The Poet Empress

*THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*
*A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK*

This is a five star read for realROBIN HOBB
An impressive debut with real psychological depthTHE GUARDIAN
Richly imagined and politically drivenTHE I PAPER
In a class of its ownTHE DAILY MAIL
It now holds a standard for fantasy standalonesGRIMDARK MAGAZINE
An epic world of literomancy and magical dynastySFX
Taos prose gleams with poetic precisionPUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Full of page-turning suspenseKIRKUS
An intricate study of court politicsLIBRARY JOURNAL
This dark fantasy stands out among the plethora of romantasyBOOKLIST
Vicious, gorgeous, and fiercely hauntingCHLOE GONG
SublimeAMELIE WEN ZHAO
EnthrallingANDREA STEWART
AstoundingCHELSEA ABDULLAH
LyricalK. X. SONG
DevastatingKRITIKA H. RAO
Fantasy at its bestVAISHNAVI PATEL

TO KILL A MONSTER, SHE MUST BECOME ONE . . .

As the emperor lays dying, the once-great Azalea Dynasty plunges towards civil war. While its princes plot for power, a more hidden war - to become the next empress - occupies the imperial court.

Wei Yin - peasant girl turned concubine to the cruel Prince Terren - has already endured unimaginable suffering. Ripped from her family, she has no title, no allies, and no escape. But she does have a secret . . .

In the shadows of the palace, surrounded by enemies, she is learning a skill forbidden to women. Because when words are weapons and poetry holds an ancient magic, the fate of a girl - and a nation - can both be rewritten. All she has to do is compose the perfect poem - a tale so powerful, it can kill any man, even the next emperor.

The epic political arena of The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang meets the intimate tragedy and luscious language of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller in this sensational debut novel by visionary new talent Shen Tao, unmissable for die-hard genre fans as well as readers of literary fiction looking to make their first foray into fantasy.