The Consorts by Melissa Addey is a historical fiction short read about two of the Chinese Emperor’s concubines who find love with one another.
Eighteenth century China. The emperor has a large harem in the Forbidden City. Here we meet Quing, a concubine who is mostly ignored by everyone. With hierarchical power structures between the women she finds herself on one of the lower rungs, only ever called on a handful of times over the years she now spends her days lonely with no real company but her loyal eunuch who runs her household.
When Ying, a new girl is brought in the two take a shine to one another and Quing has joy in her life for the first time.
Ying, a mongol, is an outsider in her own right, she looks different from the others and is as feisty as they come. She teaches Quing to have fun and stand up for herself.
But court intrigues and games of power affect the woman and they find themselves in a situation that changes everything between them. Will they be able to overcome and find love or will power struggles beyond them force them apart?
Pros And My Favourite Parts
This is a beautifully written and excellently researched story. It’s told entirely from Quing’s point of view which gives it an intimate feeling and allows us to be lead through the story.
Heads Up
*Spoiler alert – skip to the next part to avoid a spoiler*
Quing and Ying become intimate for the first time because they are called upon by the emperor’s mistress in order to titllate the emperor while he has sex with his mistress. Essentially all the sex between them is in front of the emperor. Addey was quite careful about how she wrote the scenes. The emperor and his mistress just watch truing and Ying and all of it is from Quing’s point of view so circumstantially it is lesbian sex for the male gaze but in reality it is all about Quing’s experience.
It didn’t bother me much, but it may bother some readers.
The Conclusion
At the time of writing this review the book is a free start to a series. The series is not sapphic.
You should pick it up and read it. Even if it wasn’t free it is beautifully written and even thought it is a short read, it is jam packed with story. The world is compelling and I highly recommend it.
Excerpt from The Consorts by Melissa Addey
We have reached the Honoured Ladies, my own rank: higher than a lady in waiting but not by much. A few girls are named and enter our strange lives. I’m surprised as Ula Nara’s face lightens with relief and I turn to see what manner of ugly girl has somehow slipped through the rigorous selection process.
She is not Manchu, nor Chinese. She is a Mongol, something of a rarity amongst us, with high broad cheekbones and very white skin. Her cheeks are painted pink, for the Mongols prize pink cheeks on their pale-skinned women. She seems older than many of the girls, at least sixteen and perhaps closer to seventeen. They have taken away her own traditional clothes and dressed her in the Manchu style. She will have been used to striding about in sturdy boots and now she must sway precariously on our cloud-climbing shoes, raised a full hand’s width above the ground on a tiny platform requiring a good deal of practice to walk in. Her black hair has been pinned with the first white almond blossoms and she is tall, taller than many of the women here. Her eyes are dark and I think at once of a hawk or falcon, perhaps even a young eagle such as the Mongols use for hunting. Fettered by her high shoes, the heavy silken robes, her almond blossom hair, but fierce and longing to be free. This is no dainty girl who will fly to the Emperor’s command. This is a wild bird. No wonder Ula Nara is relieved. She is not ugly, but no-one could imagine this girl trying hard to please the Emperor, simpering and longing for his attention. I will be surprised if she does not die here, fading away as wild birds often do if you try to cage them.
“Honoured Lady Ying,” announces the Chief Eunuch and I stifle a laugh. Her new name denotes intelligence but also brings to mind the eagle. She has been well named. She looks about her, twisting her neck and shifting uneasily on her cloud-climbing shoes. As she is led past us to leave the ceremony she stumbles and a eunuch has to catch her before she falls. She stands again, flustered and angry at her loss of dignity. I smile at her, wanting to reassure her and she gives me a small tight smile in return, unsure of my intentions.
“I am Qing,” I tell her before she has a chance to move away, hardly even knowing why I am addressing her. “Welcome to court,” I add, almost blurting out the words. She hovers, uncertain whether to follow the gesturing eunuch or speak with me.
“I’d follow the eunuch, if I were you.” I startle. Lady Ula Nara has been watching us and now she has intervened. I bow my head to her and Lady Ying awkwardly follows suit. “You are new to court,” says Ula Nara, speaking only to Ying and ignoring me. “You cannot be expected to know with whom you should associate. But I would suggest that you do not waste your time on those who may bring you ill luck through being supremely ill favoured.” As she finishes speaking she sinks into a gracious bow to the Emperor and leaves the hall.
Get It Online
When you use the links in this review and buy within 24 hours of clicking then we get a small commission that helps us run the site and it costs you nothing extra
Series
The Consorts (Sapphic)
The Fragrant Concubine (Heterosexual)
The Garden of Perfect Brightness (Heterosexual)
The Cold Palace (Heterosexual)
Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 9781910940129
Publisher: Letterpress Publishing
If you enjoyed The Consorts by Melissa Addey then you should also look at
Note: I received a free review copy of The Consorts by Melissa Addey. No money was exchanged for this review. When you use our links to buy we get a small commission which supports the running of this site
