care about your emotional wellbeing. And honestly, I love it for that.

Now, I knew virtually nothing about The Poet Empress except that it was getting glowing praise from people I trust blindly, and that was enough for me to dive in headfirst with my expectations and excitement sky-high. And honestly, I have to admit that the first quarter didn't instantly have me sold, not because it wasn’t good, but more because I was quite disturbed by everything that was going on and just did not fully see where Shen Tao was going with all of it. Spoiler alert, I should have just trusted the process, because this is a slow-burn done to absolute perfection, the kind that settles into your bones before you realize you are on fire.

Okay, before I start incoherently rambling, let's go into what The Poet Empress is actually about. We follow Wei Yin, a rice-farmer’s daughter scraping out an existence in a dying empire ruled by a decaying dynasty. Famine is everywhere, women are forbidden from reading, and poetry magic (yes, actual magic bound to words and verse, we love to see it) is hoarded by the powerful as a means of control. Desperate to save her starving family, Wei offers herself as concubine to the brutal heir of the Azalea House, and what follows is not romance in any traditional sense, but an emotionally devastating exploration of power, love, betrayal, and the slow destruction required to survive systems built entirely on cruelty.

Wei could so easily have fallen into the 'not like other girls' strong female character stereotype, and yet she never does. Watching her navigate the cutthroat politics of the Azalea court had me glued to the page, and I loved how Tao explored with brutal honesty how prolonged exposure to the corruption of the court can change a person. Wei does not simply endure the palace, she adapts to it, absorbs it, and is reshaped by it over years of quiet compromises and survival-driven choices to accomplish her goals and protect the people she loves, and I both loved and hated that journey for her.

That said, I did feel a slight emotional distance from all the characters, even Wei. Despite the first-person narration, which usually makes me feel like I am living inside a character’s skin, most of the characters just did not really leap off the page with personality for me and the dialogue didn't always feel as organic or sharp as I usually prefer. However, at times that distance almost felt intentional because of the epic, legendary quality of this story, and I think Shao's gentle yet quietly devastating prose and storytelling suited this narrative beautifully.

Moreover, The Poet Empress just hits hard regardless of your level of emotional connection, because Tao just holds nothing back when it comes to exploring the cost of ambition, the way that power corrupts, the weight of systemic inequality and oppression, and the invisible scars of (childhood) trauma. Nothing and no one is safe in this book, and while none of the violence or graphic scenes felt gratuitous or for shock value, it still made my stomach turn to see Wei (and so many other people) suffering and being subjected to prolonged mental, emotional, and physical abuse.

And now that we are on the topic of brutality and monsters, we must talk about the morally gray enigma that is Prince Terren. Not gonna lie, I despised this cruel man with a burning passion for the majority of this book, yet I was also morbidly fascinated by him and he may or may not have ended up being my favourite character of the book for... we're not going to talk about what that says about me, okay?

Anyway, the story really came alive for me when it introduced the 'story within a story' element, with Wei’s narration getting broken up by journal entries and conflicting stories of the royal family’s past. It absolutely ripped my heart to shreds as we went down memory lane with Terren and his older brother Maro to see exactly what could have been but was never meant to be, and I really appreciated how Tao showed his transformation from a sweet, damaged boy into a fully realized monster in real time without ever trying to redeem him. His trauma is contextualized but never used as an excuse, and I just loved the emotional devastation of it all.

Needless to say, the storytelling is exceedingly slow-burn and deeply character-driven, but the best thing is that the other aspects of the book never suffer for it. The lush Asian-inspired world-building had me so immersed and I was just enamoured with the concept of the poetry magic, especially because of how seamlessly Tao wove all of it into the politics, succession conflicts, character relationships, and Wei’s own forbidden literacy as a woman. And don’t mistake lack of action for lack of tension, because the stakes are viciously real and absolutely zero punches are pulled. Like, this book absolutely nails that 'just one more chapter' quality because of the shorter chapters and dangerously addictive level of unpredictability, so I honestly could not hold myself back from devouring this in two days, with the last 350 pages going down in a single day... talk about an emotional rollercoaster. It's fine, I am fine.

This book was not an instant 5-star fave, but it has totally become one since finishing it because it's been haunting me ever since turning the last page. I just loved how it quietly crawled its way under my skin one page at a time only to leave me shattered and deeply in awe by the end. That Shen Tao managed to pull all of this off in such a satisfying standalone honestly blows my mind, and I think she has already earned herself a place among the grimdark elite. So, don't sleep on this debut, especially if you like your fantasy brutally bold, emotionally complex, darkly magical, and tragically human. I will go back to staring blankly at a wall now, bye.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars
As someone who loves fantasy inspired by Asian history, I was quite interested in this novel.

This leans into certain tropes romantasy but I was pleased to find it took some refreshing directions. I am a sucker dark stories playing around with morally gray and black characters so these kinds of stories peak my interest.

The worldbuilding is really what made this story work because it gave more depth to the characters and surrounding situation. The story has some serious moral conundrums that made for a interesting read.

I would recommend this novel to loved that love a dark male protagonist placed against the backdrop of a grim historical setting.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[Mica Santos ⇢ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.6 ★ ⇢ Important note: this is being marketed as romantasy, but it really isn’t. The romance isn’t the focus, and this is far from a comforting read. It’s dark, devastating, and emotionally heavy.

And that’s what makes it beautiful.

The Poet Empress is a brutal, lyrical story about survival, power, and sacrifice. Wei’s journey is heartbreaking, the atmosphere is lush, and the poetry magic was what captured my interest the most: the system felt original, and I only wish it had been explored in greater depth.

If you’re expecting romance, this probably isn’t the book for you. But if you want something tragic and powerful, this delivers.

Absolutely devoured this book and it completely gripped me from start to finish (even made me cry). That emotional impact alone is why it earned such a high rating from me.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to take at least five breaks while reading this…not because it was bad, but because parts of it hit me so hard I needed a minute to recover. The emotional intensity was overwhelming in the a good way.

I’m genuinely blown away that this is a debut. It’s bold, hard-hitting, and incredibly well crafted. It gave me grimdark Apothecary Diaries vibes. Tragic characters, devastating relationships, and choices that leave scars. This is a heavy, unsettling read, but it’s intentional. Every painful moment serves the story. It’s the kind of book that burrows under your skin and refuses to leave.

One thing about me: I will always love a carefully woven sibling relationship. This book delivers that over and over again. From the very beginning, Wei and her younger brother Bao anchor the story. Wei’s love for her brother(and family & village) and loyalty shape her motivations and lay the emotional foundation for everything that follows.

Then there’s Maro and Terren…their relationship is complex and quietly catastrophic. Forced into the roles of crown princes as children, the choices they made in survival echo into adulthood and alter the course of their lives. (I’m not saying this book made me cry over the Uchiha brothers… but I’m also not not saying that.)

Beyond the relationships, the character work is exceptional. Wei is strong, resilient, brave, and deeply thoughtful. We watch her wrestle with justice, sacrifice, and what peace truly costs. She endures so much in pursuit of something better, and it never feels easy or clean.

And Terren… I couldn’t help but hate him, even by the end. His childhood broke my heart and made me understand him, but I never pitied the man he became. He’s a deeply tragic character…but his actions are too horrific to forgive.

This story is devastating, deliberate, and unforgettable.

[bailey elizabeth smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

“If I am a star, then let me burn. Let me burn and burn until the whole empire is devoured, along with all its corruption, its villainy, its rot. Let me burn and burn until this night is not remembered, nor this year, nor this dynasty. Until even history is buried in ash, and then maybe green things would grow again.”

...

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Poet Empress was one of the most heartwrenchingly beautiful books I have ever read. And not only that, it was one of the most perfectly paced books I have ever read. Everything unfolded its layers so organically. I cared for our main characters so deeply in my bones, even characters I at first thought I should despise. Shen gave me everything as quickly as she took it all away from me. My heart is broken, my soul withered, but through it all, I have been blessed by this story. I really need everyone to read this book. If this is not the next big thing, I will be utterly shocked.

I do want to note that I do not agree with the comps or the tags, so I want to mention this for potential readers to reset their expectations. Think of this more as The Apothecary Diaries and A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang.

Another note is that this is in NO WAY romantasy, or even romantic at all. This is a historical fiction with slicing court politics, poetic magic, brotherhood, and a woman who will do whatever it takes to go home.

[Anna (annareadit) · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[amashofbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think my overall rating for this sits at 3.5ish (?)

First some house keeping, as per usual we know women authors get slapped with romantasy labels... this is not a romantasy and I have seen some reviews saying they were upset because it didn't hit the beats of romantasy... so, to make it clear!!! This is not a romantasy, by any means. Pls for the love of god do not go in wanting romance.

Secondly, this was sold to me as very, very dark. If you are a reader like me, I'd like to note that I didn't find this to be extremely dark, but I do want to give trigger warnings that this does deal with tough subject matter, so please check your trigger warnings.

This kind of gave me darker apothecary diaries vibes, and I absolutely ate that up. The pacing here is faster, which is to be assumed as this is a standalone but, unfortunately I do think this came at the expense of some of the story. I cannot go into detail without spoilers, but there were important moments, crucial to the story, that were kinda glossed over? There is also some sort of emotional disconnect. I think this is due to lack of in depth characterization at the start. Sometimes they were too flat, sometimes inconsistent. Also to add, our MC, although, I quite enjoyed her, did seem a bit static and had for someone who goes through much trauma, there were no consequences. Unfortunately, I think that is pretty foundational to a story of this kind. It also sometimes could read a bit YA, and again, thats not really reflective of the story that it's trying to tell.

I would like to take a moment to praise the writing and editing. It is so refreshing to pick up a debut that has been written well. Lately, this has been a big issue for me picking up new releases.

Overall, I had a good time with this. I wouldn't say it's life changing, but it held my attention and I enjoyed the court intrigue and scheming.

[Zoulfa Katouh · Rating 5 out of 5]

i need to think

[Allison E · Rating 5 out of 5]

How far would you go to provide for the people you love? Would you share your last prune? Would you travel a half day’s walk to the city? Would you beg on your knees in front of a crowd? Would you offer yourself as a candidate to become an imperial concubine? Would you train amongst other candidates who hate and ridicule you? Would you become the empress in waiting to someone who maims and murders indiscriminately? Would you irreversibly harm others to survive court politicking? Would you, a woman forbidden to read and write, pick up the pen in secret? Would you allow yourself to be tortured every night? Would you get close to your torturer, get to know him so intimately, that you become the only one capable of writing a love poem so powerful that it kills him? Would you, if you could, take a knife and plunge it straight into his heart?

Ya. Wei Yin absolutely would.

“How to write a love poem for someone I hated so deeply, with every drop of blood in my veins? How to do it so convincingly that even the Ancestors believed it?”

The Poet Empress takes a girl whose rice farming village is suffering from famine, and throws her into an inner court’s thousand hungry jaws. And when Wei finds herself skewered on sharp teeth, bleeding out and alone, she’s pulls out a toothpick and shoves her entrails back into her stomach. I hope that this metaphor helps you pick up on ~the vibes of this book. This is a dark and desperate story. I liked it a lot. There were a few things that worked a little less for me. I shall touch on both à la bullet point.

What I liked
* I think I’ll start with that I love when an author is ambitious. Period. Full stop. And this was AMBITIOUS as hell.
* Well executed political fantasy with court politicking / manipulation / stakes / backstabbing / murder plots / self serving bastards ! / opportunistic sycophants !! / alliances etc etc etc. I will. Never. Not. Love. It. Wei starts naive but damn if she doesn’t learn quick. Watching her smartly maneuver out of schemes and traps? Might have given me some concerning heart palpitations for the duration of this book.
* The evil prince’s magic power just being “swords”. Very metal. Very punk actually.
* The way this played with perspective and truth? Fantastic. Especially from a structural / narrative standpoint. It wasn’t as simple as “flash back chapter, present chapter, flashback chapter, present chapter” and that subtle weaving of history and different POVS kept me very invested.
* This story has something interesting to say about government/ systems of power/ dynasty etc. A dynasty is not a person. It’s not a living thing. It’s a concept and thus, it can’t actually die. And even if a dynasty could die.. what does it matter? What does it matter if it was a dynasty that couldn’t even feed its own starving people?! Let it burn lowkey…
* The generational and hopelessly escalating way in which adults fail children over and over in this cut throat world. Systematic crushing of brotherly love? Harrowing to witness. Impossible to stop. Unless ? Someday ?
* The whole end battle sequence. GRIPPING. I was gaslighting myself hard on what would happen next.

What I am undecided on / wish had been handled differently. This is basically alllllll spoilerZZZZZZZZZz. There’s no way for me to talk abt it any other way sorry :,)

* This will be controversial maybe. But I didn’t care for Terren. At all. I can sympathize with the child that he was. I can understand that unspeakable things happened which turned him into what he became. But he had to go?? I was admittedly very moved by the “She failed you. They all failed you.” scene, but I wanted to be devastated with his death by the end… but I literally fist pumped. If Tao wanted me to even vaguely root for him, she did not succeed. For me to even start to like him though… he would have had to show some soul deep changes. He would have had to repent or even be kind for one single moment (no, caring about fish was not enough). But he was too broken of a character to do any of that. And it probably wouldn’t have made sense for the story ?? Idk man
* Wei as a narrator, doesn’t actually emote that much? I found myself comparing this to Alchemized in my mind a lot. Both stories feature relentless torture and circumstances that are seemingly without hope. In Alchemized SenLinYu does NOT let you escape the emotional and physical response that her main character has to her torment. She shakes, she has panic attacks, she endlessly describes in detail her suffering. Tao doesn’t really take this route. We know Wei is being abused nightly, but we don’t get the details beyond the first few times. We don’t even always get the emotional response one would have to their torturer walking into the room. Maybe Wei really is just that resilient / numb / able to compartmentalize… but her entire house of friends and servants is murdered and her reaction is actually, pretty contained. I admired her restraint in the moment as she has to control her reaction in front of Terren (a painfully tense moment), but even afterwards she doesn’t think on it THAT much. Anyways… Wei’s emotional processing or Tao’s way of writing made for a story that was not nearly as traumatic and exhausting as it could have been. Not necessarily a bad thing actually. But it also meant that sometimes I felt disconnected to Wei.
* There’s a lot that happens in the final showdown between bothers. So it’s hard for me to say that one thing should or shouldn’t have gone down differently. But:
* 1. There’s a moment where Wei is deciding if she is going to let Terren live, and she says something along the lines of “if an innocent can be turned into a monster then I am not so cynical to believe that a monster can not be turned back into someone good”. She believes in that moment, maybe out of sheer desperation, that with her guidance and with Terren having someone that actually cares for him, that he was on a path to healing and perhaps even some redemption. I know it was a chaotic moment of inner turmoil but Wei… babe… that’s a mass murderer. No.
* 2. I guess there wasn’t really time for it with the whole Terren and Maro trying to kill each other and the dragon also trying to kill them, but I wanted a more satisfying emotional conclusion between the two brothers that wasn’t their idealized younger ghost selves skipping off into the sunset? I knew the poison/ trauma / rot between them wasn’t going to be solved with a conversation, Wei even acknowledges their lack of communication during the duel, but selfishly I still wanted some sickening dialogue. I found their relationship, and the misunderstandings between them (mostly from the adults who failed and manipulated), to be one of the most compelling parts of the story. So I wanted more there.
* Tonally, this story kinda wraps up in a nice little bow? Something I’m usually a fan of (I lean towards stories that champion hope)…. but also felt like a strange choice? What do you mean Wei becomes empress with nice Mr Apple man? And like we dance off into the sunset kinda towards creating a kinder more giving government… but don’t even get to see her reunite with her family?


Wow you made it to the end of this review. I debated my rating for a while. Lots of opinions in the kitchen with this one. I was gonna go with 4 stars but then I reread all my notes and I was so gagged the entire time I read this so I think I may round up to 4.5…. and perhaps even round up from there. It’s my world babyyy you’re just living in it.

[Mai ༊*·˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 ★— Gorgeous. That’s all I can say, really. I’ve watched a lot of historical C-dramas, so reading a story revolving around that kind of court intrigue, set in a fantasy empire in flux after the illness of the regent, was incredibly satisfying!

The story follows Wei Yin, the daughter of rice farmers living in a village on the brink of starvation, and her slow rise from poverty to becoming a concubine to one of the empire’s princes, all while learning the ways of court politics and trying to make her own path.

With her as an outsider to everything, I got to witness Wei Yin’s arc, and it was such a pleasure. She relies on her smarts, her grit, and her determination to survive the court’s metaphorical political minefields, and nowhere is that clearer than in her interactions with the prince she becomes a concubine to. A cruel man with no leash on his behavior, it was sometimes difficult to read all that she endured. This book is quite graphic, deals with some deeply rooted darkness, and makes no attempt to render anyone especially likable or wholly sympathetic. Everyone is trying to secure their own position, everyone is focused on survival, and this story masterfully embodied that.

The ending was especially surprising to me, as someone who had expectations about how the narrative would conclude. Shen Tao managed to blow those away, delivering an absolutely fitting and poignant ending.

🎧 Audiobook Note
🎙️ Narration Style: Dual
The narrators were amazing, and there’s honestly nothing I can think of that didn’t work for me. The female narrator had such a smooth delivery while also conveying the emotions of the characters in an incredibly effective way, and I liked the passages narrated by the male narrator just as much. I loved this!
_______________

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

[T · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to Tor for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Many of the points are vague in order to avoid spoilers, as the book was recently released. My review feels listless and scattered without specifics, but it can't be more listless and scattered than the novel itself.
Note: this has no bearing on my opinions of the book, which I feel is quite obvious here.

Content warnings: violence (domestic and otherwise), torture, gore, murder, rape and sexual assault (sometimes involving minors), child abuse, child death, war

For a story about the power of words, The Poet Empress is remarkably shallow.

Where to begin….I will say that Tao does provide a decent introduction to the world she’s crafted. Many fantasy books begin on a simpler note, easing the reader into the world. It was a bit cliche (not a problem!) but still managed to intrigue me. Themes of poverty, sexism, politics, and oppression were made very clear from the start. Like Wei, I was ready to dive into this seemingly complex, magical world.

I was let down time and time again, to the point where I considered dropping the book at the halfway point. The only reason I continued was because someone had told me it was amazing. To each their own, because the reading experience became exhausting for me.

Tao draws inspiration from Chinese poetry and history, something I could clearly discern before I read any interviews. Take some Chinese political history, pretty words, and popular C-drama tropes and put them in a trenchcoat, and you get The Poet Empress. Every other scene feels copied and pasted from some other source to a ridiculous degree. The story became significantly less dramatic, while growing significantly more predictable. When the final twist at the end occurs, I felt no shock. Why? Oh, because the overly familiar scenes and narrative patterns led me to the conclusion long before it occurred. And not in a satisfying way. The state of the characters is the same. So many of them were insufferably derivative. I even guessed one of the characters’ traumas (another twist) because they were such a clear personification of certain tropes. Tropes aside, they were unbearably flat. I couldn’t find interest in any of them and I live for fucked up, complex characters.

The writing quality (structurally speaking) was…fine. There was a lot of very pleasing alliteration, and some gorgeous imagery that ultimately amounted to nothing of significance. I highlighted every instance where certain symbols appeared–only to realize they served an aesthetic purpose, and an aesthetic purpose alone. I have a ridiculous amount of notes on the flowers, for example, but there’s no clear rhythm or pattern to their imagery. They exist to paint a picture and nothing else. Maybe I missed something, but my notes were extensive in my attempt to find meaning.

And the plot…tenuous at best. None of Wei’s motivations, thoughts, and actions were a mystery. I was so, so disappointed by how such strong concepts and themes were whittled down, reducing what could have been a very compelling story to…this. And I still gave it a chance. Even when I felt dragged along, in the hopes that the complexity I was promised would appear.

Whether or not the story is already pared down isn’t relevant to me–I think Tao could have brought depth to the story by showing instead of telling (which would also shorten its length and fix the pacing issues). Everything is more of an observation than an exploration. Words have literal magic, but we never get a proper explanation of the magic system. Women aren’t allowed to be literate, but no proper reasoning is given as to why that is (aside from the obvious sexism but I feel this could have been an opportunity to expand on some of the themes). Political tensions are brought up, but little detail or consequence is shared. They feel relegated to the background rather than significant to the plot.

If you want to convince the reader of the power of words, show them. Trust them to understand what you’re putting down. Let them ponder the implications of what you’re saying. By the end, I was being told everything. Every emotion and thought of Wei’s was so direct that it had no impact on me.

As for the dark elements of the story, they held no purpose either. Not once did Wei seem to suffer from the immense trauma she endured. She was tortured. Regularly. I don’t need to see the torture itself but I should see some effect. The family drama, with all its murder and political intrigue, was devoid of any narrative significance. Again, the political elements felt like a convenient backdrop for the plot. Wei is largely confined to the palace, yes, and therefore ignorant of the plights of the common people during her time there. But surely there would be some significant ramifications within the palace walls. And if you’re going to claim the book has complex politics, then give that to us. The politics, along with the philosophies that inform them, can certainly appear complex if you know nothing about them. I’ll refrain from commenting on those specifically (I am far from an expert).

And what is frustrating most of all, more than anything, is that Tao seems to know her shit. The elements of this story should make sense together. The Poet Empress isn’t a haphazard arrangement of interesting ideas and concepts–it’s an attempt at intertwining rich political histories with the power of language. And I think it could have been a truly incredible book if Tao had pushed the concepts further, taken more risks, trusted her readers more. Unfortunately, The Poet Empress does not live up to its potential, joining other aestheticized Asian-inspired fantasies in its failures. 1/5 stars.

Edit: In an attempt to keep this review free of spoilers, I didn't include one massive issue, but I have since decided that it's important to know. Mild spoilers (maybe).
Essentially...if you're expecting anything on the craft of writing at all, I suggest you drop those expectations.

[Maeghan &#x1f98b; · Rating 5 out of 5]

« It is true, he has suffered, but if everyone who suffered became monsters, the world would be overrun with them. »

What a MASTERPIECE. And my girl Wei… she carried this whole book on her back 😭 what an absolute gem of a fmc. I’m so jealous of anyone who gets to read this for the first time.

« What is the point of suffering if we have nothing to gain? »

Please read the trigger warnings before diving into this. It’s absolutely not an easy and fun read.

« Ten thousand stars in the sky, but only the burning ones made people pay attention. »

« Another war of conquest. A needless one. Lives will be lost for no reason other than pride and greed. »