The Empress of Salt and Fortune
Singing Hills Cycle, Book 1
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The Empress of Salt and Fortune
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Narrated by:
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Cindy Kay
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Written by:
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Nghi Vo
About this listen
With the heart of an Atwood tale and the visuals of a classic Asian period drama, Nghi Vo's The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a tightly and lushly written narrative about empire, storytelling, and the anger of women.
A young royal from the far north, is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully.
Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor's lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for.
At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She's a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece.
©2020 Nghi Vo (P)2020 TantorWhat listeners say about The Empress of Salt and Fortune
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emily Messer
- 2024-09-03
Beautiful Story
Everything about this audiobook is perfect. Each chapter provides readers with more pieces of the puzzle that make up the Empress and her companions. As the Empress's tale unfolds around you, it's easy to lose yourself in the moments of her life that shaped her and the world in which she resides. The narration is exceptional as well. It reminds me of a gentle lullaby. It's dreamy and soft and something you could listen to forever.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-01-25
A Tale of Unsung Voices
Equal parts beautiful, poetic prose and heart breaking symbology, The Empress of Salt and Fortune is such a unique story and experience I cannot recommend it enough!
A monk who searches out history so their bird can memorize it, an old woman alone in an empresses exile home, and a story that drips with tragedy and political cunning. I've read the novella twice over and listened to it once through and I was still finding Easter eggs and symbols I didn't see the last time. Dense with meaning and loaded sentences, the book is demanding in the best of ways.
That being said, it is a unique book that can be hard to follow. If you listen to it and don't lose the forest for the trees you'll enjoy it far more. Trying to understand it at face value is probably going to leave you a little annoyed, but reveling in the beautiful ability that Nghi Vo brings to make a world feel so lived in is impressive. You may not understand every detail your first listen, but it's light enough to listen over and over again.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- CKH Vancouver
- 2024-01-09
Fabulous Puzzle Novella - with hidden depths
I ended up listening to many sections twice, as I found it needed a bit more concentration that I was initially giving it. It can be an easy read, but it really rewards attention.
It has quite a heft for such a short novel. Great worldbuilding, with a non binary cleric, their intelligent bird, fact checking an old historical case/mystery by interviewing Rabbit, who was a servant (and more) for the exiled young Empress In-Yo.
Well written, and the ending was unexpected (but pleasing).
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Becca
- 2023-04-30
a really good book. glad to have read this
I'm glad to have read this over my break. I'll be thinking about this for a while.
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