In a world invaded by demons, one girl will face the ultimate test when she is forced to enter into an ancient, deadly competition for the chance to save her mother's soul… before she loses her forever. From the New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night comes the beginning of a dark and opulent fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Throne of Glass.
Nine years ago, the war between the Kingdom of Night and the Kingdom of Rivers tore Àn’yīng’s family apart, leaving her mother barely alive and a baby sister to fend for. Now the mortal realm is falling into eternal night, and mó—beautiful, ravenous demons—roam the land, feasting on the flesh of humans and drinking their souls.
Àn’yīng is no longer a helpless child, though. Armed with her crescent blades and trained in the ancient art of practitioning, she has decided to enter the Immortality Trials, which are open to any mortal who can survive the journey to the immortal realm. Those who complete the Trials are granted a pill of eternal life—the one thing Àn’yīng knows can heal her dying mother. But to attain the prize, she must survive the competition.
Death is common in the Trials. Yet oddly, Àn’yīng finds that someone is helping her stay alive. A rival contestant. Powerful and handsome, Yù’chén is as secretive about his past as he is about his motives for protecting Àn’yīng.
The longer she survives the Trials, the clearer it becomes that all is not right in the immortal realm. To save her mother and herself, Àn’yīng will need to figure out whether she can truly trust the stranger she’s falling for or if he’s the most dangerous player of all . . . for herself and for all the realms.
Nine years ago, the war between the Kingdom of Night and the Kingdom of Rivers tore Àn’yīng’s family apart, leaving her mother barely alive and a baby sister to fend for. Now the mortal realm is falling into eternal night, and mó—beautiful, ravenous demons—roam the land, feasting on the flesh of humans and drinking their souls.
Àn’yīng is no longer a helpless child, though. Armed with her crescent blades and trained in the ancient art of practitioning, she has decided to enter the Immortality Trials, which are open to any mortal who can survive the journey to the immortal realm. Those who complete the Trials are granted a pill of eternal life—the one thing Àn’yīng knows can heal her dying mother. But to attain the prize, she must survive the competition.
Death is common in the Trials. Yet oddly, Àn’yīng finds that someone is helping her stay alive. A rival contestant. Powerful and handsome, Yù’chén is as secretive about his past as he is about his motives for protecting Àn’yīng.
The longer she survives the Trials, the clearer it becomes that all is not right in the immortal realm. To save her mother and herself, Àn’yīng will need to figure out whether she can truly trust the stranger she’s falling for or if he’s the most dangerous player of all . . . for herself and for all the realms.
Title: The Scorpion and the Night Blossom
Author: Amelie Wen Zhao
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publication Date: March 4, 2024
Review:
Thank you to Delacorte Press for asking me to read and review this title. The opinions expressed here are my own.
First let me say how I'm really into the Asian lore I've been seeing in books these days. I don't know anything about most Asian lore so it's fun to read stories to learn. More often than not, though, I've been a bit disappointed with what was offered. I thought perhaps this book might solve that issue. I was not correct.
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this title and ended up DNFing it at 30% in. I wanted to love it. I wanted to fall for the world and the characters and the story, but it just wasn't grabbing me and I found myself skimming passages and not paying attention to what I was reading.
The good:
The cover to this book is absolutely gorgeous. I would buy it just based on that.
The pacing was fairly fast, moving the characters from scene to scene.
The bad:
Nothing happened for me. I needed something to happen that was exciting. Something to draw me in and keep me there. It just wasn't happening. I didn't feel like picking up the book and falling back into the story.
The world building was lacking, as well. By 30% I should have had some idea of it, but it just wasn't there. And I didn't understand the magic system at all. Both things integral to building a unique fantasy and creating an interesting story.
The romance, I saw it building, but I really didn't feel any chemistry happening between the FMC and the MMC.
My biggest issue with the book was I was bored. I didn't care about the characters at all. It didn't matter to me if they lived or died, fell in love or didn't, got out of chaos or fell victim to it. I just didn't care. I hope others like it more than me.
Author:
Amélie Wen Zhao（赵雯）was born in Paris and grew up in Beijing, where she spent her days reenacting tales of legendary heroes, ancient kingdoms, and lost magic at her grandmother’s courtyard house. She attended college in the United States and now resides in New York City, working as a finance professional by day and fantasy author by night. In her spare time, she loves to travel with her family in China, where she’s determined to walk the rivers and lakes of old just like the practitioners in her novels do.
Amélie is the author of the Blood Heir trilogy and the upcoming Song of Silver, Flame Like Night duology.
Amélie is the author of the Blood Heir trilogy and the upcoming Song of Silver, Flame Like Night duology.
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