I want to start this review with a huge thanks to Tor Books for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley! I’ve been super excited about this one since I found it while browsing NetGalley. I’m so glad I finally got out of a bit of a reading slump so I could read it!
I feel like I haven’t read a young adult contemporary in so long?? But I’m so glad to come back to the genre with this book, because it was so much fun to read! Though it’s a contemporary, it reminded me a lot of the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. You know it’s gonna be good when a book reminds you of a favorite!
There are a lot of different aspects to this book. There is obviously the main plot line, that Kit would like to be a knight at the medieval restaurant where she works. Another somewhat side plot line is the fact that Kit and her brother need to work because their family is very poor. So there is a very real and raw discussion about what it’s like to live in those circumstances. There’s also all kinds of relationships! Family, sibling, friends, and romantic interests. It’s really nice to see a book that’s not just focused on the romantic relationship.
First things first (I’m the realest). Sorry, whenever I say that phrase, that lyric from Fancy always pops into my head. Anyway!! My point was I first wanted to focus on the premise – a heist? An AI? Yes. Two of my favorite things. I went into this book being pretty sure I would love it. Sadly I didn’t quite LOVE it, but I still did enjoy it a lot.
I had been wanting to read this novella since the cover was revealed because it’s beauuuuutiful. After finishing, it is almost more beautiful because you know the significance of the different animals that are depicted. This novella tells the tale of the titular Empress of Salt and Fortune, and what her life was like.