Since April is my birth month, I was excited to find a book that would alter my brain chemistry in the same way that Sword of Kaigen did. Or Mistborn, for that matter. I am tired of predictable romantasies, cliché characters and convenient plot beats. I wanted something that would move me, tug at my heartstrings. I don't exactly remember how I stumbled upon Shen Tao's The Poet Empress, but as soon as I read its blurb, I had a gut feeling that it would be the right choice for