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The Poet Empress
A Fantasy Novel by Shen Tao
Subgenres & Tropes:
- Epic Fantasy,
- Court Intrigue,
- Political Fantasy,
- Dynastic Fantasy,
- Forbidden Magic
This book is for you if you're into...
- Forbidden poetry magic shaping the fate of empires
- Palace intrigue where survival means breaking every rule
- Heroines risking everything in worlds hostile to their power
From Little Stack
The Poet Empress was a debut that came out of the gates swinging so hard, I couldn’t put it down! Set in a world evocative of ancient China but also with notes that will be familiar to lovers of Japanese and Thai history, this story follows a young girl who marries a psychopathic, bloodthirsty prince and finds life in the palace is so much worse than she realized. In her efforts to kill the prince—using a special poem that circumvents his magical protections—she witnesses how he was turned from a bright, caring child into the monster he is today. A “making of a sociopath” story that’s compelling and raw and painful in all the best ways.
In the waning years of the Azalea Dynasty, the emperor is dying, the land consumed by famine, and poetry magic lost to all except the powerful.
Wei Yin is desperate. After the fifth death of a sibling, with her family and village on the brink of starvation, she will do anything to save those she loves. Even offer herself as concubine to the cruel heir of the beautiful and brutal Azalea House.
But in a twist of fate, the palace stands on the knife-edge of civil war with Wei trapped in its center…at the side of a violent prince. To survive, Wei must harden her heart, rely on her wit, and become dangerous herself. Even if it means becoming a poet in a world where women are forbidden to read—and composing the most powerful spell of all. A ballad of death...and love.
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