Shen Tao
Gollancz
20 January 2026
432
eBook - PDF
Historical Fantasy
ARC via NetGalley
Young rice farmer Yin Wei was forced to become concubine to Prince Guan Terren - a monstrous wielder of poetry magic, and heir to the Azalea throne - to save her family from the famine blighting the land of Tensha.
Now confined to the imperial court, Terren's cruelty is not the only danger Wei faces. He and his honourable older brother are locked in a deadly succession war, while Terren's thirty concubines are fighting a war of their own, for the position of future empress.
To survive, Wei must harden her heart, rely on her wit, and become dangerous herself - even if it means learning the one forbidden poem that can kill Terren and save both herself and the nation.
But there's a problem - for the spell to work against a man she hates, it must be written with love.
The Poet Empress was a book that had an interesting premise and that also delivered in terms of well-rounded characters and good world building, pacing and prose style. I was captured by the story right from the opening chapters and the book held my interest until the end. I wish to avoid spoilers, but I will say that I found the ending satisfying as a conclusion to the tale and I liked following the development of the relationship between Yin Wei and Guan Terren. There was plenty of tension and political intrigue along the way, but the action kept moving along nicely throughout. Recommended for fans of historical fantasy who do not require a traditional HEA ending. I am giving this one 4.5 stars.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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