yourtitakate's reviews
426 reviews
Lola & the Millionaires: Part Two, by Kathryn Moon
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Skin of the Sea, by Natasha Bowen
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Paladin's Grace, by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Daughter of the Deep, by Rick Riordan
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Empress of Salt and Fortune, by Nghi Vo
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
You know the literary device where the book is a story being told orally to someone else? I've always believed that only BIPOC authors really do this excellently and The Empress of Salt and Fortune solidified this belief of mine.
In this book, nonbinary cleric and archivist Chih and their companion, a magical hoopoe named Almost Brilliant (and honestly I choked on my coffee when I read that name), visit Rabbit, the elderly former handmaiden of Empress In-Yo. Rabbit tells Chih the story of her days with the Empress, and In-Yo eventually came to overthrow the cruel Emperor and install herself, and later on her daughter, as Empresses of the land.
This fantasy novella packs a hell of a punch. In just 100 or so pages, Vo manages to tell us the story of the fall of a patriarchal empire and the rise of an oppressed, subjugated woman. Best of all, this story is told to us not through the eyes of royalty, but from the point of view of a humble handmaiden who paid an awful price for her loyalty. She gets her happy ending though, thanks to a twist reveal regarding the empress that had me gasping. Rabbit's ending is soft and sweet too, the kind of happy ending that will make any reader put a hand to their heart and sigh.
If I had to pick just two words to describe this amazing little novella, I'd pick "reflective" and "spiritual". It's such a gentle and yet powerful story, as befitting the titular Empress of Salt and Fortune and her loyal handmaiden Rabbit. Highly recommend this one, and I'm glad I started my 2022 with it!
View more from my blog.
In this book, nonbinary cleric and archivist Chih and their companion, a magical hoopoe named Almost Brilliant (and honestly I choked on my coffee when I read that name), visit Rabbit, the elderly former handmaiden of Empress In-Yo. Rabbit tells Chih the story of her days with the Empress, and In-Yo eventually came to overthrow the cruel Emperor and install herself, and later on her daughter, as Empresses of the land.
This fantasy novella packs a hell of a punch. In just 100 or so pages, Vo manages to tell us the story of the fall of a patriarchal empire and the rise of an oppressed, subjugated woman. Best of all, this story is told to us not through the eyes of royalty, but from the point of view of a humble handmaiden who paid an awful price for her loyalty. She gets her happy ending though, thanks to a twist reveal regarding the empress that had me gasping. Rabbit's ending is soft and sweet too, the kind of happy ending that will make any reader put a hand to their heart and sigh.
If I had to pick just two words to describe this amazing little novella, I'd pick "reflective" and "spiritual". It's such a gentle and yet powerful story, as befitting the titular Empress of Salt and Fortune and her loyal handmaiden Rabbit. Highly recommend this one, and I'm glad I started my 2022 with it!
View more from my blog.