Book review: The Poet Empress By Shen Tao

 

   I am so appreciative of Macmillan audio for the Advanced listener copy of The Poet Empress! 

I give this one 5 stars! 

         This is an original dark fantasy that draws on ancient Chinese history - particularly court politics and poetic traditions - while telling a fictional story of Wei- a daughter of rice farmers, and a particularly cruel prince- Terran.  Wei enters the court almost by accident and is chosen by Terran to be his wife. Power plays, intrigue and desperation abound in the Azalea court, and Wei- raised far outside of this arena must rely on her wits, to position herself to succeed and stay alive. Magic abounds in the Azalea court, with poetic blessings that can change the world.  What is to become of Wei, Prince Terran, the court and the nation as a whole?  Set in a time of change, you'll want to read - or listen - to find out!  I enjoyed the personal relations, the action, court politics, and overall arc of the story. It is a rare instance where the characters are so well developed that I found myself rooting for  BOTH the Hero/heroine and the villain in the story as each layer of development was peeled back through the novel.  The novel allows a reader to explore what makes a person "morally good" or not and the effects of the sum of our experiences on their future actions and choices.  A great book for certain book clubs, because there is a lot to unpack and discuss.

The story takes quite a few dark and unpredictable turns (Check those trigger warnings), which were heartbreaking and brought up all the emotions.  I especially enjoyed the conclusion which was, again, unexpected, but perfection for this reader. I loved that it did not conclude with the ending I expected! 

 This book is not suitable for all audiences due to some of the very heavy content.  It will be important to review for potential triggers prior to cracking that spine or putting on your headphones. 

In short, this was an excellent combination of historical elements, ghostly influences, and magic. It is an excellent book for those who enjoy Dark Romantasy but want something that doesn't follow the usual storyline.  I'm not going to lie, this is a book that literally made me cry in rush hour traffic. I found it was hard to put down and finished it off in record time.  Eric Yang and Katharine Chin were the narrators and voiced the novel perfectly.  I felt entirely immersed in the story through the audiobook and was never distracted by the narration.  

STATS

First Published: Coming January 2026

Pages: 400 pages

Available as an Audio Book : YES  (~ 15 hours) 

Trigger Warnings:  violence, grief, murder, war violence, death, near death, body injury, food insecurity, classism, Child abuse.

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)