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The Poet Empress
Shen Tao
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Debut author Shen Tao introduces readers to the lush, deadly world of The Poet Empress, a sweeping, epic and intimate fantasy perfect for fans of The Serpent & the Wings of Night, The Song of Achilles and She Who Became the Sun.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.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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Posts about this title from Tattooed Library
Tattooed Library\ \ Emily\ \ • Jul 16
hey y'all, happy thursday!! new youtube video is live for early access! ILY <3
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Tattooed Library\ \ Emily\ \ • Jun 18
EARLY ACCESS TO MY YOUTUBE VIDEO: MID-YEAR BOOK TAG
hi besties! i can't believe we're halfway through the year but i love watching everyone do this challenge, so i figured i'd join in this year! the prompts are down below if you want to make your own video, or want to answer in the comments!!
mid year book tag 🏷️ 1. best book you've read so far 2. best Sequel you've read so far 3. new release you haven't read but want to 4. most anticipated release this year 5. biggest disappointment so far this year 6. biggest surprise so far this year 7. favorite new author--debut or new to you 8. new fictional crush 9. new favorite character 10. book that made you cry 11. book that made you happy 12. what book(s) do you still need to read?
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Posts about this book from across Bindery
Tattooed Library\ \ Emily\ \ • Jul 16
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hey y'all, happy thursday!! new youtube video is live for early access! ILY <3
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Ezeekat Press\ \ Jaysen\ \ • Jun 25
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EARLY ACCESS: Recent Reads — Reviews from Worst to Best
Welcome to the new format for my book reviews! Today we are covering the last five books I've read, going from worst to best and reviewing each one. Have you read any of these and what were your thoughts? AND what are you reading now?
00:00 - Intro 00:55 - Verity Guild 10:51 - Gardens of the Moon 27:02 - The Inheritance 33:41 - The Curse of Chalion 43:36 - The Poet Empress 51:26 - Wrap-Up
Interested in Shelves, Table and Amazing Boardgames? They're from the sponsor of this video: Allplay! And you can check them out Here: https://www.allplay.com/
My Other Places: Ezeekat Press Subscriber Community: https://ezeekat.binderybooks.com/ Beacons page with all my links: https://beacons.ai/ezeekat
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Tattooed Library\ \ Emily\ \ • Jun 18
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EARLY ACCESS TO MY YOUTUBE VIDEO: MID-YEAR BOOK TAG
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Unbound Narratives\ \ Merisha\ \ • May 27
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The Poet Empress - Read this one now!
✨ Book Review ✨
The Poet Empress By: Shen Tao @storygoose ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Happy Wednesday, Booksta!
May is almost over and before it ends, I wanted to show some appreciation to @aardvarkbookclub for sending me this book! This was part of a gifted curated box and they knocked it out of the park. I absolutely loved this story and can’t believe it’s a debut!
Head over to my Bindery for my full review and to add your reactions! LINK 🔗 IN BIO!
Book review, Debut reads, AAPI Month reads, The Poet Empress, Shen Tao, Diverse reads, Dark fantasy
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The Brothers Gwynne\ \ Ed & Will\ \ • May 15
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Casey the Reader\ \ Casey\ \ • May 13
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[](https://caseythereader.binderybooks.com/item/dStPhmwDJK3BiyX3ZDDg/)
APRIL WRAP UP [ thanks to the tagged publishers for the gifted books ] How the heck are we at the end of April already?! My favorites of the month are starred - do we share any faves?
EVERY ROOM REMEMBERS [ @booksforwardpr paid ] ADULT BRACES [ @grandcentralpub gifted ] ⭐ THIS INEVITABLE RUIN INDIAN BURIAL GROUND [ @prhaudio gifted ] PLATFORM DECAY [ @torbooks gifted ] GIRLBOMB [ @booksforwardpr paid ] ⭐ THERE IS NO PLACE FOR US [ @crownpublishing gifted ] EMPIRE OF AI [ @prhaudio gifted ] THE DEATH I GAVE HIM ⭐ THE EYE OF THE BEDLAM BRIDE GOOD DIRT [ @penguinrandomhouse gifted ] ⭐ THE POET EMPRESS [ @macmillan.audio gifted ]
[ ID: Photo - a stack of books sits on a bed on a light patterned bedspread. The books are The Death I Gave Him, Adult Braces, Good Dirt, There Is No Place For Us, This Inevitable Ruin, and The Eye Of The Bedlam Bride. ]
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Ezeekat Press\ \ Jaysen\ \ • May 1
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The Alchemist Society\ \ Shay\ \ • Apr 6
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[March was Women's History Month, and I had some great reads that I need you to read too). One was my second 5-star read of the year (and was only 164 pages). \ \ Just a reminder, as with any other month of the year, whether it's Black History Month, Pride Month, Women's History, or any other month recognizing a marginalized group of people... these months are given these titles in order to allow for the opportunity to highlight and be intentional about celebrating them! It doesn't stop once the month is over. Keep reading diversely and continue to open up your world!\ \ Ok, first up; I want to highlight my 5-star read, which was I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. \ \ \ \ This book was only ~164 pages, yet it packs quite the punch. This book is a speculative dystopian work of fiction following a young women who can not remember her past and who relies on the memories of the 39 other women of varying ages who are imprisoned with her, to shape her knowledge of the world "before" and provide perspective into their imprisonment and their current existence. \ \ I Who Have Never Men explores the world where there are no men. Initially, there were guards but they disappear and we don't see another man again. The story itself explores life without men, both through the lens of our MC who really has never known any men, and through the perspective of the 39 other women who have their memories and are able to miss the companionship and presence. One of the things I found the most interesting was in the novel was the way in which the women work together and have their small community together, while working to survive. The lack of men helps to subtlety highlight how each sex "lacks" in a way. \ \ The novel is an incredibly moving look into a foreign world where we never know what is going on. The loneliness, despair, confusion all cut like a knife, and regularly choked me up or caused me to tear up. It is a look at the human spirit to persist, or choose not to. To survive, and how community shapes how that survival looks. \ \ The author was a Belgian Jewish refugee. Her family fled from Belgium during the Nazi occupation, moving to Morocco, where they had built a successful business exporting fabrics and laces. The book itself never explicitly references the holocaust, but we can see the effect it had on her writing and imagery in I who have Never Known Men, especially when discussing the guards and their treatment, the prison and the various ways in which other prisoners were found. The novel was originally published in its original French and translated into English in 1997. \ \ I'm so happy to see so many people talking about recently. The exploration of female friendships, intimacy, support, community and friendships, which are only highlighted by the setting and events, are devastatingly moving, heartbreaking, and beautiful. I can only hope that it will receive similar treatment to Lord of the Flies and get its own adaptation someday. \ \ \ \ Burn the Sea is an upcoming novel (1st in a planned duology) which will be released on April 21, 2026. The novel explores a reimagining of the Portuguese invasion of southern India in the 1500's and the efforts of the warrior queen, Abbakka Chowta at repelling them. In Burn the Sea, the Portuguese are replaced by sea monsters half man half snake. We see her fight for her family and her country's freedom from these invaders, rising to the office of ruling, something which Abbakka's sister was born to do. \ \ The novel features a love triangle, lush imagery, moving friendships and a look into the female support that surrounds Abbakka, and political intrigue and machinations that are essential for preserving the sanctity and freedom of Ullal. \ \ Growing up, I devoured books about the Tudor women, Boudicca, Zenobia, and Cleopatra. The Royal Diaries were well-read in my household. This is a fictionalized version of events, but it takes heavy inspiration of the real world events that Rani Abbakka Chowta went through while fighting the Portuguese invaders. I can't wait to see what happens in book two. If you want some follow up reads to learn more about the history and events that inspired Burn the Sea, see the following: \ \
- https://web.archive.org/web/20070807132003/http://www.boloji.com/history/028.htm\\ \
- https://kamat.com/kalranga/itihas/abbakka.htm\\ \
- Yugal Joshi (2019). Women Warriors of India. Rupa Publications. pp. 78–82. ISBN9789353334079.\ \ \ Lastly, I have to talk about The Poet Empress (one of my February reads). This was (unbelievably) a debut novel by the author, Shen Tao. \ \ \ \ The story follows a young peasant women who finds herself as a part of the royal harem and is then set to become the future empress of her country. She is searching for a way to save her home from famine and her people from starvation. All of this leads to her being selected to become a part of the Crown Princes harem, and then later chosen as the future Empress. Her new husband, the next Emperor is a despot, with a magical penchant for violence and weapons (and several brothers with other varying magical abilities). Wei Yin, our fmc, decides she must kill him in order to bring about peace and save her country (and by extension her family), but the only way she can kill him is to write a spell. It just so happens that the only spell that can kill her husband requires that she love him. We see deep and heavy familial bonds and and the breaking of those bonds, court politics, difficult decisions, magic and lies, but also moments of kindness and empathy. \ \ We see a young woman who is abused and hurt, but who pushes through for the love of her family and for those around her. Wei Yin is an intelligent, capable and empathetic young women. We see things through her eyes, we learn of other through her eyes. I really enjoyed the empathy that she has for those around her, but also the nuance that was a central the her character and growth. \ \ I can not wait to see more from Shen Tao in the future because this was a wonderful and moving standalone novel.\ \ I'm currently reading Aisha, by Soraya Bouazzaoui a novel inspired by the Moroccan warrior goddess, Aisha. The story follows a young freedom fighter and rebel who has much more under the surface than meets the eye. Literally. Coincidentally, this rebellion in this novel is also set in opposition to the Portuguese. \ \ \ \ I love stories of strong and powerful women and I'm all the happier when they are inspired by reality, like with Rani Abbakka Chowta, who kept the Portuguese at bay from her homeland for decades. \ \ Drop some recs for me if there are any similar stories you love that I should add to my tbr <3](https://the-alchemist-society.binderybooks.com/item/FryiWySQYVMwk4QLGloi/)
Women's History Month Reads: Female rage, loneliness, and empathy
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Rachel Skye Reads\ \ Rachel\ \ • Apr 4
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A book rec list for my hair stylist who likes queer feminist books that suck you in.
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Ronnica Reads\ \ Ronnica Fatt\ \ • Apr 1
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[Like the good corporate girlie I am, I think in quarters. So here are my top 5 new-to-me fiction reads of the 100+ I read in the first 3 months of the year. (And in full transparency, I'm writing this on the 28th in hope to tempt the book gods to give me another stellar read in the next few days!)\ \
- The Poet Empress by Shen Tao - I'm as surprised as you are that a non-Robin Hobb fiction book made it on this list. But this one has everything that I love in fantasy: political intrigue, well-drawn characters, and interesting themes to explore. \ \ \
- We Could be Rats by Emily Austin - Q1 2026 is when I discovered Emily Austin, an author I've been sleeping on for too long. I still have one more of her published novels to read, but this has been my favorite and is well-deserving of being on this list. I love a queer literary fiction book!\ \ \
- Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave - this absolutely was a sleeper pick...when I picked it up, I couldn't even remember why I ordered it through Book of the Month subscription. But, messy lesbians books have been a theme of this quarter and this has been my favorite of the bunch.\ \ \
- Midnight at the War by Devi S. Laskar- one of my favorite things of getting ARCs from publishers is getting to hype up books that absolutely deserve it, and this is one of them. This April release is incredibly timely, as our main character not only has a messy personal life, she seeks to humanize the brown people in the Middle East she reports on professionally. \ \ \
- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans- I'm sure you've heard of this one. I read it because my TikTok friend Kris sang it's praises, and I'm so glad I did. This is warm and cozy, but very real. And I absolutely love that our protagonist is an older woman.\ \ \ Join for free or login](https://ronnicareads.binderybooks.com/item/zeLz2JhplUscz3IE7I3E/)
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The Alchemist Society\ \ Shay\ \ • Mar 17
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Malazan, Robin Hobb and taking time
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Eclectic Reads\ \ Kass\ \ • Feb 3
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\ \ Join for free or login](https://eclecticreads.binderybooks.com/item/2l3ZchxFnvlaGTl42FWg/)
before anyone asks, yes i did read all of these books and yes i can tell you the synopsis of all of them to prove it.
•Voice of War •Stones of Light •Bonds of Chaos •Child of the Night Guild •Hammerfall •Bones •The Exiled •Heart the Lover •The Poet Empress •Empire of the Vampire •Lady of Darkness •Weavingshaw •The Correspondent •The Prison Healer •The Guilded Cage •The Lies of Locke Lamora •Theo of Golden •Depths of Vanalf •Pillars of the Earth •Queen of Faces •We Who Will Die •Toothsucker •This Safe Darkness
#booktok #bookfyp #bookrecs #fantasybooks #literaryfiction
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The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • Feb 2
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\ \ Join for free or login](https://azhangia.binderybooks.com/item/QhHirbyUMwGNno8EqP2R/)
Q1 Book Club Announcement - The Poet Empress (Shen Tao)
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Bad Girls' (Book) Club\ \ Mya\ \ • Feb 1
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JANUARY READING WRAP UP 📆 I read some banger new book releases this month, so if you want to go on a spree at Barnes and Noble in February, this is for you!
📚 Books Mentioned: The Phoenix King by Apna Verma Violet Thistlewait is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz Half City by Kate Golden - Out on 2/17 The Poet Empress by Shen Tao Bound by Ali Hazelwood First-Time Caller by BK Borison And Now, Back to You by BK Borison - Out on 2/24 Smoke and Scar by Gretchen Powell Fox A Little Buzzed by Alys Murray - Out on 2/17
Thank you to PRH Audio for providing ALCs for Half City and A Little Buzzed, as well as Berkley and NetGalley for gifting an e-ARC of And Now Back to You in exchange for an honest review. I loved them all so much!!
#booktok #booktuber #bookrecs
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The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • Jan 28
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