Illumicrate
Fantasy
The Poet Empress by Shen Tao book only (Illumicrate 'Power of Death' Exclusive)
$34.00
About the product
TO KILL A MONSTER, SHE MUST BECOME ONE . . .
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.
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 . . .
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.
The epic political arena of The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang meets the intimate tragedy and luscious language of The Song of Achilles 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.
Our Illumicrate Exclusive edition is a royal hardback and will feature:
- An exclusive redesigned cover (art by @afterblossom_art, design by @chattynora)
- Full colour artwork on the hardback (by @afterblossom_art)
- Digitally printed edges on all three sides (by @afterblossom_art)
- Endpaper artwork; different front and back (by @gracezhuart)
- Bound-in author letter
- Digital signature
- Adult fantasy standalone
- POC and queer characters
Photos by @bookwormgram
"Tao’s debut is an intricate study of court politics and what a young woman will do to survive." —Library Journal, starred review
"The many political threads become fascinatingly tangled, Tao’s prose gleams with poetic precision, and climactic revelations strike with devastating inevitability." —Publisher's Weekly, starred review
About the Author
Content warnings for The Poet Empress
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Content Warning
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