#THE EMPRESS OF SALT AND FORTUNE BY NGHI VO

[betterbooksandthings]

"All fantasy authors have to start somewhere. The best debut fantasy books ever written are a testament to what that starting line can look like. In fantasy, the delicate dance between worldbuilding, character, and craft is always difficult. Somehow, these authors got it just right with the first books they had published."

#THE 20 BEST DEBUT FANTASY BOOKS EVER WRITTEN #DEBUT FANTASY BOOKS #fantasy #book list #THE HOBBIT BY J.R.R. TOLKIEN #ROCANNON’S WORLD BY URSULA K. LE GUIN #KUSHIEL’S DART BY JACQUELINE CAREY #ELANTRIS BY BRANDON SANDERSON #ROSEMARY AND RUE BY SEANAN MCGUIRE #THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS BY N.K. JEMISIN #THE NIGHT CIRCUS BY ERIN MORGENSTERN #SORCERER TO THE CROWN BY ZEN CHO #JADE CITY BY FONDA LEE #THE RAGE OF DRAGONS BY EVAN WINTER #THE POPPY WAR BY R.F. KUANG #TRAIL OF LIGHTNING BY REBECCA ROANHORSE #WITCHMARK BY C.L. POLK #THE EMPRESS OF SALT AND FORTUNE BY NGHI VO #THE UNBROKEN BY C.L. CLARK #SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN BY SHELLEY PARKER-CHAN #A MARVELLOUS LIGHT BY FREYA MARSKE #THE FINAL STRIFE BY SAARA EL-ARIFI #KAIKEYI BY VAISHNAVI PATEL #THE JASAD HEIR BY SARA HASHEM

[vensulove]

she had a foreigner’s beauty, like a language we do not know how to read.

-nghi vo, the empress of salt and fortune

#my first book of 2024 was a reread of this beautiful book #the empress of salt and fortune #nghi vo #moodboard #book moodboard #brown moodboard #brown aesthetic #tan aesthetic #beige aesthetic #beige moodboard #tan moodboard #the singing hills cycle

[bi4bihankking]

The Locked Tomb Series Summary:

The “Lesbian Necromancers in Space” book series

The Empress of Salt and Fortune Summary:

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.

#the locked tomb #tlt #gideon the ninth #tamsyn muir #the empress of salt and fortune #nghi vo #lgbt books #lgbt literature #queer books #queer literature #lgbtqia #poll #bookblr #booklr #books #literature #queer lit

[transbookoftheday]

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

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.

#the empress of salt and fortune #the singing hills cycle #nghi vo #nonbinary #trans book of the day #trans books #queer books #bookblr #booklr

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2023. THE SINGING HILLS CYCLE by Nghi Vo.

Don't mind me, just on a novella kick over here. I read Empress a while back and enjoyed it (so that'll be a reread!), and then a friend recommended Tiger as similar to a novella of my own that's loosely in the works, and THEN I won a Goodreads giveaway for Mammoths (!!!!), so clearly the stars are just all aligning. Since Mammoths comes out in September, I wanted to Actually Read The Advance Reader Copy In Advance (and maybe even write up a Review!).

(Side note: I know Riverlands isn't pictured, but it's Not Out In Paperback Yet and all my editions must match.)

#books of 2023 #book photography #my photography #books #the singing hills cycle #nghi vo #the empress of salt and fortune #when the tiger came down the mountain #mammoths at the gates #cries i really do love novellas so much #perfect little bite sized books

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

vote YES if you have finished the entire book.

vote NO if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

#fantasy #books #The Singing Hills Cycle #The Empress of Salt and Fortune #Nghi Vo #poll #result: no #l: English

[nayswriting]

Strange how some trash survives, but precious things are lost, isn't it?

Nghi Vo, The Empress of Salt and Fortune

#The Empress of Salt and Fortune #Nghi Vo #writing #fiction #fantasy #novel #fantasy novel #The Promise within Shadows #inspo #quote #Nay talks

[oxymoron0-o]

“The abbey at Singing Hills would say that if a record cannot be perfect, it should at least be present. Better for it to exist than for it to be perfect and only in your mind.”

—The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

#the empress of salt and fortune #Nghi Vo #the singing hills cycle #damn fine sentences #writing

[bookfirstlinetourney]

Round 1

Princeton, in the summer, smelled of nothing, and although Ifemelu liked the tranquil greenness of the many trees, the clean streets and stately homes, the delicately overpriced shops, and the quiet, abiding air of earned grace, it was this, the lack of a smell, that most appealed to her, perhaps because the other American cities she knew well had all smelled distinctly.

-Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“Something wants to eat you,” called Almost Brilliant from her perch in a nearby tree, “and I shall not be sorry if it does.”

-The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Nghi Vo

Our story opens where countless stories have ended in the last twenty-six years: with an idiot--in this case my brother Shaun--deciding it would be a good idea to go out and poke a zombie with a stick to see what happens.

-Newsflesh, Mira Grant

#books #polls #reading #round 1 #tournament poll #americanah #chimamanda ngozi adichie #the empress of salt and fortune #nghi vo #newsflesh #mira grant

[elliepassmore]

Mammoths at the Gates review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, novellas, grief stories, character driven stories, queer characters

Empress of Salt and Fortune review

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain review

Into the Riverlands review Big thanks to Netgalley, Tordotcom, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Another fantastic chronicle from the Singing Hills Cycle! I'm so hoping that the series expands beyond the 5 books that are currently planned because I love exploring Chih and Almost Brilliant's world! In this story, Chih returns home for the first time in several years and finds much changed. The old Divine has recently died and Chih arrives in enough time for the interment ceremony. The death of their old mentor and the new maturity in their friend Ru results in some growing pains for Chih as they come to realize that not even the Singing Hills Abbey is immutable in time. That realization and the feelings they grapple with over it are very relatable since it pertains so much to the way friendships change and grow (or even end) as people grow older and move into different phases of their lives. In a similar vein, Cleric Thien's (the previous Divine who died) neixin, Myriad Virtues, is grieving terribly as a result of her loss. While much of the story focuses on Chih and their relationships and feelings re: coming back to the abbey and seeing or not seeing old friends, a similar bulk of the story is dedicated to Myriad Virtues' grieving process. The way she grieves doesn't make sense to everyone around her, neixin and human alike, resulting in multiple discussions of how grief affects people differently and the strange things people do as they feel it. The mammoths are also a part of the grieving story as they belong to two young women who were Cleric Thien's granddaughters. In opposition of the traditional practices for clerics, they want Thien's body so the can bury them in their homeland. There's a lot of debate about this and the discussion of grief is brought in here as well. I liked getting to see the abbey and some of Chih's friends. I also liked that we get to see Almost Brilliant (she wasn't in Into the Riverlands) and that we get to meet Almost Brilliant's chick, Chiep. Chiep is definitely a personality and was quite funny, so she was an enjoyable addition to the book. This provided some nice insight into Chih's backstory and is a good addition to the series. Vo does a good job of mixing the heavy topics with lighter moments, and it's a bit more character-led than in previous books. I was quite invested in what the characters were experiencing and sped through the book.

#book #book blog #book recommendations #booknerd #book review #books #booklr #bookblr #bookish #bookaholic #book addict #books and reading #books & libraries #books and literature #netgalley #netgalley read #netgalley review #singing hills cycle #nghi vo #empress of salt and fortune #when the tiger came down the mountain #into the riverlands #mammoths at the gate #aapi representation #aapiheritagemonth #aapi month #asian authors #aapi author

[never-sated]

"Even though there was a fashion for seal fur in the capital when In-yo became the empress in truth, there never was a dress like this one again. There could never be. Is it beautiful, but every stitch bites into her history, the deaths she left behind her, and the home she could not return to."

- The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

#The Empress of Salt and Fortune #Nghi Vo #I reread Empress and will reread Tiger because I need to catch up on Riverlands and Mammoths before Brides comes out. #When I go away from her novellas for a while I forget how phenomenal her writing in them is.

[phaedraismyusername]

I wouldn't normally cross the streams like this but if you have any affection for Mushishi then I'd recommend giving the book The Empress of Salt and Fortune a go!

It's just a little 100ish page novella with all the charm and vibes the whole 'neutral nomad unravels the truth of magical stories while on a journey' ness that Mushishi offers you know?

#not the same #but spriritual siblings in terms of vibes #you know? #recs #mushishi #the empress of salt and fortune #nghi vo #and its the first in a series! #so bonus if you do enjoy it #book recs #booklr

[brianadrawsbooks]

In-yo from Nghi Vo's The Empress of Salt and Fortune. She was an especially fun character to draw because she has so much stubbornness and confidence, and I added a rabbit to reference her relationship with her handmaiden, whose nickname is Rabbit.

Altogether, this little novella was absolutely packed with interesting characters and fascinating backdrops. I loved the way the author wove multiple Asian cultures into an interesting fantasy world, and she did a great job of showing all the different ways women can be strong.

I'm still saving the second book in the series for a time when I need a bit of a pick-me-up.

#art #book fanart #illustration #fanart #nghi vo #the empress of salt and fortune #the singing hills cycle #traditional art #rabbit #watercolor #artblr #bookblr

[bi4bihankking]

To Be Taught If Fortunate Summary:

Hope punk sci fi polycule

The Empress of Salt and Fortune Summary:

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.

#to be taught if fortunate #becky chambers #the empress of salt and fortune #nghi vo #lgbt books #lgbt literature #queer books #queer literature #lgbtqia #poll

[transbookoftheday]

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

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.

#the empress of salt and fortune #nghi vo #the singing hills cycle #nonbinary #trans books #trans book of the day #queer books #bookblr #booklr

[opulentquotes]

Better for it to exist than for it to be perfect and only in your mind.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

#Nghi Vo #The Empress of Salt and Fortune #quote #lit #literature