The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghvi Vo

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I am an entire year behind in finally getting my hands on this darkly beautiful novella. You may have seen all the well deserved buzz about it’s gorgeous cover and it’s sequel, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, also has an equally lovely cover. But even more gorgeous is the writing. It’s an absolutely captivating tale of royal intrigue, true friendship, and the force of female anger.

When a young girl named Rabbit is sold to the Emperor’s palace to make up for missing baskets of dye, she forms an unlikely bond to the Emperor’s new wife. This new empress, sent from the North to create a political alliance, finds herself lonely and mostly dismissed by the other wives and staff. When she is exiled after the birth of her son, Rabbit accompanies the empress In-yo to her new home.

Years later, an old woman has a chance encounter with a young cleric named Chih and shares her tales of the life she lived with the Empress. A life, that turned out to be far more adventurous than she had ever believed possible.

This is a fascinating story and I loved every single page. Chih, as a cleric, is drawn to stories and preserving historical records and Rabbit’s character keeps her enthralled with tales of courtly gossip and machinations. It soon becomes clear that there is far more to Rabbit than her simple upbringing and In-yo shows herself to be a cunning and insightful empress. I don’t want to give away any more of the plot, but know that it’s an excellent way to spend a few hours and I absolutely loved it.

If you would like to add this to your collection, click the book cover for ordering information. Big bonus, as of 4/8, this is only $3.99 US on Kindle.

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