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DELUXE EDITION―featuring gorgeous gilded edges, detailed endpapers, and beautiful case art under the book jacket!

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 Poppy War, and A Game of Thrones.

In the waning years of the Azalea Dynasty, the emperor is dying, the land is consumed by famine, and poetry magic is lost to all except the powerful.

Wei Yin is desperate. 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--where written magic is power, and women are forbidden to read. But the palace stands on the knife-edge of civil war and Wei becomes trapped in its center, at the side of a violent prince.

To survive and save her people, Wei must become dangerous herself. Even though it means risking execution, she must learn to read--and compose the most powerful spell of all: A ballad of love... and death.

The Poet Empress is an epic fantasy that explores dark 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.