4.5 Stars

The Empress of Salt and Fortune was an unexpectedly delightful short story. The book felt like a historical saga set in the realms of Ancient China with a twist of fantasy and a feminist mantra. It tells the story of a young royal from up north who is sent to the capital to become Empress. From there she is exiled upon the birth of a male heir and she must learn to survive through careful planning and her wits.

The story is cleverly recounted through the memory of her handmaiden Rabbit who was sold to the Emperor for five baskets of dye. Rabbit recounts the story to a cleric girl and her bird who collate stories for the history books. By this point Rabbit is an old woman and each section of her story told unravels a new plot point and a new moral message to the story.

The book manages to combine elements of mystery, magic, fantasy, history and feminism in a beautifully short story. It focused on the female friendship between the Empress and her servant, on the talents and intelligence of the Empress, and the relevance and power of history. It whisked me away to the courts and deception of an Ancient China style setting. It was clever and well thought through, and I would absolutely love to read more by this author. 100% recommend this!