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The Weeping Empress
Chiyo Alglaeca was happy in her life. That is, until it was all taken away. Forced into notoriety, stalked by a mysterious cult, hunted by the emperor, and facing betrayal at every turn she clings to the only safety she can find: two enigmatic men and the sharp bringer of death, Salvation. The Weeping Empress explores the devastating effects of loss, the hunt for redemption, and the price of destiny. It questions the true meaning of evil and asks what monster is not also an innocent?
252 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2011
8 people are currently reading
768 people want to read
About the author
Sadie S. Forsythe
1 book287 followersThough Sadie does write on occasion, she is predominantly a reader. She hails from the Southeastern United States, has twice lived in Northwestern England, and now resides in the American Midwest.
She holds a BSc in Anthropology/Comparative Religion, and masters' in International Criminology and Social Change, and is currently working on a Ph.D. in Public and Social Policy. She loves local coffee shops, geek culture, everything bookish, and tea (steaming with milk and sweet iced). She is married, with two daughters and only moderately neurotic border collie/Australian shepherd and Australian Shepherd/Australian Cattle Dog mixes.
On a side note, she uses GR and her shelves to keep track of books she's read, hopes to read, has been asked to read, intends never to read, etc. Thus they are full to overflowing. Don't judge, yeah?
She holds a BSc in Anthropology/Comparative Religion, and masters' in International Criminology and Social Change, and is currently working on a Ph.D. in Public and Social Policy. She loves local coffee shops, geek culture, everything bookish, and tea (steaming with milk and sweet iced). She is married, with two daughters and only moderately neurotic border collie/Australian shepherd and Australian Shepherd/Australian Cattle Dog mixes.
On a side note, she uses GR and her shelves to keep track of books she's read, hopes to read, has been asked to read, intends never to read, etc. Thus they are full to overflowing. Don't judge, yeah?
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
December 30, 2015
I have had this book in my kindle for awhile now, how I missed it is beyond me. I found this book very interesting and so different from others. The author did a fantastic job in world building and bringing into the story from the get. The writing was phenomenal and very good.
Chiyo Alglaeca finds herself in the middle of a battle, confused and not knowing how she got there and really where she was. Along the way she meets Muhjah and Senka, who see something in Chiyo and decide to train her and it's when she truly finds her purpose in life and her real self.
Chiyo Alglaeca finds herself in the middle of a battle, confused and not knowing how she got there and really where she was. Along the way she meets Muhjah and Senka, who see something in Chiyo and decide to train her and it's when she truly finds her purpose in life and her real self.
November 7, 2013
This is a book I would not have discovered if it wasn't for Goodreads. I don't usually read time travelling books because they always have fallen short of my expectations. What drew me to this book was the Asian backdrop and the potential that Cassia might be an awesome heroine.
More and more often I am pick a fantasy story with a heroine and it seems as though I am reading the same basic plot with different authors. With The Weeping Empress, I didn't know if Cassia would save the nation.I came to love the characters that were so abhorrent to me in the beginning. That in itself shows how amazing the book is.
Summary: I read this book with zero expectations. I secretly hoped that I would enjoy it or that it would at least not make me regret spending time reading it when there are so many other books to read. I am so happy I gave this book a chance. After the first battle I thought that there is never a valid reason to end human life with as much coldness as Senka did and by end of book I realised that life is a very deep shade of grey. For actions that are very black, the reasoning behind them might be very white or it may just be survival. It may seem very obvious idea but I also think on some level deep inside we still live in world that is very black and white. Thank you Sadie S. Forsythe for writing this amazing book. I will be eagerly awaiting for any new releases from you.
Sadie S. Forsythe has a way with words, the first pages of the book drop you right into the action. I couldn't believe that I didn't need to read 50 pages to get into the story. Sadie seamlessly drops in aspects of Cassia's personality, her motivations and pain points into the story that you don't notice it. I felt as though I was going on the same journey with Cassia. I haven't had that feeling with a book for a long time.
More and more often I am pick a fantasy story with a heroine and it seems as though I am reading the same basic plot with different authors. With The Weeping Empress, I didn't know if Cassia would save the nation.I came to love the characters that were so abhorrent to me in the beginning. That in itself shows how amazing the book is.
Summary: I read this book with zero expectations. I secretly hoped that I would enjoy it or that it would at least not make me regret spending time reading it when there are so many other books to read. I am so happy I gave this book a chance. After the first battle I thought that there is never a valid reason to end human life with as much coldness as Senka did and by end of book I realised that life is a very deep shade of grey. For actions that are very black, the reasoning behind them might be very white or it may just be survival. It may seem very obvious idea but I also think on some level deep inside we still live in world that is very black and white. Thank you Sadie S. Forsythe for writing this amazing book. I will be eagerly awaiting for any new releases from you.
September 7, 2012
Perhaps I owe someone a bit of an apology. A while back, I had an argument with a self-published author who claimed that readers held indie authors to a higher standard than those published by mainstream houses. I disagreed. I have to admit that perhaps we were both right to a degree. The problem is, readers give authors a bit of a bye when their work goes through a large publishing house. It's the publisher's responsibility to see that the work is properly edited, and even when it's obvious that the writer can't write, we blame the publishers, because their editors should have caught and fixed the problem.
So, in the case of self-publishing, I still maintain, we're not harder on the author-as-author, but we may be harder on the author-as-publisher! I will repeat my mantra: no author, independent or not, can afford to publish work that has not been edited by a qualified third-party. Which gets to the long-missed point of this review —
This is a fine story, and with good editing it would be worth at least 3 stars, quite possibly 4, but the editing (if there even was any) is tragic. It's not just the silly typos ("loose" for "lose", at least three times), they're not actually much more common than in many a mainstream novel. It's the use of sentence structure that is either, at worst, bad English, or at best, local idiom. It's the use of local trade names (hands up if you know what a "Sheila maid" is - and if you do, would you expect to encounter it in an Oriental-themed fantasy?). It's redundancy: "She hadn't recalled hitting her head, but she obviously had" - if you've done your job as an author (and she did!) you don't need to insult the reader by saying "she obviously had". It's the use of words and phrases that the author has probably used all her life, but are just plain wrong: somehow, I feel a Kimono dragon is just not quite as frightening as she intended.
All in all, I'd be happy to reread the 2nd edition, when a publisher picks it up, but I'm not likely to read another self-published Forsythe.
So, in the case of self-publishing, I still maintain, we're not harder on the author-as-author, but we may be harder on the author-as-publisher! I will repeat my mantra: no author, independent or not, can afford to publish work that has not been edited by a qualified third-party. Which gets to the long-missed point of this review —
This is a fine story, and with good editing it would be worth at least 3 stars, quite possibly 4, but the editing (if there even was any) is tragic. It's not just the silly typos ("loose" for "lose", at least three times), they're not actually much more common than in many a mainstream novel. It's the use of sentence structure that is either, at worst, bad English, or at best, local idiom. It's the use of local trade names (hands up if you know what a "Sheila maid" is - and if you do, would you expect to encounter it in an Oriental-themed fantasy?). It's redundancy: "She hadn't recalled hitting her head, but she obviously had" - if you've done your job as an author (and she did!) you don't need to insult the reader by saying "she obviously had". It's the use of words and phrases that the author has probably used all her life, but are just plain wrong: somehow, I feel a Kimono dragon is just not quite as frightening as she intended.
All in all, I'd be happy to reread the 2nd edition, when a publisher picks it up, but I'm not likely to read another self-published Forsythe.
April 21, 2012
A reader, like the main character, Chiyu (whose name I pronounce in my head like the latter portion of an explosive sneeze), is likely to begin this story a bit disoriented. Here we have a perfectly normal woman in her night clothes inexplicably surrounded by the gristle and blood of broken bodies, soldiers in tunics hacking medievally at citizens, and two invincible warriors resisting them.
Holy beans! (or something equally, if not more profane) you think to yourself. Where on God’s green Earth are we? How do I return to whence I came? Nevermind that. Let’s get out of here.
Chiyo obediently follows this same train of thought, linking up with fleeing citizens, the two warriors guiding them to safety. Pretty standard stuff that proceeds about as much as you might expect. Then, after all of their efforts, the two epic heroes do something shocking (a euphamism that with any more detail would be considered a spoiler) and at the same time we learn about a fairly striking prophecy. At this point the story takes off.
From this point on I enjoyed this story. Not that I didn’t enjoy the story leading up to this unexpected turn of events and important reveal, but this is the point where the tale entered fabled New Territory, piquing my interest as it had not before. Suffice to say, characters we anticipated might be archetypal and bland were abruptly not so. I’ll spare readers any further detail outside of this small tidbit: the title fits, as you might expect.
As an added bonus, I enjoyed the tidbits of scripture, or what have you, provided at the outset of each chapter, giving us an insight toward a prevailing religion and shaping the ensuing story. As a fan of Watership Down and The Shipping News, this can be a remarkably effective device if done well, and if the author is either studious enough to locate an appropriate quote, or clever enough to invent one of their own. Forsythe gets the nod on the latter (assuming the religious text she quotes doesn’t actually exist).
All in all, an excellent story that, once I crested that first mount of “where am I and what exactly is happening here and… oh! That was unexpected!” I cruised along to the wholly satisfying conclusion.
Why, oh why deduct a star, then? The missing star lends entirely to preference. There are several different styles of writing, and I tend to prefer tight narratives, where this story tended to offer descriptions that bordered on excessive, such as using two sentences to describe something where one might suffice. (e.g., “She couldn’t breathe. Her breath came in sharp uncontrollable gasps.” “…panicking and uncertain of what to do…”) That said, to each their own, and Forsythe gets full marks for all but the Personal Preference category, which is completely subjective, but something that weighs heavily in my opinion of a story’s enjoyability.
This isn’t a romp, or a happytime joystory full of girlish frolicking and adventure, and I think that is the story’s biggest strength. A good story is a convention turned on its head, and this story demonstrates some skillful acrobatics.
Holy beans! (or something equally, if not more profane) you think to yourself. Where on God’s green Earth are we? How do I return to whence I came? Nevermind that. Let’s get out of here.
Chiyo obediently follows this same train of thought, linking up with fleeing citizens, the two warriors guiding them to safety. Pretty standard stuff that proceeds about as much as you might expect. Then, after all of their efforts, the two epic heroes do something shocking (a euphamism that with any more detail would be considered a spoiler) and at the same time we learn about a fairly striking prophecy. At this point the story takes off.
From this point on I enjoyed this story. Not that I didn’t enjoy the story leading up to this unexpected turn of events and important reveal, but this is the point where the tale entered fabled New Territory, piquing my interest as it had not before. Suffice to say, characters we anticipated might be archetypal and bland were abruptly not so. I’ll spare readers any further detail outside of this small tidbit: the title fits, as you might expect.
As an added bonus, I enjoyed the tidbits of scripture, or what have you, provided at the outset of each chapter, giving us an insight toward a prevailing religion and shaping the ensuing story. As a fan of Watership Down and The Shipping News, this can be a remarkably effective device if done well, and if the author is either studious enough to locate an appropriate quote, or clever enough to invent one of their own. Forsythe gets the nod on the latter (assuming the religious text she quotes doesn’t actually exist).
All in all, an excellent story that, once I crested that first mount of “where am I and what exactly is happening here and… oh! That was unexpected!” I cruised along to the wholly satisfying conclusion.
Why, oh why deduct a star, then? The missing star lends entirely to preference. There are several different styles of writing, and I tend to prefer tight narratives, where this story tended to offer descriptions that bordered on excessive, such as using two sentences to describe something where one might suffice. (e.g., “She couldn’t breathe. Her breath came in sharp uncontrollable gasps.” “…panicking and uncertain of what to do…”) That said, to each their own, and Forsythe gets full marks for all but the Personal Preference category, which is completely subjective, but something that weighs heavily in my opinion of a story’s enjoyability.
This isn’t a romp, or a happytime joystory full of girlish frolicking and adventure, and I think that is the story’s biggest strength. A good story is a convention turned on its head, and this story demonstrates some skillful acrobatics.
July 27, 2013
I really wanted to like this book because of the grippingly vague synopsis, but unfortunately the grippingly vague synopsis is exactly why I couldn't like it. I went into reading The Weeping Empress knowing neither the context nor the setting. Eventually Chiyo's sudden displacement is explained by a bit of spiritual power, a bit of time travel, but because it isn't stated explicitly, overall this book was very confusing and hard to keep up with.
The exodus of the goddess Kali wreaks havoc upon dynasty-era Japan, which is the time period to when Chiyo one day wakes up. The beginning of this book is awfully slow—as is the end, but at least stuff happens, then; I really had to struggle to get there. In fact, it isn't clear what's happened to Chiyo until the very last few pages, which does serve as a surprising, fitting plot twist, but I would have preferred not to plow through more than 200 pages to encounter it.
As Chiyo becomes unsettlingly involved in the social upheaval of the Samurai, her anger, vengeance, and mental instability soon make her realize the cruelty in herself, and the purpose it serves in fate's even crueler decisions.
I wish I had better things to say about The Weeping Empress but overall it's just excruciatingly sluggishly paced and most of the content doesn't flow well. The premise was promising, but the execution rather disappointing, and the characters unexplored.
Pros
Interesting insights on absolute power, deification, and spirituality // Great conclusion
Cons
Drags on a LOT // Ordinary style, sometimes confusing to follow // Plot is just an unmemorable jumble of battle sequences and folklore—easy to get lost in, and not in a good way // Flat, boring characters // I didn't even pick up on the Japanese Samurai theme until halfway into the story
Verdict
The adventure and edgy violence in The Weeping Empress may please some readers; this high fantasy novel has plenty of action and turmoil to go around. However, I was dissatisfied with it because of how hard it was to read—a result of its slow pace, mundane style, and lacking characters. I personally don't recommend this story about the warrior queen desperate to be saved; while reading, I was the one in desperate need of saving.
Rating: 4 out of 10 hearts (2 stars): So-so; reading this book may cause wrinkles (from frowning so much).
Source
Complimentary copy provided by author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Sadie!).
The exodus of the goddess Kali wreaks havoc upon dynasty-era Japan, which is the time period to when Chiyo one day wakes up. The beginning of this book is awfully slow—as is the end, but at least stuff happens, then; I really had to struggle to get there. In fact, it isn't clear what's happened to Chiyo until the very last few pages, which does serve as a surprising, fitting plot twist, but I would have preferred not to plow through more than 200 pages to encounter it.
As Chiyo becomes unsettlingly involved in the social upheaval of the Samurai, her anger, vengeance, and mental instability soon make her realize the cruelty in herself, and the purpose it serves in fate's even crueler decisions.
I wish I had better things to say about The Weeping Empress but overall it's just excruciatingly sluggishly paced and most of the content doesn't flow well. The premise was promising, but the execution rather disappointing, and the characters unexplored.
Pros
Interesting insights on absolute power, deification, and spirituality // Great conclusion
Cons
Drags on a LOT // Ordinary style, sometimes confusing to follow // Plot is just an unmemorable jumble of battle sequences and folklore—easy to get lost in, and not in a good way // Flat, boring characters // I didn't even pick up on the Japanese Samurai theme until halfway into the story
Verdict
The adventure and edgy violence in The Weeping Empress may please some readers; this high fantasy novel has plenty of action and turmoil to go around. However, I was dissatisfied with it because of how hard it was to read—a result of its slow pace, mundane style, and lacking characters. I personally don't recommend this story about the warrior queen desperate to be saved; while reading, I was the one in desperate need of saving.
Rating: 4 out of 10 hearts (2 stars): So-so; reading this book may cause wrinkles (from frowning so much).
Source
Complimentary copy provided by author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Sadie!).
May 2, 2012
Sadie is an incredible writer. I got drawn into Chiyo's world from page one and couldn't put it down until I finished.
The book started with Chiyo not knowing where she was or what was happening, and as I went through the same emotions, it had an effect on me as if I was there, going through the same situations. That created an emotional bond with Chiyo, which intensified as the story progressed.
I'm a huge fan of Japanese world, their tradition, and sense of morale and duty, so I was rather susceptible to this kind of story, and was enchanted by the dance of the good and bad Sadie created. It really makes you think how you'd react, you are pulled deep into character's psyche, you start to understand their reasoning and motivations behind their doings, and although they are killing people, that doesn't bother you. Somehow, I viewed them as the "good guys" and fell in love with their personalities.
The biggest thrill this book caused was my own redefinition of good and bad. I was so happy that the characters were not typically goodish or notoriously bad, that they walked the edge of grey, as well as the fact that the book did not end in a perceivable way. What creeped me out is how much I was in tune with the characters, how their actions were not so odd to me, how much I felt as part of their group. Well, I guess that makes me a weirdo. :)
There's nothing beautiful in being ripped out of your happy, cozy life, losing everything and everyone you loved. But there is something beautiful in surrendering to the beast inside of you, in grotesqueness of killing, in mind's power over the body, and the self-discipline. In a very dark and destructive way, you find out who you truly are, what you're capable of, what you're made of. If I compare her previous happy life and this one, I say she was given an opportunity of a lifetime. She could have had a normal, happy life, but what's so spectacular about that?
The book started with Chiyo not knowing where she was or what was happening, and as I went through the same emotions, it had an effect on me as if I was there, going through the same situations. That created an emotional bond with Chiyo, which intensified as the story progressed.
I'm a huge fan of Japanese world, their tradition, and sense of morale and duty, so I was rather susceptible to this kind of story, and was enchanted by the dance of the good and bad Sadie created. It really makes you think how you'd react, you are pulled deep into character's psyche, you start to understand their reasoning and motivations behind their doings, and although they are killing people, that doesn't bother you. Somehow, I viewed them as the "good guys" and fell in love with their personalities.
The biggest thrill this book caused was my own redefinition of good and bad. I was so happy that the characters were not typically goodish or notoriously bad, that they walked the edge of grey, as well as the fact that the book did not end in a perceivable way. What creeped me out is how much I was in tune with the characters, how their actions were not so odd to me, how much I felt as part of their group. Well, I guess that makes me a weirdo. :)
There's nothing beautiful in being ripped out of your happy, cozy life, losing everything and everyone you loved. But there is something beautiful in surrendering to the beast inside of you, in grotesqueness of killing, in mind's power over the body, and the self-discipline. In a very dark and destructive way, you find out who you truly are, what you're capable of, what you're made of. If I compare her previous happy life and this one, I say she was given an opportunity of a lifetime. She could have had a normal, happy life, but what's so spectacular about that?
August 7, 2012
I have recieved The Weeping Empress by Sadie S. Forsythe (thank you very much, Sadie!) in exchange for my honest review.
I have started this book the same day that I recieved it. I was really amazed that the pages were really full of words (not like other books) and only after reading a few pages I have felt that I read much more.
The story follows Chiyo Alglaeca. In the beginning of the book she finds herself in the middle of a battle, confused and not knowing how she got there. As the action progresses she goes along with two males, Muhjah and Senka, who are the only ones she thinks she can possibly trust. The two men see something really interesting in Chiyo as she always survives and acts like anyone else. They decide to train her and so, the main protagonist, finds her inner warrior spirit, proving her strenght and capability of handling a sword.
This book is really beautifully written! I really was absorbed by the story and I was amazed of it since this genre mostly does not fit with my style. I felt that this book had something more inside even since before I started reading it.
I really admire what character Sadie created! Chiyo is full of everything! I really loved her strenght and power to get in a place she had never thought of!
The ending of the book was also amazing. I had to digest the information after reading the Epilogue; I really liked the idea Sadie used there: the combination of the past and present was really something I did not expect!
Thank you, Sadie, for writing such an amazing book! I felt like I was reading scenes from a movie that played somewhere in the back of my mind *this book would be a really good movie!*
I recommend this book to anyone who admires the evolution of a character and loves to see beyond the written text!
I have started this book the same day that I recieved it. I was really amazed that the pages were really full of words (not like other books) and only after reading a few pages I have felt that I read much more.
The story follows Chiyo Alglaeca. In the beginning of the book she finds herself in the middle of a battle, confused and not knowing how she got there. As the action progresses she goes along with two males, Muhjah and Senka, who are the only ones she thinks she can possibly trust. The two men see something really interesting in Chiyo as she always survives and acts like anyone else. They decide to train her and so, the main protagonist, finds her inner warrior spirit, proving her strenght and capability of handling a sword.
This book is really beautifully written! I really was absorbed by the story and I was amazed of it since this genre mostly does not fit with my style. I felt that this book had something more inside even since before I started reading it.
I really admire what character Sadie created! Chiyo is full of everything! I really loved her strenght and power to get in a place she had never thought of!
The ending of the book was also amazing. I had to digest the information after reading the Epilogue; I really liked the idea Sadie used there: the combination of the past and present was really something I did not expect!
Thank you, Sadie, for writing such an amazing book! I felt like I was reading scenes from a movie that played somewhere in the back of my mind *this book would be a really good movie!*
I recommend this book to anyone who admires the evolution of a character and loves to see beyond the written text!
October 25, 2012
I’m a new Sadie S. Forsythe fan. Empress is not my preferred type of reading, but Sadie won me over completely with her superb narrative drive. She is a GrandMaster—excuse me, GrandMistress—at narration. This book should be on bestseller lists, if there is any justice in “this world.”
Now my method of dealing with time travel is to go all High Tech, get into Time Renormalizing Theory and Closed Timelike Curves and then cop-out by saying that superior aliens developed the technology which is beyond our poor human brains to understand anyway. I almost like Sadie’s way better; she just dumps the time traveler into a new time: “Deal with it, girl!”
I got sucked into the story in the first few pages, and quickly became caught up in heroine Chiyo’s new life. She has to fight to survive, from hour one. She chooses her allies on the enemy of my enemy theory.
The only structural flaw in this awesome story that I could see was the lack of flying weapons, like spears and arrows; but it didn’t dent my enjoyment, just made me wonder why there weren’t any.
Stop reading reviews! Read her free sample! If you don’t buy it, I’ll eat my digital bits: my 1s and 0s. @hg47
Now my method of dealing with time travel is to go all High Tech, get into Time Renormalizing Theory and Closed Timelike Curves and then cop-out by saying that superior aliens developed the technology which is beyond our poor human brains to understand anyway. I almost like Sadie’s way better; she just dumps the time traveler into a new time: “Deal with it, girl!”
I got sucked into the story in the first few pages, and quickly became caught up in heroine Chiyo’s new life. She has to fight to survive, from hour one. She chooses her allies on the enemy of my enemy theory.
The only structural flaw in this awesome story that I could see was the lack of flying weapons, like spears and arrows; but it didn’t dent my enjoyment, just made me wonder why there weren’t any.
Stop reading reviews! Read her free sample! If you don’t buy it, I’ll eat my digital bits: my 1s and 0s. @hg47
April 26, 2012
This book is self-published but don't let that put you off. If you like martial arts, epic journeys, fantasy, anime and manga then you should definitely check it out. It brings it. It brings all the blood.
Chiyo is a ruthless killer. But she didn't used to be. She used to be a mother, a wife, presumably a friend, living in, we assume, surburbia. From what she describes, she was comfortable and happy. However, this book starts when she is thrown out of that world and lands in an unforgiving new one where she is being rounded up like cattle by armed men who could have who-knows-what intentions. Even though she has no idea where she is, or how she came to be there, she fights these men as she has never fought before: for survival. And she never stops. It's like Kill Bill in here.
I really loved Chiyo. She is weak and vulnerable at the beginning, but after a bit of roughing up and asamurai sword training montage she is soon equipped to slash through soldiers with the best of them. Muhjah and Senka are the men she travels with who train her up, and they are very well-developed characters. Each has distinctive traits and they feel dangerous and unpredictable in their own ways. Senka in particular, with his silent approach and fierce loyalty, feels both a threat towards Chiyo while also being her best hope of safety.
The plot really makes you think. You put yourself in Chiyo's shoes and wonder how you would react; how could you cope knowing you had been ruthlessly torn away from everything you've ever known for no particular reason? And now you're being hunted by people you don't know or care about? The emperor wants to capture Chiyo because word has gotten around about this new stranger who is fighting her way through his men and people are whispering about her potentially becoming a new Goddess (their previous Goddess abandoned them some time before). Chiyo fits the prophecy for the new Right Arm of the Goddess and so she is suddenly becoming revered for something she knows nothing about. Chiyo doesn't care about any of this. She just wants to go home. I loved that about her; none of it ever goes to her head or fazes her- she knows who she was and violence is the only way she can stop herself crumbling because of it. She doesn't care about these people in this world or saving anyone from anything- she is no hero. She isn't moral or doing anything for the 'right reasons' because she has no reason to love this world that she was so cruelly flung into. She wants to get out of there and, if that's not possible, live the simultaneously violent and peaceful life she has acquired with Muhjah and Senka.
There is something beautiful about the way Chiyo finds that to completely block the memories of her previously cosy, motherly, nurturing life is to embrace the opposite; a bloody, ruthless, merciless one where killing provides joy. She becomes the best she can be, physically, at one point realising that she is no longer 'voluptous' and is instead 'all angles', there is no longer anything 'soft' about her- neither physically or mentally- no vulnerability or fear left at all. How could she have got there cradling babies and doing the washing?
There were only a few downsides to this book. One was, I felt, the lack of world-building. I can understand why Forsythe has done this, because it makes the landscape even more anonymous and disorientating and we as readers are put in the same position as Chiyo in terms of not having a clue where we are! But I like descriptions and details, and I would have liked to be able to envision things better. I also would have liked the Emperor, who sits up in his tower like an ineffective pig waiting to be slaughtered, to have been more evil and more involved in the story. He does order some pretty horrific things to be done to Chiyo, but I was still never really afraid of HIM. I feel like if I had been it would've added a whole other layer to the story.
Overall, I really liked this story. It was very original, and had a badass sword-wielding female protagonist who unleashes her inner beast. I am so excited for the sequel, as I am told her family from her old life enter the picture. Will she be able to reign in the beast? I'm not sure if she can...I hear once you get a taste for blood you don't go back.
Chiyo is a ruthless killer. But she didn't used to be. She used to be a mother, a wife, presumably a friend, living in, we assume, surburbia. From what she describes, she was comfortable and happy. However, this book starts when she is thrown out of that world and lands in an unforgiving new one where she is being rounded up like cattle by armed men who could have who-knows-what intentions. Even though she has no idea where she is, or how she came to be there, she fights these men as she has never fought before: for survival. And she never stops. It's like Kill Bill in here.
I really loved Chiyo. She is weak and vulnerable at the beginning, but after a bit of roughing up and asamurai sword training montage she is soon equipped to slash through soldiers with the best of them. Muhjah and Senka are the men she travels with who train her up, and they are very well-developed characters. Each has distinctive traits and they feel dangerous and unpredictable in their own ways. Senka in particular, with his silent approach and fierce loyalty, feels both a threat towards Chiyo while also being her best hope of safety.
The plot really makes you think. You put yourself in Chiyo's shoes and wonder how you would react; how could you cope knowing you had been ruthlessly torn away from everything you've ever known for no particular reason? And now you're being hunted by people you don't know or care about? The emperor wants to capture Chiyo because word has gotten around about this new stranger who is fighting her way through his men and people are whispering about her potentially becoming a new Goddess (their previous Goddess abandoned them some time before). Chiyo fits the prophecy for the new Right Arm of the Goddess and so she is suddenly becoming revered for something she knows nothing about. Chiyo doesn't care about any of this. She just wants to go home. I loved that about her; none of it ever goes to her head or fazes her- she knows who she was and violence is the only way she can stop herself crumbling because of it. She doesn't care about these people in this world or saving anyone from anything- she is no hero. She isn't moral or doing anything for the 'right reasons' because she has no reason to love this world that she was so cruelly flung into. She wants to get out of there and, if that's not possible, live the simultaneously violent and peaceful life she has acquired with Muhjah and Senka.
There is something beautiful about the way Chiyo finds that to completely block the memories of her previously cosy, motherly, nurturing life is to embrace the opposite; a bloody, ruthless, merciless one where killing provides joy. She becomes the best she can be, physically, at one point realising that she is no longer 'voluptous' and is instead 'all angles', there is no longer anything 'soft' about her- neither physically or mentally- no vulnerability or fear left at all. How could she have got there cradling babies and doing the washing?
There were only a few downsides to this book. One was, I felt, the lack of world-building. I can understand why Forsythe has done this, because it makes the landscape even more anonymous and disorientating and we as readers are put in the same position as Chiyo in terms of not having a clue where we are! But I like descriptions and details, and I would have liked to be able to envision things better. I also would have liked the Emperor, who sits up in his tower like an ineffective pig waiting to be slaughtered, to have been more evil and more involved in the story. He does order some pretty horrific things to be done to Chiyo, but I was still never really afraid of HIM. I feel like if I had been it would've added a whole other layer to the story.
Overall, I really liked this story. It was very original, and had a badass sword-wielding female protagonist who unleashes her inner beast. I am so excited for the sequel, as I am told her family from her old life enter the picture. Will she be able to reign in the beast? I'm not sure if she can...I hear once you get a taste for blood you don't go back.
July 8, 2012
I just finished this story a few minutes ago, and it has left me with a rare feeling of satisfaction. I could have read it in one sitting, but I spaced it out over three days, allowing myself to reflect on the themes and situations as I went about my everyday life. The story was never far from my mind, and I was always eager to get back to it — Chiyo got deep under my skin.
From the onset I was enchanted by the raw and vivid descriptions. The author writes battles so well that I almost believe she has ventured into the midst of a field of dead bodies, and crouched down to feel whether they were warm or cold, wet or dry. I almost believe she has inhaled deeply to perfectly relate the aroma of decay to us, as wine connoisseur might. I loved it. It was as real as the dream from which you awake sweating and panting, but you immediately want to lie back down because it is so much more thrilling than anything you normally experience in life. This is one for the intellectual anime fans — I had a good chuckle at a reference to Kagome.
Let’s talk about the boys: I've always had a soft spot for a pair of really good male friends. It demonstrates a man's character when he is loyal to someone and treats him like a brother. The casual, knowing manner between the men just melted me. It was believable that they had always been close, completing the missing parts of each other. I loved the us-against-the-world vibe to their camaraderie. The author uses such endearing metaphors to describe the dynamic between the men as we progress, and it’s simply perfect. I appreciate the time and care she must have put into developing these amazing personalities.
Somehow, it filled a need in me to travel along with Muhjah and Senka and live vicariously through Chiyo. I enjoyed it immensely, from the smallest details of having tea to the well-written battles. There are few things more precious to me than that feeling of brotherhood: being respected as an equal by powerful men, valued for skill and intellect and not just for beauty and more shallow feminine qualities. I haven’t felt that in a long time, and I was overjoyed to find it in this story.
The religious fables were both entertaining and well-woven into the plot. Not a word was wasted. How can I describe the gratifying thrill of being with characters that shamelessly embody your innermost desires? They admit to fearing peace and living for the fight, and this made my heart sing out in understanding. I have often felt guilty for having similar desires and seeking dangerous situations. If you are an aggressive soul, and if you have ever thought to yourself, “I wish someone would attack me right now and give me a good reason to fight,” this story will make you feel vindicated. For the characters, there need not be any reason — battle IS the reason, and that is glorious to me.
At first I was uncomfortable with the randomness and lack of purpose, but I understood that it was the point. By the end this discomfort had disappeared. I was able to relate to Chiyo more than I have been able to relate to a heroine in ages, if not ever! (After her transformation, that is. I have never had the privilege of being a happy wife and mother.)
The writing is so excellent and rich that when Ms. Forsythe depicts Chiyo lying on the brittle grass or taking a bath, I feel the grass poking me and the softness of the water. Her style is literary yet flippant — intelligent yet casual, and ultimately addictive. It's rare to see a female writer have such a keen respect for blades. The intricate, reverent descriptions of the majestic killing implements left me breathless. At one point, I was reminded of the Shield of Achilles. I was charmed and swept away by her superb and well-imagined weaponry. This really dug its way into my heart.
There are many love stories out there, but this novel speaks to a woman’s inner and outer strength and endurance, a sense of duty and divinity, and the randomness of purpose. It presents interesting questions about the control one has over their own life. This story was about far more than love.
I look forward to reading more from Ms. Forsythe.
From the onset I was enchanted by the raw and vivid descriptions. The author writes battles so well that I almost believe she has ventured into the midst of a field of dead bodies, and crouched down to feel whether they were warm or cold, wet or dry. I almost believe she has inhaled deeply to perfectly relate the aroma of decay to us, as wine connoisseur might. I loved it. It was as real as the dream from which you awake sweating and panting, but you immediately want to lie back down because it is so much more thrilling than anything you normally experience in life. This is one for the intellectual anime fans — I had a good chuckle at a reference to Kagome.
Let’s talk about the boys: I've always had a soft spot for a pair of really good male friends. It demonstrates a man's character when he is loyal to someone and treats him like a brother. The casual, knowing manner between the men just melted me. It was believable that they had always been close, completing the missing parts of each other. I loved the us-against-the-world vibe to their camaraderie. The author uses such endearing metaphors to describe the dynamic between the men as we progress, and it’s simply perfect. I appreciate the time and care she must have put into developing these amazing personalities.
Somehow, it filled a need in me to travel along with Muhjah and Senka and live vicariously through Chiyo. I enjoyed it immensely, from the smallest details of having tea to the well-written battles. There are few things more precious to me than that feeling of brotherhood: being respected as an equal by powerful men, valued for skill and intellect and not just for beauty and more shallow feminine qualities. I haven’t felt that in a long time, and I was overjoyed to find it in this story.
The religious fables were both entertaining and well-woven into the plot. Not a word was wasted. How can I describe the gratifying thrill of being with characters that shamelessly embody your innermost desires? They admit to fearing peace and living for the fight, and this made my heart sing out in understanding. I have often felt guilty for having similar desires and seeking dangerous situations. If you are an aggressive soul, and if you have ever thought to yourself, “I wish someone would attack me right now and give me a good reason to fight,” this story will make you feel vindicated. For the characters, there need not be any reason — battle IS the reason, and that is glorious to me.
At first I was uncomfortable with the randomness and lack of purpose, but I understood that it was the point. By the end this discomfort had disappeared. I was able to relate to Chiyo more than I have been able to relate to a heroine in ages, if not ever! (After her transformation, that is. I have never had the privilege of being a happy wife and mother.)
The writing is so excellent and rich that when Ms. Forsythe depicts Chiyo lying on the brittle grass or taking a bath, I feel the grass poking me and the softness of the water. Her style is literary yet flippant — intelligent yet casual, and ultimately addictive. It's rare to see a female writer have such a keen respect for blades. The intricate, reverent descriptions of the majestic killing implements left me breathless. At one point, I was reminded of the Shield of Achilles. I was charmed and swept away by her superb and well-imagined weaponry. This really dug its way into my heart.
There are many love stories out there, but this novel speaks to a woman’s inner and outer strength and endurance, a sense of duty and divinity, and the randomness of purpose. It presents interesting questions about the control one has over their own life. This story was about far more than love.
I look forward to reading more from Ms. Forsythe.
July 12, 2012
I am going to try a different format to my reviews. I saw some else do this and I liked it for its simplicity. I could go to any section of the review to find out what I wanted about the book - thus saving me time. I am always looking for ways to save time. [Imitation is the sincerest for of flattery - right?] So here goes.
Genre: YA fiction fantasy
Synopsis: (from Goodreads) Chiyo Alglaeca was happy in her life. That is, until it was all taken away. Forced into notoriety, stalked by a mysterious cult, hunted by the emperor, and facing betrayal at every turn she clings to the only safety she can find: two enigmatic men and the sharp bringer of death, Salvation. The Weeping Empress explores the devastating effects of loss, the hunt for redemption, and the price of destiny. It questions the true meaning of evil and asks what monster is not also an innocent?
Things I liked: I like how the author made up a whole new religion. I assume it's a new religion. I've never heard of it and as odd as this religion is, I think I would have. I also like that the religion has no rules - as unlikely as that might be, and that the head of this religion is a woman. That the main character, Chiyo, is a strong woman. I like the epilogue too, but I won't say why because that will give something away for people who want to read the book.
Things I didn't like: Chiyo falls into this past time and easily develops a blood lust. Later on in the story the author explains more about this, but I think it would have worked better - been more believable if she would have put that explanation earlier in the story. It just seems out of place for a modern day wife, mother, and presumed employed female of the 20th century to fall back in time and not bat an eye at opening people up with a sword. I can understand her first battle - it was a matter of survival, but it should have really taken Chiyo a while to "enjoy" all the killing she does or at least have a reasonable explanation for it, but that doesn't come until later. I also would like to have seen why the bad guy - the Emperor - was such a bad guy. You just have to take it on faith that he is but it's hard to root for Chiyo and her killing cohorts -Senka and Muhlah - when you know nothing about why he is bad. I also don't get the logic of Kali, the Goddess that is the head of this religion, and why she is asking he followers to do what they do related to Chiyo - which is why Chiyo ends up as she does. Maybe I'm dense, but I don't get it. And lastly, the use of foreign words is make reading it difficult because most of the time Forsythe does not give you any context to figure out what the words means or a translation within the story. She does it on occasion so I'm not sure why she didn't do it throughout.
As you can see, I have more things that I don't like about it than I do, but overall, it wasn't a bad story, it just needs some polishing.
Rated: 3/5
Thank you Sadie for a free e-copy of this book.
Genre: YA fiction fantasy
Synopsis: (from Goodreads) Chiyo Alglaeca was happy in her life. That is, until it was all taken away. Forced into notoriety, stalked by a mysterious cult, hunted by the emperor, and facing betrayal at every turn she clings to the only safety she can find: two enigmatic men and the sharp bringer of death, Salvation. The Weeping Empress explores the devastating effects of loss, the hunt for redemption, and the price of destiny. It questions the true meaning of evil and asks what monster is not also an innocent?
Things I liked: I like how the author made up a whole new religion. I assume it's a new religion. I've never heard of it and as odd as this religion is, I think I would have. I also like that the religion has no rules - as unlikely as that might be, and that the head of this religion is a woman. That the main character, Chiyo, is a strong woman. I like the epilogue too, but I won't say why because that will give something away for people who want to read the book.
Things I didn't like: Chiyo falls into this past time and easily develops a blood lust. Later on in the story the author explains more about this, but I think it would have worked better - been more believable if she would have put that explanation earlier in the story. It just seems out of place for a modern day wife, mother, and presumed employed female of the 20th century to fall back in time and not bat an eye at opening people up with a sword. I can understand her first battle - it was a matter of survival, but it should have really taken Chiyo a while to "enjoy" all the killing she does or at least have a reasonable explanation for it, but that doesn't come until later. I also would like to have seen why the bad guy - the Emperor - was such a bad guy. You just have to take it on faith that he is but it's hard to root for Chiyo and her killing cohorts -Senka and Muhlah - when you know nothing about why he is bad. I also don't get the logic of Kali, the Goddess that is the head of this religion, and why she is asking he followers to do what they do related to Chiyo - which is why Chiyo ends up as she does. Maybe I'm dense, but I don't get it. And lastly, the use of foreign words is make reading it difficult because most of the time Forsythe does not give you any context to figure out what the words means or a translation within the story. She does it on occasion so I'm not sure why she didn't do it throughout.
As you can see, I have more things that I don't like about it than I do, but overall, it wasn't a bad story, it just needs some polishing.
Rated: 3/5
Thank you Sadie for a free e-copy of this book.
August 1, 2012
Chiyo Alglaeca was happy in her life. She was a mother, a wife with a nice home and then one day it was all gone. Chiyo wakes up in a strange land, in a time period long gone, and in the middle of a battle. She soon discovers that the fighting she does on the outside is easy compared to the raging battle going on inside her, that of missing her family. Finally coming to terms that she will never get back to the life she once knew she moves forward becoming the fiercest warrior there is.
This book will grab you from the first page to the last. The transformation of Chiyo from basically a pampered housewife to a fierce bloodthirsty warrior is written so well. Muhjah and Senko, two swordsmen who during the first fight decide to bring Chiyo along as entertainment, quickly see something in her and begin to teach her to fight properly. Skip ahead a few years and you see a different Chiyo. The description of her physical appearance "she had never been fat but had always fondly considered herself voluptuous. Now her figure was all angles. Her hipbones protruded sharply. Her shoulders, elbows, and knees were covered by nothing more than muscles, skin and ink. There was no excess padding to blunt their angles. She ripples muscularity, a byproduct of everyday life." The beast inside her has grown and she thinks nothing of killing, in fact eagerly embraces it.
I can't say enough about this book. Everyone should read it even if it's not the genre you normally read. My only question would be how did Chiyo get to the past. The ending literally left me in tears. I received this book from the author through Goodreads. Thank you Sadie for writing this story and for sending it to me to read.
This book will grab you from the first page to the last. The transformation of Chiyo from basically a pampered housewife to a fierce bloodthirsty warrior is written so well. Muhjah and Senko, two swordsmen who during the first fight decide to bring Chiyo along as entertainment, quickly see something in her and begin to teach her to fight properly. Skip ahead a few years and you see a different Chiyo. The description of her physical appearance "she had never been fat but had always fondly considered herself voluptuous. Now her figure was all angles. Her hipbones protruded sharply. Her shoulders, elbows, and knees were covered by nothing more than muscles, skin and ink. There was no excess padding to blunt their angles. She ripples muscularity, a byproduct of everyday life." The beast inside her has grown and she thinks nothing of killing, in fact eagerly embraces it.
I can't say enough about this book. Everyone should read it even if it's not the genre you normally read. My only question would be how did Chiyo get to the past. The ending literally left me in tears. I received this book from the author through Goodreads. Thank you Sadie for writing this story and for sending it to me to read.
June 18, 2012
Oh my God, I'm out of breath! I have literally just finished reading it and boy, am I pleased I did. I started reading this yesterday on a train journey and I haven't been able to put it down since. If this isn't picked up by a publisher, becomes a trilogy, then films and sells by the truck load, then I'll eat my hat. Again.
'The Weeping Empress' begins with our protagonist, a normal modern woman called Chiyo wakes up in her pyjamas in the middle of a battle in what appears to be medieval Japan. She soon finds her inner dragon as she picks up a katana and starts to fight. She travels this new alien time and world with her two trainers and companions, Muhjah and Senka and she has to fight for survival in this world and the pain of being ripped away from her family back in the modern world.
This novel is blisteringly unique. It has an original and bad-ass heroine, lots of action, great characters and a cracking pace. The only thing I would like (apart from a sequel) is a bit more description of the world that Chiyo finds herself in. I understand we need to feel her confusion in this alien land but a bit of background to the oppression of her new home would be good. In the sequel perhaps? If you liked 'Kill Bill', martial arts and Japan, then this is definitely worth a download.
'The Weeping Empress' begins with our protagonist, a normal modern woman called Chiyo wakes up in her pyjamas in the middle of a battle in what appears to be medieval Japan. She soon finds her inner dragon as she picks up a katana and starts to fight. She travels this new alien time and world with her two trainers and companions, Muhjah and Senka and she has to fight for survival in this world and the pain of being ripped away from her family back in the modern world.
This novel is blisteringly unique. It has an original and bad-ass heroine, lots of action, great characters and a cracking pace. The only thing I would like (apart from a sequel) is a bit more description of the world that Chiyo finds herself in. I understand we need to feel her confusion in this alien land but a bit of background to the oppression of her new home would be good. In the sequel perhaps? If you liked 'Kill Bill', martial arts and Japan, then this is definitely worth a download.
July 5, 2012
Chigo Aglaeca wakes up from her cosy life with her husband and daughter to find herself in another time and place and in mortal danger.
Muhjah and Senka help her escape after she has killed some of the guards trying to kill her.
They go off on an adventure which involves lots of killing.
She is proclaimed to be ‘the Arm of the Goddess’ that the people have waited for.
I was expecting to really love this book but unfortunately it disappointed. It took a long time to read because it didn’t grip me. I didn’t hate it, I did in fact like it, the character’s were quite good but did not illicit much empathy from me. The plot idea was good but the execution of it could have been better, I found it to be too slow, boring and repetitive in places.
There are also recurring spelling errors which would have been picked up by good proof-reading.
I did like this book and others may like it more than I did.
Star rating 3/5
Muhjah and Senka help her escape after she has killed some of the guards trying to kill her.
They go off on an adventure which involves lots of killing.
She is proclaimed to be ‘the Arm of the Goddess’ that the people have waited for.
I was expecting to really love this book but unfortunately it disappointed. It took a long time to read because it didn’t grip me. I didn’t hate it, I did in fact like it, the character’s were quite good but did not illicit much empathy from me. The plot idea was good but the execution of it could have been better, I found it to be too slow, boring and repetitive in places.
There are also recurring spelling errors which would have been picked up by good proof-reading.
I did like this book and others may like it more than I did.
Star rating 3/5
April 30, 2012
There is no way I can surmise the plot of this story better than the synopsis above. The more I think about this story, the more I like it. Dragged a bit in places for me but overall interesting and enjoyable! The moral dilemmas and questions about power and religion that it raises are such good ones. Even as a fan of Disney princesses I relished and agreed with the authors assertion about the helpless female stereotype which the protagonist is not! (Read the interview here: http://en.paperblog.com/book-review-a... )
Would love to read the sequel when it comes out. The ending could stand alone albeit somewhat disappointingly because of the missed opportunities. The fact that this is a self-published book just makes it even greater :)
Would love to read the sequel when it comes out. The ending could stand alone albeit somewhat disappointingly because of the missed opportunities. The fact that this is a self-published book just makes it even greater :)
March 21, 2012
What? A woman, seemingly happy in her modern day life as a mother and a wife suddenly awakes to find herself transported back in time, to a place unfamiliar where emperors ruled in castles, where one defended with swords and people were looking for a savior. Not a book I would typically read nor want to pick up, however it was sitting in my nook as a free download and I needed something to read, so I went for it. I was pleasantly surprised by how addicted to the book I became. The writing was crisp and the characters engaging. Toss in battles, heartache, triumph, loss, strength, a bit of mystery and you have 'The Weeping Empress'.
Overall a good read, I would actually give it 3.5 stars!
Overall a good read, I would actually give it 3.5 stars!
August 13, 2012
The book seems like a nice idea - a somewhat different riff on the being-pulled-out-of-time trope - that hasn't really fulfilled its potential. In a way, it is as if the book wasn't quite finished. Aside from the (way too many) typos, some parts of the story haven't been totally thought through. The main characters don't seem whole, their motivations aren't clear and they are very difficult to identify with. The two main supporting characters feel more like props than human beings.
The parts I liked best in this book were the prologue and the epilogue, which suggests that this book has potential, but perhaps requires another look by the author to make it work. I found myself wishing midway that the book would end soon.
The parts I liked best in this book were the prologue and the epilogue, which suggests that this book has potential, but perhaps requires another look by the author to make it work. I found myself wishing midway that the book would end soon.
July 2, 2012
I recieved The Weeping Empress for free through goodreads. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to read and own it because this book is incredible!
The cover of the book doesn't do the book justice, because to me it looks a little bit boring. Therefore if I found it in the library or in a book store I probably wouldn't take it home with me. But The Weeping Empress is defenitely not boring, after reading the second chapter I couldn't put the book down again.
It's well-written, the characters are great and so is the plot. I've never read a book similar to TWE before but I really enjoyed it. I wish to see more books by Sadie Forsythe in the future.
The cover of the book doesn't do the book justice, because to me it looks a little bit boring. Therefore if I found it in the library or in a book store I probably wouldn't take it home with me. But The Weeping Empress is defenitely not boring, after reading the second chapter I couldn't put the book down again.
It's well-written, the characters are great and so is the plot. I've never read a book similar to TWE before but I really enjoyed it. I wish to see more books by Sadie Forsythe in the future.
September 3, 2012
What a fantastic book! A fantasy adventure story about a displaced modern woman, as she faces a foreign time and culture at a period of hardship for its people, from the beginning you are transported with the main character you learn and grow with her.
The book is so detailed in its battles and emotions but at no point does this become overwhelming and detract from the story, a good story with an interesting plot, developing characters and well written.
I found myself utterly engrossed with the book that I just had to finish it. Congratulations Sadie Forsythe on a riveting and wonderful book.
Im was very happy to received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
The book is so detailed in its battles and emotions but at no point does this become overwhelming and detract from the story, a good story with an interesting plot, developing characters and well written.
I found myself utterly engrossed with the book that I just had to finish it. Congratulations Sadie Forsythe on a riveting and wonderful book.
Im was very happy to received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
May 17, 2012
The Weeping Empress is a beautifully written and insightful piece of fiction that explores many different themes including that of gender expectations in a society where the role of the woman was fixed and immovable. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to hearing more from Sadie as I think she has a talent for creating a wholly realistic experience for the reader.
I would particularly like Sadie to enter her novel for the Tiptree Award as I think it matches the requirement to write a work of science fiction or fantasy that explores and expands on gender roles.
I would particularly like Sadie to enter her novel for the Tiptree Award as I think it matches the requirement to write a work of science fiction or fantasy that explores and expands on gender roles.
August 25, 2012
I won this through Goodreads " First Read" competition. This review has been long pending however due to the fact my life has been turned upside down recently and I haven't read much. But here it is!
I enjoyed this book from start to finish and I am very glad to have obtained a copy. Although not a very long book it managed to captivate me from the beginning!
I would definitely recommend getting a copy!
I enjoyed this book from start to finish and I am very glad to have obtained a copy. Although not a very long book it managed to captivate me from the beginning!
I would definitely recommend getting a copy!
January 23, 2013
4 stars. Although the story was mainly dark and depressing, and there wasn't even one moment to cheer the reader up, it kept me on edge wondering where it was heading and how this all would end for Chiyo. I could not accept or justify how she went killing people back and forth with no apparent purpose, but I felt downright sorry for her. I was hoping for at least some cheerful ending but no, there was none... But hey, there will be a sequel!
August 27, 2012
This was a fantastic story of loss and redemption centered around the reluctant protagonist. It was impossible to put this book down and I devoured it in no time at all. The story grabbed me from the beginning and intrigued me till the end where I still wanted more. Definitely one of the best reads so far.
September 23, 2012
I won this book in the good reads giveaway.
I thought it was a very good book and totally different to what I expected! Once I got into the story I realised that it was a very sad story and felt for the main character Chiyo on her travels in a strange place. I am going to definitely read it again!
I thought it was a very good book and totally different to what I expected! Once I got into the story I realised that it was a very sad story and felt for the main character Chiyo on her travels in a strange place. I am going to definitely read it again!
Read
April 26, 2012I received it for free. Its writing style is a bit different from many other contemporary fantasy books e.g. the author tells more & shows less. Also there are some reference to Japanese stuff mostly in the first half. The ending is satisfying.
January 6, 2013
I give this 3.5 stars. I did enjoy it, but it was much too brutal for my taste. Reminiscent of watching a Quentin Tarantino film. Great story way too much gory detail. Also, I couldn't relate to any of the characters. They were all to vengeful and full of anger.
October 21, 2013
hm, absolutely not sure what to make of this... it sort of reads more like an epic where people go about "doing" things with little examination of the "why" although it makes for fairly fast-paced reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2015
I read once that a reviewer should ask themselves three questions in considering a book,
•What was the author seeking to achieve?
•Did they achieve it?
•Was it worth achieving?
In other reviews and books I have been swept along by story, character and language and that has been the thrust of my reviews. I have pondered on what did the book left me with after I had turned the last page. However, with The Weeping Empress I found myself more often than usual trying to discern the author's guiding hand and to get some sense of where the story was going and what it set out to achieve. This is not to say that that is a bad thing, just that this was a story that, in some significant ways, strayed beyond the envelope of my normal reading experience.
It is a self-published book and I came upon it by chance. A comment on one of my reviews of another book, led me to the author's blogpost, her review of the same book and a scanning of her other posts and at the end of it a why the hell not? let's read her book.
I had gathered that the story of Chiyo was written after the author had had her first daughter and that the powerful feelings engendered by motherhood were a significant part of the context in which the book was conceived.
Chiyo is a woman, wife and mother from (I am guessing) contemporary America, who awakes on a grassy hillside in a different age and place thrown into the middle of a horrific slaughter of old and infirm travellers. She joins with two differently enigmatic swordsmen and with them carves a trail of violence through an oriental landscape and culture. On the way she confronts an emperor and is in various ways challenged and supported by a religious order the Scaredisto.
The story raises questions for the reader and for Chiyo. How did she get here? Why was she brought here? Will she ever get home? And those questions don't really start to get addressed until over halfway through the book when the women of the Sacredisto begin to unravel some of their serpentine beliefs and mythology. Ultimately Chiyo's fate is wrapped up in the darkest secrets of the Goddess's will.
The culture is immediately recognisable as Japanese, before the word katana is even mentioned. Having written and read mostly in the pseudo-medieval tradition of much of western fantasy, it was refreshing to burrow into a different setting and the author's love and knowledge of the milieu is clear in aspects ranging from her description of the different parts of a sword to the precision of tea ceremonies. There is even a glossary of terms.
The other element that came through for me is rage. Chiyo is angry, angry at pretty much everyone and everything and that seems to fuel a bloodlust which (from a glimpse at other reviews) is something some other readers struggled to come to terms with. There is despair, a constant backdrop of betrayal and distrust as she writhes like a snake against the sense of being manipulated by one faction or another.
It seemed to me that the whole story is a merging of two great affections in the author's life into a single "What if..." question. "What if a woman like me were plucked from the loved and loving bosom of my family and transplanted into a cruel feudal landscape with little hope of return?" In such a story the nature of the central character's feelings must take centre stage, they are the engine and the heart of the story. And it is an exploration of that individual diaspora that I took to be the author's intent - the thing she set out to achieve. The other elements of the story serve as satellites to that central ambition.
There is then the question of how well was it achieved? Well, in vision our eyes have a foveal patch. A place on which our retina has a concentration of cells to detect fine detail - the sweet spot in the eye if you like - where we focus our vision while around it the objects in our peripheral vision is necessarily less detailed and precise. Forsythe's foveal view is firmly focussed on Chiyo and I felt the surrounding political and revolutionary context in which Chiyo and her two close male comrades operated, lacked a degree of detail needed to make it credible.
The trio wondered around relatively aimlessly attacking government troops, outposts and convoys with little sense of a strategy beyond causing trouble, and little sense of an opponent beyond the greed of an emperor led establishment. However, they seemed reluctant to offer any alternative world view beyond killing guilty and presumably the innocent. The two men that Chiyo teams up with seem to be as fuelled by incontinent rage just as much as Chiyo herself does. Though there is some development in their feelings towards Chiyo, almost to the very end neither seems to have progressed much beyond a desire to kill and a oft expressed surprise, which I had to share at times, that no-one had yet killed them in return.
There was a point, at the end of Chapter two, where the plot took a twist that had me stunned- disbelief seriously unsuspended. The sword wielding pair, having exerted considerable efforts and exposed themselves to some danger in the cause of a battered group of refugees, then displayed to me an illogical degree of callousness. It was not so much that it denigrated the value of the refugees, but that it denigrated the value of their own previous efforts on the refugees' behalf.
The mysterious sect of the Sacredisto moved to centre stage in the final third of the book. It was here I found myself trying to untangle the puzzle the author had laid. I tried to tease out what storyline there was beyond Chiyo's angry despair at the dislocation in her life and the revenge she delighted in taking on any who crossed the path of her. There was a message in the naming of her sword Salvation for it was its frequent use which offered her a kind of salvation, or at least a salving of her wounded spirit.
The bizarre mythology of the Scaredisto and their Goddess twisted like the snake that was their symbol but at the end I found myself thinking this was a struggle as much on the author's part to tie off the story on which she had launched herself and her heroine. At first I had been unsure if Chiyo had been plucked to a parallel world or a different time, and - with a reference made to unfamiliar stars - I suspect even the author may not have been. Though it is possible I do her knowledge of Japanese history an injustice. But at the end, like a snake eating its own tail, the tale (and tail) of the Sacredisto sealed the arc of the story and cleared the way for an epilogue that brought some closure for both reader and Chiyo.
There were points of plotting where the heroes tactics and strategy might not have stood up to too close a scrutiny, sketchy details and slightly implausible stratagems conspiring to conveniently place the heroes where the song of the katana could be most clearly be heard and described. There were bits of writing where the book showed its raw self-published origins, spared the sharp pen and eagle eyes of a professional editor. But then, I am a self-published author myself and let he/she who amongst us has had no tyops be the first one to cast a stone of rebuke.
I have a fondness for female led fantasy stories, I have read a few and have written three so far myself. Eowyn and Galadriel are amongst my favourite fantasy characters. So Chiyo's story appealed where a displaced male flung into the same baffling environment could not have. Indeed, I suspect the story could not have made so much sense without the sense of maternal loss which paradoxically seemed to drive Chiyo.
Was the story worth telling? It was unquestionably different, different to virtually any other story I have read and such a facet always makes a story fresh and worth of note.
Could it have been better told? It lacked a little polish, certainly. The central primal scream of the character could have been set in a more consistent background of tone, context and motive.
Was it worth reading? Well I finished it, and I am finishing far too few books these days. So I have to say I liked it and stars shall shine accordingly.
•What was the author seeking to achieve?
•Did they achieve it?
•Was it worth achieving?
In other reviews and books I have been swept along by story, character and language and that has been the thrust of my reviews. I have pondered on what did the book left me with after I had turned the last page. However, with The Weeping Empress I found myself more often than usual trying to discern the author's guiding hand and to get some sense of where the story was going and what it set out to achieve. This is not to say that that is a bad thing, just that this was a story that, in some significant ways, strayed beyond the envelope of my normal reading experience.
It is a self-published book and I came upon it by chance. A comment on one of my reviews of another book, led me to the author's blogpost, her review of the same book and a scanning of her other posts and at the end of it a why the hell not? let's read her book.
I had gathered that the story of Chiyo was written after the author had had her first daughter and that the powerful feelings engendered by motherhood were a significant part of the context in which the book was conceived.
Chiyo is a woman, wife and mother from (I am guessing) contemporary America, who awakes on a grassy hillside in a different age and place thrown into the middle of a horrific slaughter of old and infirm travellers. She joins with two differently enigmatic swordsmen and with them carves a trail of violence through an oriental landscape and culture. On the way she confronts an emperor and is in various ways challenged and supported by a religious order the Scaredisto.
The story raises questions for the reader and for Chiyo. How did she get here? Why was she brought here? Will she ever get home? And those questions don't really start to get addressed until over halfway through the book when the women of the Sacredisto begin to unravel some of their serpentine beliefs and mythology. Ultimately Chiyo's fate is wrapped up in the darkest secrets of the Goddess's will.
The culture is immediately recognisable as Japanese, before the word katana is even mentioned. Having written and read mostly in the pseudo-medieval tradition of much of western fantasy, it was refreshing to burrow into a different setting and the author's love and knowledge of the milieu is clear in aspects ranging from her description of the different parts of a sword to the precision of tea ceremonies. There is even a glossary of terms.
The other element that came through for me is rage. Chiyo is angry, angry at pretty much everyone and everything and that seems to fuel a bloodlust which (from a glimpse at other reviews) is something some other readers struggled to come to terms with. There is despair, a constant backdrop of betrayal and distrust as she writhes like a snake against the sense of being manipulated by one faction or another.
It seemed to me that the whole story is a merging of two great affections in the author's life into a single "What if..." question. "What if a woman like me were plucked from the loved and loving bosom of my family and transplanted into a cruel feudal landscape with little hope of return?" In such a story the nature of the central character's feelings must take centre stage, they are the engine and the heart of the story. And it is an exploration of that individual diaspora that I took to be the author's intent - the thing she set out to achieve. The other elements of the story serve as satellites to that central ambition.
There is then the question of how well was it achieved? Well, in vision our eyes have a foveal patch. A place on which our retina has a concentration of cells to detect fine detail - the sweet spot in the eye if you like - where we focus our vision while around it the objects in our peripheral vision is necessarily less detailed and precise. Forsythe's foveal view is firmly focussed on Chiyo and I felt the surrounding political and revolutionary context in which Chiyo and her two close male comrades operated, lacked a degree of detail needed to make it credible.
The trio wondered around relatively aimlessly attacking government troops, outposts and convoys with little sense of a strategy beyond causing trouble, and little sense of an opponent beyond the greed of an emperor led establishment. However, they seemed reluctant to offer any alternative world view beyond killing guilty and presumably the innocent. The two men that Chiyo teams up with seem to be as fuelled by incontinent rage just as much as Chiyo herself does. Though there is some development in their feelings towards Chiyo, almost to the very end neither seems to have progressed much beyond a desire to kill and a oft expressed surprise, which I had to share at times, that no-one had yet killed them in return.
There was a point, at the end of Chapter two, where the plot took a twist that had me stunned- disbelief seriously unsuspended. The sword wielding pair, having exerted considerable efforts and exposed themselves to some danger in the cause of a battered group of refugees, then displayed to me an illogical degree of callousness. It was not so much that it denigrated the value of the refugees, but that it denigrated the value of their own previous efforts on the refugees' behalf.
The mysterious sect of the Sacredisto moved to centre stage in the final third of the book. It was here I found myself trying to untangle the puzzle the author had laid. I tried to tease out what storyline there was beyond Chiyo's angry despair at the dislocation in her life and the revenge she delighted in taking on any who crossed the path of her. There was a message in the naming of her sword Salvation for it was its frequent use which offered her a kind of salvation, or at least a salving of her wounded spirit.
The bizarre mythology of the Scaredisto and their Goddess twisted like the snake that was their symbol but at the end I found myself thinking this was a struggle as much on the author's part to tie off the story on which she had launched herself and her heroine. At first I had been unsure if Chiyo had been plucked to a parallel world or a different time, and - with a reference made to unfamiliar stars - I suspect even the author may not have been. Though it is possible I do her knowledge of Japanese history an injustice. But at the end, like a snake eating its own tail, the tale (and tail) of the Sacredisto sealed the arc of the story and cleared the way for an epilogue that brought some closure for both reader and Chiyo.
There were points of plotting where the heroes tactics and strategy might not have stood up to too close a scrutiny, sketchy details and slightly implausible stratagems conspiring to conveniently place the heroes where the song of the katana could be most clearly be heard and described. There were bits of writing where the book showed its raw self-published origins, spared the sharp pen and eagle eyes of a professional editor. But then, I am a self-published author myself and let he/she who amongst us has had no tyops be the first one to cast a stone of rebuke.
I have a fondness for female led fantasy stories, I have read a few and have written three so far myself. Eowyn and Galadriel are amongst my favourite fantasy characters. So Chiyo's story appealed where a displaced male flung into the same baffling environment could not have. Indeed, I suspect the story could not have made so much sense without the sense of maternal loss which paradoxically seemed to drive Chiyo.
Was the story worth telling? It was unquestionably different, different to virtually any other story I have read and such a facet always makes a story fresh and worth of note.
Could it have been better told? It lacked a little polish, certainly. The central primal scream of the character could have been set in a more consistent background of tone, context and motive.
Was it worth reading? Well I finished it, and I am finishing far too few books these days. So I have to say I liked it and stars shall shine accordingly.
May 2, 2020
I picked this up from a free books pile. I should know not to waste my time on self-published books, but I thought, "How bad could it be?" Answer: not worth spending time on. The characters, the plot, ... none of it was interesting. The characters feel like bots the author used for her agenda. Was the book edited? I mean, if you're going to self-publish, at least spend some time and money on good editors, beta readers ... my critique group would have ripped this to shreds. And I was annoyed at the typos. Wasted minutes that I'll never get back.
September 2, 2017
[Reviewed after winning in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway]
So you load the dishwasher, have a glass of wine, a quickie with your husband and you fall asleep in his arms. Next morning you wake up, look after your baby girl and life goes on...
Right?
If your name's Chiyo, it doesn't quite work like that.
Chiyo Alglaeca wakes up in the midst of a bloody battle, centuries into her past with no knowledge of how she gets there. Desperate to stay alive, she picks up a nearby sword and defends herself, a rage she never knew she had rearing its head. Two mysterious men named Muhjah and Senka see this, and as they lead away survivors they realise she's different from the rest. They continue fighting as a threesome for months and years, Muhjah leading them from skirmish to skirmish with Senka and Chiyo desperate for blood. Their mission? Disrupting the Emperor's trains and guards throughout fictional Dashkalil, a small revolt against the tyrant. However, Chiyo has another calling: a dwindling religion called the Sacerdotisa has long prophesised the 'right arm' of the Goddess Kali being sent to the Earth, and word spreads that it is indeed Chiyo.
After capture and torture at the hands of the Emperor, her two men come to her rescue - at a price. Even though she resents it, she must begin to do the bidding of the Sacerdotisa, for the sake of a world she doesn't even belong in...
Enough of a plot synopsis, let's cut to the chase.
What did I like about this book?
- It was different. I haven't read an action book in a long time and this was quite refreshing. The lack of a major romance underlying the plot also helped, and the whole Sacerdotisa added an intricate twist to something that would've simply been bloodshed otherwise.
- The fact that Muhjah, Senka and Chiyo got along with no sex or romance... ahem. (see 'what didn't i like about this book?') But I really did enjoy Muhjah and Senka as characters.
- The epilogue.
- Some of the side-stories. The story about the Snake, about Senka's past, about Kali's appearance in the forest. All really interesting and providing background.
What didn't I like about this book?
- There were some points where I very slowly realised what was going on - for example, Senka's strange admiration of Chiyo. This is a good use of "show, not tell". However. Some of the italics used for thoughts were useful, but simply concluded what we'd already known, or told us a new piece of information quite bluntly. This is a bad use of "show, not tell".
- The passage of time. The book covers five, possibly six years throughout the course of it (until the epilogue where it becomes fourteen), without any real statement of a passage of time. Suddenly it might've been said in passing conversation but it wasn't emphasised on as well as other crucial points of the story were (the Snake's intervention, for example).
- Chiyo constantly whining about her family. Okay, we get it, you miss them. But after FOUR years it should've subsided into a dull ache, if anything. Not only that, but she makes a righteous speech about how she loves her husband still, even though she won't see him again,
- Also, Chiyo constantly hating on everything that wasn't bloodshed. That's just... not a healthy mindset lol.
- The emphasis in the writing on Chiyo becoming a hardened warrior. I mean, yes, okay, she has become a hardened warrior but we don't need reminding every few paragraphs, and this became overwhelming in the final couple of chapters.
- Chiyo is simply pathetic in the first chapter. Don't even get me started. A wet blanket would've been more use. This isn't a criticism in writing, no, because she would've been pathetic. What confuses me (and links to my passage of time point) is how quickly she hardens up and becomes this absolute beast of a warrior.
- The time travel method wasn't really explained in layman's terms, haha. She mentions the grandfather paradox, which I get, but I as a reader failed to see how that explained her arrival in Dashkalil.
It looks a lot like I'm tearing this book to pieces, but overall I really did enjoy it. Thinks like grammatical errors or mentions of "cafés" in a place that is so not cosmopolitan irked me a little, but the story as a whole was good and intriguing. It kept me wanting to finish the book and find out what happened to Chiyo. I would recommend to anyone that's getting a bit sick of romance in books, or anyone that wants a relatively quick and action-packed read.
Thanks to the author and to Goodreads for the book as I really did enjoy it. Wouldn't mind a sequel if there ever was one!
So you load the dishwasher, have a glass of wine, a quickie with your husband and you fall asleep in his arms. Next morning you wake up, look after your baby girl and life goes on...
Right?
If your name's Chiyo, it doesn't quite work like that.
Chiyo Alglaeca wakes up in the midst of a bloody battle, centuries into her past with no knowledge of how she gets there. Desperate to stay alive, she picks up a nearby sword and defends herself, a rage she never knew she had rearing its head. Two mysterious men named Muhjah and Senka see this, and as they lead away survivors they realise she's different from the rest. They continue fighting as a threesome for months and years, Muhjah leading them from skirmish to skirmish with Senka and Chiyo desperate for blood. Their mission? Disrupting the Emperor's trains and guards throughout fictional Dashkalil, a small revolt against the tyrant. However, Chiyo has another calling: a dwindling religion called the Sacerdotisa has long prophesised the 'right arm' of the Goddess Kali being sent to the Earth, and word spreads that it is indeed Chiyo.
After capture and torture at the hands of the Emperor, her two men come to her rescue - at a price. Even though she resents it, she must begin to do the bidding of the Sacerdotisa, for the sake of a world she doesn't even belong in...
Enough of a plot synopsis, let's cut to the chase.
What did I like about this book?
- It was different. I haven't read an action book in a long time and this was quite refreshing. The lack of a major romance underlying the plot also helped, and the whole Sacerdotisa added an intricate twist to something that would've simply been bloodshed otherwise.
- The fact that Muhjah, Senka and Chiyo got along with no sex or romance... ahem. (see 'what didn't i like about this book?') But I really did enjoy Muhjah and Senka as characters.
- The epilogue.
- Some of the side-stories. The story about the Snake, about Senka's past, about Kali's appearance in the forest. All really interesting and providing background.
What didn't I like about this book?
- There were some points where I very slowly realised what was going on - for example, Senka's strange admiration of Chiyo. This is a good use of "show, not tell". However. Some of the italics used for thoughts were useful, but simply concluded what we'd already known, or told us a new piece of information quite bluntly. This is a bad use of "show, not tell".
- The passage of time. The book covers five, possibly six years throughout the course of it (until the epilogue where it becomes fourteen), without any real statement of a passage of time. Suddenly it might've been said in passing conversation but it wasn't emphasised on as well as other crucial points of the story were (the Snake's intervention, for example).
- Chiyo constantly whining about her family. Okay, we get it, you miss them. But after FOUR years it should've subsided into a dull ache, if anything. Not only that, but she makes a righteous speech about how she loves her husband still, even though she won't see him again,
- Also, Chiyo constantly hating on everything that wasn't bloodshed. That's just... not a healthy mindset lol.
- The emphasis in the writing on Chiyo becoming a hardened warrior. I mean, yes, okay, she has become a hardened warrior but we don't need reminding every few paragraphs, and this became overwhelming in the final couple of chapters.
- Chiyo is simply pathetic in the first chapter. Don't even get me started. A wet blanket would've been more use. This isn't a criticism in writing, no, because she would've been pathetic. What confuses me (and links to my passage of time point) is how quickly she hardens up and becomes this absolute beast of a warrior.
- The time travel method wasn't really explained in layman's terms, haha. She mentions the grandfather paradox, which I get, but I as a reader failed to see how that explained her arrival in Dashkalil.
It looks a lot like I'm tearing this book to pieces, but overall I really did enjoy it. Thinks like grammatical errors or mentions of "cafés" in a place that is so not cosmopolitan irked me a little, but the story as a whole was good and intriguing. It kept me wanting to finish the book and find out what happened to Chiyo. I would recommend to anyone that's getting a bit sick of romance in books, or anyone that wants a relatively quick and action-packed read.
Thanks to the author and to Goodreads for the book as I really did enjoy it. Wouldn't mind a sequel if there ever was one!
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