The Empress of Salt and Fortune
The Singing Hills Cycle, Book 1
Nghi Vo
Tordotcom
Fiction, Fantasy
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: The cleric Chih and their hoopoe companion Almost Brilliant travel the length and breadth of the land, gathering stories and cataloguing facts in all manner of places for the abbey of Singing Hills. Their latest travels have taken them to the shores of Lake Scarlet and the abandoned house of Thriving Fortune, once the home of an exiled wife of the emperor. Here, an old and still-loyal servant, Rabbit, tells Chih the story that official histories chose not to record. It begins with a daughter of a conquered people sent to be the bride of an arrogant southern emperor, and ends with both victory and heartbreak.
REVIEW: I'd previously read and enjoyed another Singing Hills novella, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, without realizing it was technically the second title, so I was eager to read (or listen to, this being another audiobook) the first installment. These are truly standalone stories, each with a strong emotional core, in this case hatred and vengeance and loyalty and the many contradictory ways love can pull a heart. Rabbit's servant's-eye-view of the imperial palace and the exiled empress reveals a young woman plunged into a cold and insular world among her people's enemies, yet who manages to hold true to her self and her greater purpose. Rabbit herself has a story, inevitably entwined with the great woman's, and choices that lead to much pain, though she has long made peace with them. As in the other novella, Chih is largely there as witness and recorder, but has their own personality and contribution to make. Vo creates an intriguing and complex world. I'm looking forward to more of its stories.
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