Tag: political fantasy

Review: The Poet Empress by Shen Tao

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The Poet Empress with a matcha latte

Alexis:

The Poet Empress follows Wei, a poor girl from the rice fields of her kingdom who becomes a concubine to the Azalea Dynasty’s heir. The Azalea Dynasty is struggling: the emperor is dying, the heir/prince is violent and cruel, famine is striking the land, and poetry magic is lost to all except the powerful.

Wei must learn to survive in a world cruel to women, even if it means learning poetry magic herself to craft the most powerful spell of all.

What I Liked: 

I bought this book because it sounded similar to A Song to Drown Rivers, which was a devastating book that I loved, and I was right! However, be warned that, no matter what marketing you see, The Poet Empress is not a romantasy or romantic fantasy. It’s a dark, political, historical fantasy that explores the theme of love—and suffering.

(Also, as an aside, the cover is completely covered in sparkles, which I was not expecting! It was a fun surprise). 

I love a good political fantasy, so I was glad to pick this one up. It’s a brutal, often depressing read, yet I found myself rooting for Wei and hoping she would be able to navigate the cruel world of court intrigue without losing herself. 

Tao’s writing is gorgeous, and I found myself impressed that this is her debut! I definitely look forward to reading more of her books in the future. 

The poetry magic, called literomancy, was such an interesting concept, and I wished we got even more of it.

I love how Tao explores humanity. She does an in-depth exploration of how decisions and your upbringing can affect your life, and she truly shows how no one is perfect or wholly good.

What I Didn’t Like As Much:

The pacing was sometimes a little off. When I got to the middle of the book, I found myself waiting for more plot points to happen. However, everything else was so well crafted that this doesn’t affect my overall rating!

VERDICT: 🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶/5

Review: Inferno’s Heir by Tiffany Wang

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Alexis sits in a cafe with a matcha latte and the cover of Inferno's Heir

Alexis:

I’m finally making my way through my ARCs! Most recently, I finished Inferno’s Heir by Tiffany Wang, which comes out on October 15th.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Teia Carthan abandoned her morals long ago, and now there’s nothing she won’t do to stay alive. So far she has survived her parents’ deaths, the ire of the Council, and innumerable attempts on her life, orchestrated by Jura, her half brother and soon-to-be king of Erisia. Teia’s rare control over two elements marks her as both an outsider and a formidable opponent—but once Jura is crowned king, there will be no way to survive him. Not for Teia, not for anyone. 

When Jura moves to crush the rebellion that seeks to overthrow the monarchy, Teia sees one last opportunity to ensure her own safety. She can infiltrate the rebels, locate their base . . . and betray them to Jura, trading their lives for her own. 

Yet when Teia meets the rebels, she gets far more than she bargained for. And when she gains not only their trust but their friendship, she begins to have doubts. Perhaps the rebels are right. Perhaps the Golden Palace should be torn down and the monarchy destroyed. 

But then again—what if there is another possibility? What if Teia were on the throne instead?

Review: 

Inferno’s Heir is Six of Crows meets elemental magic with a dash of The Hunger Games. It has fire and water magic, political intrigue, a band of rebels, morally gray characters, and a heist or two. 

I enjoyed the firebending vibes in the story. Wang doesn’t shy away from showing a brutal world, especially when it comes to Jura—and even Teia. Characters are forced to make decisions, whether they end up making the right one or not. 

I’m excited to see where the sequel takes us. There was an interesting bit of lore dropped near the end, and it will definitely be a major player in the next book. I’m also looking forward to getting to know the side characters better.

If you like elemental magic, political intrigue, and morally gray characters, then I recommend giving this one a shot when it comes out in a month!

VERDICT: 🔥🔥🔥🔥/5

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Bindery Books for my review copy!

Review: The Will of the Many by James Islington

Anna and AlexisLeave a comment
The Will of the Many rests on a desk with a cloud wrist rest, a planner, and a cat sniffing the book.

Alexis:

Happy April! I hope you all have been reading some good books. One of my reading goals for this year is to pick up more adult fantasy books. I heard nothing but good things about The Will of the Many, so I grabbed it from the library.

I’m happy to say that it lived up to the hype!

The Will of the Many is one of those books where it’s good to go into it with little expectations. But here’s what you can know about it:

  • The main character, Vis, is such a great, well-rounded main character. He’s vicious, caring, and intelligent.
  • A main theme is colonialism and the evils it can bring.
  • The book is in first person present tense, and it serves the story well. 
  • It’s an Ancient Roman-inspired political fantasy.
  • It’s partially set in an academy, which gives strong dark academia vibes.
  • The story has tons of twists and turns!
  • It has a unique magic system; the society allows a person’s strength, drive, and focus—what they call Will—to be leeched away and added to the power of those in a higher societal position. 

It hits on so many hard themes, and despite the chunky page length, I was never bored. While Vis is only 17-years-old, this is definitely an adult book meant for adult audiences. That being said, it appeals to me as a mostly YA reader, as well. If you’re looking for a clever fantasy book, I definitely recommend it!

VERDICT: 🏛️🏛️🏛️🏛️🏛️/5