The Poet Empress

<p><b>''</b><b>Vicious, gorgeous, and fiercely haunting</b><b>'' CHLOE GONG</b><br><b>''Sublime'' AME</b><b>LIE WEN ZHAO</b><br><b>''Enthralling'' ANDREA STEWART</b><br><b>''Astounding'' CHELSEA ABDULLAH</b><br><b>''Lyrical'' K. X. SONG<br>''Devastating'' KRITIKA H. RAO</b><br><b>''Fantasy at its best'' VAISHNAVI PATEL<br></b><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>