I rarely ever highly rate a Young Adult fantasy these days, but this spectacular world completely blew me away. Here is why this drama-vibes read is officially worth the hype.
Book Synopsis
Book Details
Pages: 480
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Voyager
Format: Hardback
In a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to its forgotten past – and the demons that sleep at its heart…
Once, Lan had a different name. Now, she goes by the one the Elantian colonizers gave her when they invaded her kingdom, killed her mother, and outlawed her people’s magic. She spends her nights as a songgirl in Haak’gong, a city transformed by the conquerors, and spends her days scavenging for remnants of the past. For anything that might help her understand the strange mark burned into her arm by her mother, in her last act before she died.
No one can see the mysterious mark, an untranslatable Hin character, except Lan. Until the night a boy appears at the teahouse and saves her life.
Zen is a practitioner – one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom, whose abilities were rumoured to be drawn from the demons they communed with. Magic believed to be long lost. Magic to be hidden from the Elantians at all costs.
Both Lan and Zen have secrets buried deep within. Fate has connected them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world.
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Review
* Non-Spoiler Review*
If you know me, you know I am currently deep in my Chinese period drama era, and this book matched that vibe perfectly.
It does have one major hurdle it had to clear, though: it’s YA. It is very rare for me to gravitate toward Young Adult fiction these days, and even rarer for me to give it a high rating. For me to pick this up, fly through it, and love the premise says a lot.
What really hooked me was the layered world-building. The magical components and the stark contrast between the Angels and the Hin practitioners were brilliant. The slow-to-medium pacing, intricate backstories, and rich side characters gave it a grand scale that practically begs for a screen adaptation.
Best of all? I didn’t find the leads annoying! Usually, YA characters test my patience because of their lack of maturity (call me old, I accept it), but Wen Zhao writing was fantastic, and I was fully invested in their development.
While I wished the story had moved just a tiny bit faster in some places, I was thoroughly charmed by the world and the cast. A very successful read, and I can’t wait for book two.
Spice Rating: 1/6 – See my rating system here
Book Rating: 4/5
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