The Poet Empress

<p><b>*THE INSTANT <i>SUNDAY TIMES</i> BESTSELLER*</b><br><b>*A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK*</b><br><br><b>'An impressive debut with real psychological depth'</b> <i>THE GUARDIAN</i><br><b>'Richly imagined and politically driven' </b><i>THE I PAPER</i><br><b>'I</b><b>n a class of its own'</b> <i>THE DAILY MAIL</i><br><b>'It now holds a standard for fantasy standalones' </b><i>GRIMDARK MAGAZINE</i><br><i><b>'</b></i><b>An epic world of literomancy and magical dynasty'</b> <i>SFX</i><br><b>'Tao's prose gleams with poetic precision'</b> <i>PUBLISHERS WEEKLY</i><br><b>'Full of page-turning suspense' </b><i>KIRKUS</i><br><b>'An intricate study of court politics' </b><i>LIBRARY JOURNAL</i><br><i><b>'</b></i><b>This dark fantasy stands out among the plethora of romantasy'</b> <i>BOOKLIST</i><br><b>'Vicious, gorgeous, and fiercely haunting'</b> CHLOE GONG<br><b>'Sublime'</b> AMELIE WEN ZHAO<br><b>'Enthralling' </b>ANDREA STEWART<br><b>'Astounding' </b>CHELSEA ABDULLAH<br><b>'Lyrical' </b>K. X. SONG<br><b>'Devastating' </b>KRITIKA H. RAO<br><b>'Fantasy at its best' </b>VAISHNAVI PATEL<br><br><b>TO KILL A MONSTER, SHE MUST BECOME ONE . . .</b><br><br>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.<br><br>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 . . .<br><br>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.<br><br><b>The epic political arena of <i>The Poppy War</i> by R.F. Kuang meets the intimate tragedy and luscious language of <i>The Song of Achilles </i>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.</b></p>