Empress in Disguise

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, so much that I have pre-ordered book number two. The book follows Daiyu, who, in an effort to provide for her poor family, ends up in the emperor's harem. I found the characters likeable and the story enjoyable. It presents a unique, diverse setting, which is also a plus.

I did not love the love triangle, but I am curious how it will be resolved in later books. Because of it, I would probably put the age for this book a little higher than 13.

Thank you net galley and publishers for the free E-Arc in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley. All reviews and opinions are voluntary.

This book was not what I expected in many ways. It is the story of a young woman who finds it necessary to sell herself in order to save her family. She makes this humble choice and finds her life in constant danger as she attempts to navigate a new rank among her superiors without giving herself away. The relationships she both builds, and sacrifices, are convincing and moving.

The main character, Daiyu, is a wonderfully strong, charming, and clever young girl who wins the hearts of many interesting faces along the way! The excitement of her coming-of-age story if full of romance, suspense, and beautifully illustrated Chinese scenery. I look forward to reading the sequel soon!

The story is beautifully written, though if I'm being honest (and I am) there were SO MANY typos that it became impossible to overlook. It's frustrating when something as simple as "must" being written as "muse" disrupts my reading rhythm for the tenth time. The other small complaint I have about this book is a few discrepancies in the storyline. At first, the main character is 15, then she is suddenly 18, though three years have not passed? Also, she meets someone and as the story of that same day is described, she says "I have looked for (this person) every day since." BUT....isn't it still the same day you met?? Hmmmm...a few other little oddities like this bothered me a bit. Enough to drop an entire star. If you feel so rushed to publish that these mistakes aren't fixed, it makes me wonder how much better it could have been and what might have been left out!

this was a great start to a series, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the time period. I'd be interested in reading more in this world.

I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review
This book was incredible. Not to mention the ending. Holy cow that ending. And the love triangle between her, the emperor and the emperor's brother!?!?!

Wonderful book, beautifully written, very interesting and intriguing. Can’t wait to read the next book of this series. Oddly satisfied with the intense writing of the book. Definitely recommend.

This book did not disappoint. The more I read, the more I felt like that I had even more than I imagined. I was so scared for the main character, I had to know what happened at the end. Suffice to say that the authors have created an insatiable thirst for this series.

I completely love the grass to grace story and the twist at the end where she gets another unrequested reward and the displeasure of the Empress Dowager and Emperor. I cannot wait to read the next book. I thoroughly enjoyed the background of the book, it's novelty and freshness of context and history.

An outstandingly brilliant work

A fantastic take on, “The Prince and the Pauper” with true Asian details woven throughout. I love a culturally influenced story that makes me pause to search and lean more about the culture of origin. Only shortly into this story I found myself googling, “feet binding” and “ghost brides”. Still, this story is very accessible and work has been done to subtly connect western readers to eastern concepts. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the very real characters and I appreciated being able to learn historical and cultural truths that worked as details to the overall work.

Overall, the book was very enjoyable and easy to get through. The story of how Daiyu's life takes such sudden and unexpected turns, made me not want to put the book down. There is still a lot left unanswered in this first installment of the trilogy, so I am excited to see where the story goes from here. If anyone is looking for an entertaining and at times heart racing book to read, I definitely recommend the Empress in Disguise!

Before I begin my review for Empress in Disguise (Empress in Disguise book one) by Amanda Roberts and Zoey Gong, I would personally like to thank the author, publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and I have reviewed it honestly.

An epic, historical YA fantasy tale with tantalising tastes of The Selection, Throne of Glass and Mulan. A chance encounter with her wealthy doppelganger has Daiyu taking her place in the upcoming selection for the Emperors consorts. Empress in Disguise takes you on an exotic and exciting journey through historic China, traditions, gowns and glory, scandals and a forbidden romance. Utterly unforgettable.

Empress in Disguise features, but is not limited to, the following themes:
○ YA historical fantasy
○ YA romance
○ Chinese history
○ Empress/Emperor
○ Concubines and consorts
○ Poverty to royalty
○ Forbidden romance

My overall rating for Empress in Disguise is…

4.5 Stars!

Fans of the Selection are absolutely going to love this book! Empress in Disguise was intriguing from page one and grew into an intoxicating tale. Daiyu is an adorable character you can't help but love and sympathise with. Roberts and Gong have created a fascinating book with fact, fiction and fantasy. I can't wait to continue this series!

Daiyu is a poor girl who often has to go out of her way to provide for her family. After a particularly bad period, her parents and siblings are starved and Daiyu sells her shoes so they could have enough food to eat for a week, but that isn't enough.

With a new baby in the house there's too many mouths to feed and none of the girls are likely to get married with their unbound feet (a practice their mother fortunately couldn't stomach doing to them) so someone has to do something. That someone is Daiyu who decides to sell herself but it doesn't go as planned.

She accidentally runs into a Manchu Lady, Ula Nara Mingxia, who needs help. It seems simple enough, all Daiyu has to do is pretend to be her daughter, Lihua, for a day during which the Emperor is selecting his new concubines, be dismissed and allowed to return home. In exchange her family will be well compensated.

It doesn't take long for Daiyu to agree, as selfless as she is, and she immediately sets out on a journey full of twists, turns and palace intrigues with jealous women looking to one up each other at every corner. The more Daiyu rises in the ranks, the deeper the hole she dug herself into becomes. Will she manage to continue fooling everyone into thinking she's Lihua for the rest of her life?

I'm blown away. Everything was so vivid in this book and the emotions so raw. I ended up crying more often than not. It's a sad story if you think about it. But sad things can be beautiful too.

I love Daiyu, she's so caring, so human and it's a miracle no one's figured it out yet. But I do suppose that not everyone starts out at the same level, Manchu or not, so maybe that's why she gets so many passes.

Her transition from position to position didn't feel forced to me, but rather natural.

The romance developed pretty fast, I guess that's what happens when someone saves you from certain doom.

And the Prince...as soon as he was announced I just knew.

What I'm upset over is just how easy it was for Daiyu's friends, who knew about her struggles (as much as she could share that is), to abandon her when she started ascending. I like her maid but the poor girl deserves someone in a similar situation to talk to every once in a while.

I still liked most of the characters and will continue to do so until we get a villain. There are glimpses of one but I could be wrong.

The descriptions were out of this world and the plot was captivating. Some of the lines reminded me of beloved C-dramas, but there were also spelling mistakes that took me out of the story a few times. This is probably fixed by now.

While I do wish the book was longer (I couldn't get enough) I'm happy the authors manged to accomplish everything in a limited number of pages. I can't wait to read the next instalment.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I received this book in order for an honest review, all opinions are voluntary.

I truly enjoyed this book. It was a very quick-paced book, which made it hard to put down and ultimately wish for the next one after I finished it.

Set in ancient China, the young Daiyu makes a big sacrifice in order to provide a better life for her poor family. This choice throws her into a lavish world full of court intrigue and the reader has to learn to navigate it along with Daiyu.

If you are looking for a gripping and new take on the well known love triangle, this book is for you!

Empress in Disguise (Empress in Disguise Trilogy Book 1) is a powerful and unique read which shows great diversity with it's plot. The characters are all strong and individual, each adding their own layer to the story. As the opening book of a trilogy it's extremely engaging and makes you want to read the rest of the series to see how certain story arcs play out.

@Thanks NetGalley for giving me the access to read this wonderful story. It was such an emotional journey. I loved every line of this book. I give 4 stars to this wonderful book.

The Empress in Disguise is an interesting read. The story starts out with the main character a poor 15-year-old girl, who gives up her life to save her families. As the story progresses she becomes a concubine to the emperor, and as the reader we see the inner workings of a concubine’s life in this story. How politics are different for the women, and their inner circles. In the end I found the book enjoyable, and finished it rather quickly. The only problem I found was how the flow of time is not mentioned very well, but over all a solid story. One that I think I might continue with its sequel release.

I am so excited that this book is part of a trilogy, and yet so crushed that I have to wait for the next instalment.

Empress in Disguise is the story of a poor 15yr old girl from Peaking that helps take care of her family, doing whatever it takes to help them survive, even if that means selling her shoes for money to buy food.
One fateful night she goes looking for other alternatives to make money, knowing that they have no worldly goods available to sell, so she looks to herself. On her walk that evening she is nearly hit by a rickshaw. Scared off her path, she returns home, vowing to try again.

However, the next day the woman from the rickshaw manages to track her down and proposes a solution that would not only ensure her family is taken care of, but that the wealthy woman's family is also protected. Feeling the weight of the impossible situation, the young girl agrees and is whisked off to learn how to present herself to be considered for selection of consort/concubine in the Emperor's harem.

What follows is a tale of pride, familial love & fidelity, and of a search for identity.

Fun, engaging, and unique.

I found this book to be far more enjoyable than I was actually expecting it to be, requested on impulse I am so glad I did. I loved characters and the story is good. I do like a love triangle and I am eager to how it will work out. Overall, the book was very entertaining and easy to read. I am excited to see where the story is going to go in the next book.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I binged this in one night it was so great! I loved the story and the culture. All the court intrigue was so fun to read about and the characters were pretty great. I wonder what happened to the real Linhua after Daiyu replaces her. There's a couple small plot inconsistencies but overall an interesting story! I thought Daiyu's storyline with the Prince was a bit unnecessary though, or rushed. It seemed like it was there for conflict convenience and not character development. They basically experience insta-lust lol. I really want to read the rest of the trilogy to see what happens though!
There are a couple things that threw me off though. On page 76 they say Daiyu is a 5th rank concubine but on page 85 she says she's 6th rank. Also how they tell time is inconsistent because they use "hour of the tiger" but don't really tell you when that is until halfway through the book and then they use times like "8 o'clock" again but will occasionally switch to "hour of the pig" or something like that.

"may the the empress live a thousand years!"
I read this in one sitting and i was sucked in, basically after a few pages. Daiyu is easy to like and understand. She has very much character development across the pages... she grows like a lotus flower, but slowly... and finding her place nessesarily, learning and growing as she goes. It is so many characters there, but they are easy to reconize and understand. The Emperor is an character we don`t see much of, neither is is brother Prince Honghui but they are interesting in the few pages that are there. We get to see how much the emperor has to do, how he struggles and what he was to do to manage control and we get to see some of the prince, who loves from afar. I look forward to see what intruiges, politcal things and more happends in the next books.

This was actually a pretty great story! I was skeptical because I heard it had a love triangle, which is always a hit or miss for me. So you can guess that I wasn't on board with it. But I really loved Daiyu's character, and I can't wait to get my hands on book 2 pretty soon! The writing is so lyrical!

This is a fantastic story of a Chinese girl from a poor family in the shade of the Forbidden City. She is bribed to stand in for a Manchu girl whose wealthy mother doesn't want to send her daughter to the Emperor's consort selection.

I enjoyed every minute of the read, from the dire poverty of a land struck by drought, to the opulent lifestyle of the court. More horses please in the next book! More nature! Interpersonal politicking and a vile assassin leap off the pages, rustling silks and tinkling porcelain. Enjoy.

I read an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.