The Poet Empress by Shen Tao

TL;DR: My first five star of 2026 and one of the saddest books I’ve read in a long time.
Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher!

Plot: Wei Yin is caught up in the machinations of court and ends up becoming at first a joke, then a force. Beautiful.
Characters: Nuanced and flawed and beautiful.
Setting: The inner court of a Chinese inspired fantasy and felt so real and tangible in the text.
Fantasy: This felt very wuxia inspired and it was lovely. Classic feeling magic for the setting.

Summary:

In the waning years of the Azalea Dynasty, the emperor is dying, the land consumed by famine, and poetry magic lost to all except the powerful.

Wei Yin is desperate. After the fifth death of a sibling, with her family and village on the brink of starvation, she will do anything to save those she loves.

Even offer herself as concubine to the cruel heir of the beautiful and brutal Azalea House.

But in a twist of fate, the palace stands on the knife-edge of civil war with Wei trapped in its center…at the side of a violent prince.

To survive, Wei must harden her heart, rely on her wit, and become dangerous herself. Even if it means becoming a poet in a world where women are forbidden to read—and composing the most powerful spell of all. A ballad of death…and love.

The Poet Empress is an epic fantasy that explores darker themes, subjects, and scenes that may not be suitable for all readers. Please see the author’s content note at the beginning of the book.

Thoughts:

I can’t even begin to describe to you how much I enjoyed this story. Wei Yin is from a poor, struggling village when she puts herself forward as a possible concubine for the heir to the throne. She makes it only by bargaining to become a joke, then ultimately becomes a force to be reckoned with within the palace. She’s a naive girl, one who doesn’t always make the right decision and suffers tortures no one should. This story looks at the darkness she encounters and what she seeks out to try and fix the way things are.

This one deals with incredibly heavy topics and I would not go in without checking things like triggers or the topics discussed. Child abuse, death, torture, famine, and more are discussed here. This isn’t a fun romantasy, this is a deeply thoughtful fantasy that tackles some heavy stuff. Literacy is magic and in a society where woman aren’t allowed to be literate, Wei takes the first steps to fix that, and in doing so seeks out the knowledge of the imperial family. Two brothers torn apart, the mothers that made and broke them, none of it is a happy story.

But it’s beautiful. It’s written in such a lovely way, you feel the emotional impact. You hurt for the boys these men were, and you hurt for Wei. This was stunning, and wonderful exploration of what makes someone the way they are. Does it excuse them? No, but you see the root of violence. It’s heartbreaking and 100% worth the read. 5/5, 10/10, all of the stars for The Poet Empress.