The Poet Empress
- Author Shen Tao
- Narrator Eric Yang, Katharine Chin
- Publisher Orion
- Publish Date 20 January 2026
- Run Time 15 hours and 43 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Epic fantasy / heroic fantasy, Fantasy romance, Historical fantasy.
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What to expect
*THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*
*A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK*
'This is a five-star read, for real . . .' ROBIN HOBB
'An impressive debut with real psychological depth' THE GUARDIAN
'Richly imagined and politically driven' THE I PAPER
'In a class of its own' THE DAILY MAIL
'A novel of great power and force' LOCUS
'It now holds a standard for fantasy standalones' GRIMDARK MAGAZINE
'This dark fantasy stands out among the plethora of romantasy' BOOKLIST
'Vicious, gorgeous, and fiercely haunting' CHLOE GONG
'Sublime' AMELIE WEN ZHAO
'Enthralling' ANDREA STEWART
'Astounding' CHELSEA ABDULLAH
'Fantasy at its best' VAISHNAVI PATEL
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 of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller in this internationally bestselling debut novel by visionary new voice Shen Tao, unmissable for veteran genre fans as well as readers of literary fiction looking to make their first foray into fantasy.
*A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK*
'This is a five-star read, for real . . .' ROBIN HOBB
'An impressive debut with real psychological depth' THE GUARDIAN
'Richly imagined and politically driven' THE I PAPER
'In a class of its own' THE DAILY MAIL
'A novel of great power and force' LOCUS
'It now holds a standard for fantasy standalones' GRIMDARK MAGAZINE
'This dark fantasy stands out among the plethora of romantasy' BOOKLIST
'Vicious, gorgeous, and fiercely haunting' CHLOE GONG
'Sublime' AMELIE WEN ZHAO
'Enthralling' ANDREA STEWART
'Astounding' CHELSEA ABDULLAH
'Fantasy at its best' VAISHNAVI PATEL
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 of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller in this internationally bestselling debut novel by visionary new voice Shen Tao, unmissable for veteran genre fans as well as readers of literary fiction looking to make their first foray into fantasy.
Critics Review
This is a five-star read, for real . . . Yes. There are cruel and vicious characters in this book. But neither the protagonist nor the author surrenders the story to them. There is deliberate cruelty, and the cold cruelty that occurs when the ruling class has no love for the folk who feed it. There is betrayal of trust, and there is personal sacrifice for the greater good. There is also a display of fairness as even the darkest characters are revealed as multi-faceted humans. That's not an easy thing to pull off. So, if you love court intrigue, a protagonist who is believably tough in the face of steep challenges, if you love unexpected magic, an unusual magic system, and imagery that makes you smile at the thought of being able to see that, well, here is your book! Recommended without reservation
The very definition of an epic. The Poet Empress draws its world with sharp clarity, its characters with astounding depth, and its magic with flawless precision. Vicious, gorgeous, and fiercely haunting until the end
The Poet Empress is a hidden knife, one that cuts so deeply and cleanly that it excises your heart and makes you like it. I have rarely had such a breathless reading experience, where each page reveals the ways in which humanity's beauty and ugliness run lockstep with one another. Terrifying and enthralling!
Sublime. Against a lush, poetic rendition of ancient China, Tao unfurls a breathlessly sweeping and brutally romantic historical epic woven with themes of feminism, courage, and morality. Powerful and poignant, The Poet Empress is one of my favorite recent reading experiences
With political intrigue as sharp as a blade and sweeping, ethereal prose, The Poet Empress is an astounding debut novel. This mesmerising fantasy shattered and healed my heart in equal measure - and I enjoyed every moment of it
Taut, sharp, and compelling. With haunting prose and characters vividly real, The Poet Empress is a devastating composition, revealing intrigue, magic, and politics turn by thrilling turn. Impeccably paced, vicious and romantic, this is a deadly debut that'll have you at the edge of your seat
The Poet Empress will surprise you. It will, at times, terrify you. But Tao's rich tale is multifaceted - it is brutal, yes, but also beautiful and full of hope and kindnesses both big and small. If you love court intrigue, creative magic systems, and protagonists who know that empathy is a strength and not a weakness, even as they are forced to make impossible decisions, this is the book for you
There are many stories about the power of words, but none quite like this: an illiterate girl learns to write poetry that changes the world. And yet, no simple words can do justice to this book's beating heart--its intimate portrayal of characters so painfully human that you see them as real people, flawed, traumatized, and still yearning for love. From the very first page, this book had me completely gripped. The Poet Empress is fantasy at its best
Lyrical, romantic, and full of heart, The Poet Empress is an epic fantasy debut that captivates from the very first page
A beautifully devastating tale, powerfully and elegantly told - The Poet Empress will cut you and heal you all at once. This is not a love story, but it is a story about love, and all the ugly things that fill the void when it's taken away. With an unflinching eye and a poet's quiet restraint, Tao weaves power, pain, hope, and humanity together into an epic tapestry that will take your breath away
It's hard to overstate how calmly authoritative and finely judged this debut is. Gorgeous settings, outstanding characters and tremendous narrative drive put it in a class of its own
This impressive debut is set in a fantastical version of ancient China where poetry is a magical art, and the right to rule is established by physically subduing a dragon . . . A powerful, engaging story with real psychological depth as well as convincing worldbuilding rooted in Chinese history
This epic fantasy rooted in poetry follows a peasant girl trapped in an imperial court. Richly imagined and politically driven, it combines intrigue with a focused emotional arc about survival, language and agency
A masterful character study . . . At its heart, The Poet Empress is an ode to survival, and the lengths one will take to return home. Shen Tao's debut is slicing and heart wrenching, and now holds a standard for fantasy standalones that few other books could reach
A book filled with complicated characters, power plays and familial love, set in an epic world of literomancy and magical dynasty. Wei is enthralled and corrupted by the power she gains, but never loses sight of the ordinary families struggling to survive far from palace life
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
Tao's prose gleams with poetic precision, and climactic revelations strike with devastating inevitability. Fans of R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War and Shelley Parker-Chan's She Who Became the Sun will be enthralled by this fierce meditation on love, power, and survival through art
The Poet Empress is an astonishingly accomplished debut. I'm a very jaded reader. At this point in my life - and at this point in the cyclical trends of the publishing industry - I don't have high hopes for a fantasy novel where a peasant girl becomes concubine to a cruel prince. Shen Tao's debut, however, smashed right into my preconceptions and took them out at the knees with the kind of power, force, and confidence that you see only rarely, and more rarely still in a first novel . . . The Poet Empress is a brilliant debut and a novel of great power and force, and Shen Tao is certainly a writer to watch
| Author | Shen Tao |
|---|---|
| Narrator | Eric Yang, Katharine Chin |
| Duration | 15 hours and 43 minutes |
| Release Date | |
| ISBN | 9781399629003 |
| Format | Audiobook |
| Publisher | Orion |
| Genre | Epic fantasy / heroic fantasy, Fantasy romance, Historical fantasy |
| Availability | AU, GB, IE |
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