The Empress of Salt and Fortune

This is a gorgeously written puzzle of a book, and I really loved the way it all came together. I really enjoyed the frame; and how the empress's story was told not just through Rabbit's remembrance but also through the objects found in her home-in-exile, because all of the little details were so illuminating. You do see the worldbuilding mostly in story form, in this volume, which gives it a kind of fairytale vibe — and those details, like ghosts walking a royal road, women turning into kingfishers, and the subtle dystopia of 50 years of summer — all definitely suit that. It's a story about rage but it's also a eulogy of sorts, and that built up to an ending that had me near tears.

Cleric Chih and Almost Brilliant were fun characters to follow, and I look forward to getting to know them better in future volumes. Definitely recommend.