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Deathly Fates
A sweeping debut inspired by the Chinese folk practice of necromancy, Deathly Fates is perfect for fans of Descendant of the Crane, The Bone Shard Daughter, and A Magic Steeped in Poison.
As a priestess paid to guide the deceased home, Kang Siying has never feared death. However, when her beloved father collapses, Siying realizes that even she is not free from the cruel grasp of mortality. Desperate to provide her father with the medical aid he needs, Siying accepts a dangerous job that promises a generous commission, and travels to a hostile state to retrieve the corpse of a missing prince.
But the moment Siying places her reanimation talisman on the dead prince's head, rather than make the corpse obedient to Siying's commands, the talisman brings the prince back to life. Worse, he won't stay alive for long—not unless he absorbs enough qi, or life force, to keep his soul anchored to his body.
In return for a reward worth twice her original commission, Siying agrees to aid the frustratingly handsome prince in finding and purifying evil spirits for their qi. As they journey across the countryside, encountering vengeful ghosts and enemy spies alike, they gradually uncover dark secrets about the prince's death—secrets that could endanger both Siying's father and their entire kingdom.
A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books
As a priestess paid to guide the deceased home, Kang Siying has never feared death. However, when her beloved father collapses, Siying realizes that even she is not free from the cruel grasp of mortality. Desperate to provide her father with the medical aid he needs, Siying accepts a dangerous job that promises a generous commission, and travels to a hostile state to retrieve the corpse of a missing prince.
But the moment Siying places her reanimation talisman on the dead prince's head, rather than make the corpse obedient to Siying's commands, the talisman brings the prince back to life. Worse, he won't stay alive for long—not unless he absorbs enough qi, or life force, to keep his soul anchored to his body.
In return for a reward worth twice her original commission, Siying agrees to aid the frustratingly handsome prince in finding and purifying evil spirits for their qi. As they journey across the countryside, encountering vengeful ghosts and enemy spies alike, they gradually uncover dark secrets about the prince's death—secrets that could endanger both Siying's father and their entire kingdom.
A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books
Audible Audio
First published April 14, 2026
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October 20, 2025
˙₊➴ ꒰ 3-stars★ ꒱ ꒷⊹࣪˖
📜┆ ARC ⤿ St. Martin's Press & NetGalley
✒️┆ Author ⤿ Tesia Tsai
💌┆ Pub Date ⤿ 04/14/26
With her father's health waning, Siying takes on any work she can find. So when she's offered a generous sum to escort the corpse of a fallen soldier to the capital of Sian, she accepts it without hesitation. But the supposed soldier wasn’t just any foot soldier. He’s a prince, trapped between life and death, and he needs Siying’s help to restore his qi.
As they travel through the troubled lands of Wen, Siying begins to uncover secrets about the prince, the war, and those who rule the kingdom. The more she learns, the more she begins to question her task and where her true loyalty lies.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Thoughts
‧˚ ꒰ 👻 ꒱ world & story ₊˚⋆
When I started this story, I thought I was in for a light-hearted tale of a priestess necromancer guiding/helping a prince home, with few ghostly encounters, hauntings, and catching along the way. But oh this wasn’t just that it turned out to be so much more! This wasn’t just a simple journey back to the capital, it was a path of understanding, growth, empathy, love, loss, and the quiet acceptance of what must be. An endearing story that shines not only through Siying and Renshu’s journey, but through every life and character they met along the way.🥹🤍
‧˚ ꒰ 🍑 ꒱ characters & romance ₊˚⋆
Following Kang Siying, our ganshi priestess who guides the dead, was already interesting to see, as I haven’t yet seen an occupation like hers. But what drew me to her was the way she carries herself with poise, strong sense of duty, and a calm, reserved exterior. But beneath that, we get glimpses of her inner struggles and the reasons behind her choices, making her all the more compelling! Then there’s Meng Renshu, the second prince of Sian, who is not your typical royal. Ren is someone who genuinely cares, who leads with empathy and refuses to turn away from the suffering of others (i know it should be the bare minimum, but being empathetic makes a character an instant favorite for me). Ren is my kind of Prince Charming as he is the kind, courageous person who is willing to fight for everyone, not just himself!
They were already compelling on their own, but watching them spend more time together slowly learning, understanding, and accepting how the other sees the world, made their connection truly special. I love love loved how Ren gently melted Siying’s walls, with his constant teasing, small acts of care, and simply by being unapologetically himself❗️Their bond wasn’t loud, it was soft and endearing. Despite their differences in personality, beliefs, and status, it was their shared compassion for others that truly brought them together. But what connected them most was their desire for peace, not just for themselves but for everyone. Their love might not have been the central focus of the story, but the way they stood by each other through everything made their relationship feel more rewarding💗
‧˚ ꒰ ꒱ concerns ₊˚⋆
One of my main concerns with this was its pacing. Siying and Renshu’s journey often felt rushed, which made it a bit hard to fully connect or dive into the emotional weight of it all (don’t get me wrong it did sway me but i just felt like it could’ve felt much more impactful). I just found myself wishing they had more time to linger and marinate everything that was happening. The pacing was already pretty fast and the addition of the abrupt transitions made the rushed feeling even more noticeable. That said, the story itself was still good and impactful I just believe everything could have been amplified tenfold with smoother transitions and pacing🙂↕️💯
‧˚ ꒰ 🍵 ꒱ final thoughts ₊˚⋆
You already know that I usually gravitate towards my high-stakes and action-packed reads cause of the thrill and emotional punch they deliver, but this story brought something different, and it didn’t disappoint!! Instead of the intensity, it offered its quiet strength. It was a reflection on life, loss, and peace, and how we, as humans, learn to embrace not only ourselves but those around us🫂🤍
It reminds us that grieving isn’t about forever letting go, it’s about honoring those we've lost and recognizing that their lives were already meaningful and that their absence doesn’t fully erase their memories, impact, and whole existence. A solid 3-star for this soft, thoughtful, and heartwarming read! This was an awesome debut, and I can’t wait to see what Tesia Tsai has in store for us!💌💫
➳ Huge thanks to the publisher & author—St. Martin's Press, Tesia Tsai & NetGalley—for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
˚₊ ⟢┊pre-read 🖇️┊⊹࣪⋆
Needed more asian rep and set books in my life + I just love me historical fantasy, so I got a bit giddy when I got this hihi!☁️✨
📜┆ ARC ⤿ St. Martin's Press & NetGalley
✒️┆ Author ⤿ Tesia Tsai
💌┆ Pub Date ⤿ 04/14/26
❝ These hands can do more than carry a staff or write talismans in blood. They can offer support and tend wounds, perhaps even save a life. You need only call upon the strength inside you to do so. ❞
With her father's health waning, Siying takes on any work she can find. So when she's offered a generous sum to escort the corpse of a fallen soldier to the capital of Sian, she accepts it without hesitation. But the supposed soldier wasn’t just any foot soldier. He’s a prince, trapped between life and death, and he needs Siying’s help to restore his qi.
As they travel through the troubled lands of Wen, Siying begins to uncover secrets about the prince, the war, and those who rule the kingdom. The more she learns, the more she begins to question her task and where her true loyalty lies.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Thoughts
‧˚ ꒰ 👻 ꒱ world & story ₊˚⋆
❝ Such a human thing, to want. To want safety. Freedom . Peace. To want for self and for others. ❞
When I started this story, I thought I was in for a light-hearted tale of a priestess necromancer guiding/helping a prince home, with few ghostly encounters, hauntings, and catching along the way. But oh this wasn’t just that it turned out to be so much more! This wasn’t just a simple journey back to the capital, it was a path of understanding, growth, empathy, love, loss, and the quiet acceptance of what must be. An endearing story that shines not only through Siying and Renshu’s journey, but through every life and character they met along the way.🥹🤍
‧˚ ꒰ 🍑 ꒱ characters & romance ₊˚⋆
❝ To care for another person was frightening, vulnerable. It meant another thing for my heart to lose. And now I’d gone and grown fond of someone challenging death itself. ❞
Following Kang Siying, our ganshi priestess who guides the dead, was already interesting to see, as I haven’t yet seen an occupation like hers. But what drew me to her was the way she carries herself with poise, strong sense of duty, and a calm, reserved exterior. But beneath that, we get glimpses of her inner struggles and the reasons behind her choices, making her all the more compelling! Then there’s Meng Renshu, the second prince of Sian, who is not your typical royal. Ren is someone who genuinely cares, who leads with empathy and refuses to turn away from the suffering of others (i know it should be the bare minimum, but being empathetic makes a character an instant favorite for me). Ren is my kind of Prince Charming as he is the kind, courageous person who is willing to fight for everyone, not just himself!
❝ You gave me a second chance once. This time, there’s no escaping it. But you still have a chance, Mistress Kang. Let me be a royal you can count on for once. Use my death to save yourself. ❞
They were already compelling on their own, but watching them spend more time together slowly learning, understanding, and accepting how the other sees the world, made their connection truly special. I love love loved how Ren gently melted Siying’s walls, with his constant teasing, small acts of care, and simply by being unapologetically himself❗️Their bond wasn’t loud, it was soft and endearing. Despite their differences in personality, beliefs, and status, it was their shared compassion for others that truly brought them together. But what connected them most was their desire for peace, not just for themselves but for everyone. Their love might not have been the central focus of the story, but the way they stood by each other through everything made their relationship feel more rewarding💗
‧˚ ꒰ ꒱ concerns ₊˚⋆
❝ What’s the point of living a human life if you forget your humanity? ❞
One of my main concerns with this was its pacing. Siying and Renshu’s journey often felt rushed, which made it a bit hard to fully connect or dive into the emotional weight of it all (don’t get me wrong it did sway me but i just felt like it could’ve felt much more impactful). I just found myself wishing they had more time to linger and marinate everything that was happening. The pacing was already pretty fast and the addition of the abrupt transitions made the rushed feeling even more noticeable. That said, the story itself was still good and impactful I just believe everything could have been amplified tenfold with smoother transitions and pacing🙂↕️💯
‧˚ ꒰ 🍵 ꒱ final thoughts ₊˚⋆
❝ But in all my years as a ganshi priestess, I’d learned that the dead— whether lost, embittered, or afraid— only truly wanted one thing. And that was peace. ❞
You already know that I usually gravitate towards my high-stakes and action-packed reads cause of the thrill and emotional punch they deliver, but this story brought something different, and it didn’t disappoint!! Instead of the intensity, it offered its quiet strength. It was a reflection on life, loss, and peace, and how we, as humans, learn to embrace not only ourselves but those around us🫂🤍
❝ It still hurt, that act of letting go, but I realized now that there was also freedom in doing it. Freedom to be my own person and discover new loves. Freedom to wander different paths , to experience more joy and struggle and growth. Freedom to hold on to other hands, regardless of who would leave and who would stay. ❞
It reminds us that grieving isn’t about forever letting go, it’s about honoring those we've lost and recognizing that their lives were already meaningful and that their absence doesn’t fully erase their memories, impact, and whole existence. A solid 3-star for this soft, thoughtful, and heartwarming read! This was an awesome debut, and I can’t wait to see what Tesia Tsai has in store for us!💌💫
➳ Huge thanks to the publisher & author—St. Martin's Press, Tesia Tsai & NetGalley—for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
˚₊ ⟢┊pre-read 🖇️┊⊹࣪⋆
Needed more asian rep and set books in my life + I just love me historical fantasy, so I got a bit giddy when I got this hihi!☁️✨
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.0 ★ — What to do when you find an undead prince on a battlefield?
Kang Siying is a priestess, used to helping various types of spirits who are stuck in the earthly realm move on. When she meets the undead prince Ren, it’s only the prospect of getting paid enough to buy medication for her ailing father that convinces her to help him.
This is the type of book I definitely feel like I might have enjoyed a bit less if I had only read it, but experiencing it partly as an audiobook made it really entertaining and fun to follow!
As a real treat, this story flips some of the more common dynamics of the male love interest being the stronger, more adept one, with it having Siying be the competent party opposite a bumbling, flirty prince. Being a priestess leaves Siying in a very respected position in her world, and her knowledge and experience shine through in every one of her interactions, making me (someone with a competence kink, lol) love following her as a main character.
On their journey and quest together to find more qi (energy) to purify his spirit, they meet a variety of characters and encounter restless spirits that Siying has to help guide onward. Sometimes following along with those adventures felt a bit like watching multiple episodes of a show or reading a slew of interconnected short stories, as I got to see them repeatedly solve spirits’ unrest before moving onto the next location.
Like I said in the beginning, I don’t think I would have loved this quite as much in book format only, because while I enjoyed their multiple adventures, Siying having to save the MMC from similar situations multiple times, started to feel a bit repetitive near the end.
Mostly, though, I just had a really good time with this and thought the way the romance played out was very cute. There was some very entertaining banter and development between the two leads that made them getting together feel earned!
🎧 Audiobook Notes
🎙️ Narration Style: Solo
⭐ Listener Rating: 5/5
This was very well narrated, and I thought the female narrator’s lovely voice added a lot to the story. She portrayed the sassiness of the prince perfectly and did some amazing intonations for the different spirits they encounter.
_______________
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC and to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
Kang Siying is a priestess, used to helping various types of spirits who are stuck in the earthly realm move on. When she meets the undead prince Ren, it’s only the prospect of getting paid enough to buy medication for her ailing father that convinces her to help him.
This is the type of book I definitely feel like I might have enjoyed a bit less if I had only read it, but experiencing it partly as an audiobook made it really entertaining and fun to follow!
As a real treat, this story flips some of the more common dynamics of the male love interest being the stronger, more adept one, with it having Siying be the competent party opposite a bumbling, flirty prince. Being a priestess leaves Siying in a very respected position in her world, and her knowledge and experience shine through in every one of her interactions, making me (someone with a competence kink, lol) love following her as a main character.
On their journey and quest together to find more qi (energy) to purify his spirit, they meet a variety of characters and encounter restless spirits that Siying has to help guide onward. Sometimes following along with those adventures felt a bit like watching multiple episodes of a show or reading a slew of interconnected short stories, as I got to see them repeatedly solve spirits’ unrest before moving onto the next location.
Like I said in the beginning, I don’t think I would have loved this quite as much in book format only, because while I enjoyed their multiple adventures, Siying having to save the MMC from similar situations multiple times, started to feel a bit repetitive near the end.
Mostly, though, I just had a really good time with this and thought the way the romance played out was very cute. There was some very entertaining banter and development between the two leads that made them getting together feel earned!
🎧 Audiobook Notes
🎙️ Narration Style: Solo
⭐ Listener Rating: 5/5
This was very well narrated, and I thought the female narrator’s lovely voice added a lot to the story. She portrayed the sassiness of the prince perfectly and did some amazing intonations for the different spirits they encounter.
_______________
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC and to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
«There is no one else but you. The world we both want–it’s impossible without you by my side.»
── .✦ 4 stars!
𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞'𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 .ᐟ review #15
𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: april 14th
𐔌🫐 apr 12 ⸝⸝ um so who said that was a debut novel?? tesia tsai is amazingly talented, and i know im going to absolutely devour any of her future books! read this one in a single sitting xx
⤿ 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: 04.11.26 - 04.12.26
⤿ 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 13+
⤿ 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥: 0/5
⤿ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: grief, loss, illness of a family member, death, violence
«What’s the point of living a human life if you forget your humanity?»
⋮ ⌗ ┆𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 🫐꒱
⤿ kang siyang is a ganshi, a corpse driving priestess who guides the spirits of the dead to their final resting places, and is used to helping various types of spirits move on and find peace. when she meets ren, a prince trapped between life and death, the only thing that convinces her to help him restore his qi is the idea of being paid enough to help her dying father.
as siyang and ren travel through the war-torn kingdom of wen, they begin to uncover hidden secrets about those who rule the kingdom, and the more siyang discovers, the more she starts to question herself and her beliefs.
«Such a human thing, to want. To want safety. Freedom. Peace. To want for self and for others.»
⋮ ⌗ ┆𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 🫐꒱
⤿🎐 .ᐟ it seems that i keeped being tricked by books because every asian mythology book ive ever read often ends up being way deeper and darker than i thought it would be (in the best way possible). i was so not prepared for the emotional depth and messages in this book, but i don’t regret anything, because i can confidently say this book is going on my ‘to moon and to saturn’ shelf.
꒰🫧꒱ i was first intrigued by the premise because i’d never heard of the chinese folk tale of necromancy. i thought the mythology elements in this was beautifully incorporated into the story, and both the worldbuilding and the writing was exquisite.
«But in all my years as a ganshi priestess, I’d learned that the dead—whether lost, embittered, or afraid—only truly wanted one thing. And that was peace.»
꒰🎐꒱ the pacing was great, and really kept the story moving, but i felt that certain moments were a bit rushed, and definitely could’ve been explored more. the romantic tension was there, and the burn was so slow i genuinely thought i would die of old age before anything happened. i loved that the connection between ren and siyang and their chemistry wasn’t immediate, because i’ve seen and read enough of that. the romance was perfect. absolutely perfect. it was soft and genuine and so endearing. no loud declarations of love needed because watching siyang and ren spend more time together was heartwarming. they slowly learned, understood, and accepted each other and the way the other sees the world, which made their connection really special and sweet.
꒰🫧꒱ the romance was so sweet, and that is the only way i know how to explain it. the grumpy x sunshine trope was perfectly executed, with ren lowering siyang’s walls through his teasing and acts of care, because let’s be real, the small things do count! their differences in status, personality and beliefs makes them such an unlikely pair, but they fit together much better than what they might seem at first glance because of their compassion and empathy for others. romance was the subplot for sure, but it still shone and stood out, and the moments were so sweet i was giggling and kicking my feet.
«To care for another person was frightening, vulnerable. It meant another thing for my heart to lose. And now I’d gone and grown fond of someone challenging death itself.»
꒰🎐꒱ siyang was a wonderful protagonist to follow. she’s really strong and steadfast in her duty, and while her position as a priestess gave her some status, im so happy that that wasn’t her whole personality. her personal struggles, especially her fear of failing the ones she loves, made her very relatable. i think one of the highlights of the book was watching her evolve throughout the journey, and how she started to understand herself and her vulnerabilities more.
꒰🫧꒱ i love a good high stakes read, but i didn’t mind not reading something action packed, because the quiet strength delivered an emotional depth that left me thinking about the book hours after i finished reading it. and i predict ill still be thinking about deathly fates in a few days too.
꒰🎐꒱ this book was a meaningful reflection of life, loss, and peace, and how we as humans, individuals, and a society, need to learn to embrace not only ourselves but the people around us. the themes of grief and death remind readers that it’s not about forever letting go, but it’s about honoring the ones we’ve lost, and that recognizing their absence doesn’t erase their memories or impact in our lives.
꒰🫧꒱ overall, deathly fates was an amazing debut, and it was a thoughtful and heartwarming read! I would definitely recommend this book, and im looking forward to read more of tesia tsai’s novels.
⋮ ⌗ ┆𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 🫐꒱
꒰🖋️꒱ priestess x prince
꒰🖋️꒱ extremely slow burn
꒰🖋️꒱ soft, thoughtful read
꒰🖋️꒱ themes of death, loss and grief
꒰🖋️꒱ inspired by chinese folklore
꒰🖋️꒱ ghosts and the dead
꒰🖋️꒱ supernatural elements
꒰🖋️꒱ reverse grumpy x sunshine
꒰🖋️꒱ historical c-drama vibes
╰┈➤ many, many thanks to netgalley, tesia tsai, and st martin’s press for the digital arc of this book! all thoughts are my own <3
------------------------------------------
˖ ࣪જ so im so behind on reading this arc but i can't wait to jump in! chinese necromancy sounds interesting and ive heard good things! (also its "perfect for fans of a magic steeped in poison" and you all should know THATS MY FAV BOOK EVER)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
➳ 3.5 ☆! 💨✨ spoiler free + mini review
⤷ very promising debut! i cant wait to see what this author does next <3
arc! @netgalley
⋆˚࿔ 29th review of the year
₊‧꒰my thoughts꒱ ‧₊
⤷ honestly had sm fun with this one. i sadly couldn't lock in fast enough 😭 i read this book in sprints and sometimes it didn't hold my attention. this book was not bad at ALL. the premise is very intriguing, the writing in nice, and the characters are likeable. i may have just been in a slump/not looking for this type of read at the time i read it? either way im so glad i still requested it and finished! i was able to binge the last 100 pages which was very satisfying 🤭 and im happy to add this to my asian lit recommendations list! the uk AND us covers are STUNNING, i cannot wait til readers have this in their hands. i hope we get wind of what the author has next soon 🩷🫂
⤷ i loved some of the lessons this book taught as well. love, loss, grief, death, being ruled cruelly, and sm more. i also like that the author kept this 100% clean including language 💐 thank you again to netgalley and the author for this arc! will be celebrating on release day.
tropes!
⋆ priestess x prince
⋆ chinese inspired fantasy
⋆ forbidden
⋆ slow burn
₊‧꒰info!꒱ ‧₊
⤷ find my book review on goodreads @elliexreads
⤷ is recommend for YA readers and above
⤷ chinese inspired fantasy
publish date: april 14, 2026
₊‧ all ratings and opinions are my own ₊‧
⤷ thank you @netgalley and berkley for the arc in exchange for an honest review !🫂
------
₊‧꒰3.11.26꒱ ‧₊
⤷ EEK!! thank you netgalley and ms tesia tsai for the beautiful arc!! i love a good asian lit fantasy and so far so good 💌 cover is BEAUTIFUL
⤷ very promising debut! i cant wait to see what this author does next <3
arc! @netgalley
⋆˚࿔ 29th review of the year
"there is no one else but you. the world we both want- it's impossible without you by my side."
₊‧꒰my thoughts꒱ ‧₊
⤷ honestly had sm fun with this one. i sadly couldn't lock in fast enough 😭 i read this book in sprints and sometimes it didn't hold my attention. this book was not bad at ALL. the premise is very intriguing, the writing in nice, and the characters are likeable. i may have just been in a slump/not looking for this type of read at the time i read it? either way im so glad i still requested it and finished! i was able to binge the last 100 pages which was very satisfying 🤭 and im happy to add this to my asian lit recommendations list! the uk AND us covers are STUNNING, i cannot wait til readers have this in their hands. i hope we get wind of what the author has next soon 🩷🫂
⤷ i loved some of the lessons this book taught as well. love, loss, grief, death, being ruled cruelly, and sm more. i also like that the author kept this 100% clean including language 💐 thank you again to netgalley and the author for this arc! will be celebrating on release day.
tropes!
⋆ priestess x prince
⋆ chinese inspired fantasy
⋆ forbidden
⋆ slow burn
₊‧꒰info!꒱ ‧₊
⤷ find my book review on goodreads @elliexreads
⤷ is recommend for YA readers and above
⤷ chinese inspired fantasy
publish date: april 14, 2026
₊‧ all ratings and opinions are my own ₊‧
⤷ thank you @netgalley and berkley for the arc in exchange for an honest review !🫂
------
₊‧꒰preview ᝰ.ᐟ꒱ ‧₊ 💨✨
₊‧꒰3.11.26꒱ ‧₊
⤷ EEK!! thank you netgalley and ms tesia tsai for the beautiful arc!! i love a good asian lit fantasy and so far so good 💌 cover is BEAUTIFUL
October 4, 2025
big thanks to the publisher for inviting me to read this book, all thoughts below are 100% my own
when i first got a cutesy little email in my inbox that i'd been invited to read this novel, i was shocked. because little ole me??? like yes i know im so amazing and wonderful (jo no one cares just write the review okay babes???)
lets get into it
maybe like dont say that again? alright, from the first chapter i was instantly feeling the vibes for this novel. i love our fmc siyang, she's the right amount of girlboss but also she knows what she can and can't do. and our love interest -- aka the dead prince -- is such a cutie pie. he doesn't deserve the world tbh.
i got all the cdrama vibes from this and i highly thing that if you are a fan of them you will greatly like this story.
i will note that it takes a minute to understand our character (which yes i was just saying i love her) and what i mean by that is i LOVED her once i UNDERSTOOD her. because babes has no emotion.
whatsoever.
like a brick wall had more emotion thatn siyang for the first few chapters of deathly fates. and once i understood why she's like that i was like okay queen slay. (do you think i'd get kicked out of a fantasy world for saying "u ate babes" or "slay queen"? real question, pls dont answer me
the plot was fun and had me going "OOOH" at like two am in the morning (don't reccomend btw, highly not a good idea) and kept turning the page. all the characters who were the bad guys i really wanted to like... toss into a haunted mansion??? and was so satisfied with that ending but in a good way.
and the romance was SLOW BURNING THE WAY SLOW BURN SHOULD BURN
to wrap up this review im going to try a new format that i made up about 2.4 seconds ago and if you've read this somewhere else no u haven't bc im delusional sometimes.
plot ────୨ৎ 4 stars, would read again
characters ────୨ৎ 3 stars,, only our princey boy and siyang ate
vibes ────୨ৎ 4 stars (i mean if u like dead things and cdramas !!!
─── all in all, a highly well written debut novel and i look forward to reading more by this author! i greatly enjoyed it and hope this review urges you to pick up this novel! again thank you so much to the publisher for inviting me to read this in exchange for an honest review< 3 also a note for my clean reader girlies this one passes the test!
xx
jo
when i first got a cutesy little email in my inbox that i'd been invited to read this novel, i was shocked. because little ole me??? like yes i know im so amazing and wonderful (jo no one cares just write the review okay babes???)
lets get into it
maybe like dont say that again? alright, from the first chapter i was instantly feeling the vibes for this novel. i love our fmc siyang, she's the right amount of girlboss but also she knows what she can and can't do. and our love interest -- aka the dead prince -- is such a cutie pie. he doesn't deserve the world tbh.
i got all the cdrama vibes from this and i highly thing that if you are a fan of them you will greatly like this story.
i will note that it takes a minute to understand our character (which yes i was just saying i love her) and what i mean by that is i LOVED her once i UNDERSTOOD her. because babes has no emotion.
whatsoever.
like a brick wall had more emotion thatn siyang for the first few chapters of deathly fates. and once i understood why she's like that i was like okay queen slay. (do you think i'd get kicked out of a fantasy world for saying "u ate babes" or "slay queen"? real question, pls dont answer me
the plot was fun and had me going "OOOH" at like two am in the morning (don't reccomend btw, highly not a good idea) and kept turning the page. all the characters who were the bad guys i really wanted to like... toss into a haunted mansion??? and was so satisfied with that ending but in a good way.
and the romance was SLOW BURNING THE WAY SLOW BURN SHOULD BURN
to wrap up this review im going to try a new format that i made up about 2.4 seconds ago and if you've read this somewhere else no u haven't bc im delusional sometimes.
plot ────୨ৎ 4 stars, would read again
characters ────୨ৎ 3 stars,, only our princey boy and siyang ate
vibes ────୨ৎ 4 stars (i mean if u like dead things and cdramas !!!
─── all in all, a highly well written debut novel and i look forward to reading more by this author! i greatly enjoyed it and hope this review urges you to pick up this novel! again thank you so much to the publisher for inviting me to read this in exchange for an honest review< 3 also a note for my clean reader girlies this one passes the test!
xx
jo
March 7, 2026
a necromancy priestess fmc + a dead, absolutely pathetic (complimentary) prince mmc go on a quest together to so she can save his life.
I love a pathetic mmc, and I love it more in a fantasy setting where the badass, strong fmc gets to do the saving. Throw in a family forward narrative, with a splash of found family, plus some kissing, and you have a winning book!
This was fun, easy to binge, and had lots of my favorite elements!
The audiobook was so well narrated it made it hard to put this book down!
Audiobook: 5/5 | Narrator: Katherine Chin | Length: 10 hrs 35 mins
This is the second book I’ve read that Katherine Chin has narrated & the second absolutely phenomenal performance. I think she officially needs to go on my favorite narrator list. This audiobook is perfect. 10/10 no notes. I need to seek out more books narrated by her!
Katherine Chin also narrated The Poet Empress!
4.25⭐️| IG | TikTok |
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
I love a pathetic mmc, and I love it more in a fantasy setting where the badass, strong fmc gets to do the saving. Throw in a family forward narrative, with a splash of found family, plus some kissing, and you have a winning book!
This was fun, easy to binge, and had lots of my favorite elements!
The audiobook was so well narrated it made it hard to put this book down!
Audiobook: 5/5 | Narrator: Katherine Chin | Length: 10 hrs 35 mins
This is the second book I’ve read that Katherine Chin has narrated & the second absolutely phenomenal performance. I think she officially needs to go on my favorite narrator list. This audiobook is perfect. 10/10 no notes. I need to seek out more books narrated by her!
Katherine Chin also narrated The Poet Empress!
4.25⭐️| IG | TikTok |
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
── ⟡ 🍜 three stars ★
ꕀ book review #17 ੭
ㅤㅤ⌗ book num. 19 !
I mean it WASNT bad it just wasn’t that entertaining?? rtc
ꕀ book review #17 ੭
ㅤㅤ⌗ book num. 19 !
I mean it WASNT bad it just wasn’t that entertaining?? rtc
January 17, 2026
"we can't kill the big bad guy because that'll make us just as bad as they are" shut the fuck up and kill that psychopathic ugly clown you loser
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
rtc!!
— # PRE-READ.
necromancer romantasy!! sign me up 🤭 buddy reading this with ml ishy <3
⤿ thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
— # PRE-READ.
necromancer romantasy!! sign me up 🤭 buddy reading this with ml ishy <3
⤿ thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
October 12, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers & the author for a chance to review this ARC!
I’m in absolute awe… especially knowing this is a debut! I will read everything this author writes ; her writing flows incredibly beautifully.
Chinese mythology is my all time favourite. Therefore, this caught my attention right away.
Siying is a death priestess. She gets hired for a job… and the corpse starts talking to her. He’s not supposed to interact… why is this happening?
This sets them off on a journey, where nothing is easy. Siying is a grumpy FMC - which is pretty normal considering everything she has on her plate. She was forced to grow old too young.
Ren is a golden retriever type of man, living in a sunshine world. He is rather delusional, but he’s endearing.
The romance was a slow burn done right. I loved their interactions and how he kept irritating her to no ends. Their relationship really portrayed an eldest daughter with a youngest son.
The only thing that hindered my reading experience a bit was how the ending unfolded. Siying was a very reflective character ; but she became exceedingly impulsive towards the end. Some factors definitely weighed in ; but it felt out of character. I also disliked how her sister blamed her for her absence… especially considering she was the one paying the medical bills their father needed. I think this is all a matter of perception though.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. The writing flows beautifully and the plots & storyline were just so unique! I absolutely recommend this one.
I’m in absolute awe… especially knowing this is a debut! I will read everything this author writes ; her writing flows incredibly beautifully.
Chinese mythology is my all time favourite. Therefore, this caught my attention right away.
Siying is a death priestess. She gets hired for a job… and the corpse starts talking to her. He’s not supposed to interact… why is this happening?
This sets them off on a journey, where nothing is easy. Siying is a grumpy FMC - which is pretty normal considering everything she has on her plate. She was forced to grow old too young.
Ren is a golden retriever type of man, living in a sunshine world. He is rather delusional, but he’s endearing.
The romance was a slow burn done right. I loved their interactions and how he kept irritating her to no ends. Their relationship really portrayed an eldest daughter with a youngest son.
The only thing that hindered my reading experience a bit was how the ending unfolded. Siying was a very reflective character ; but she became exceedingly impulsive towards the end. Some factors definitely weighed in ; but it felt out of character. I also disliked how her sister blamed her for her absence… especially considering she was the one paying the medical bills their father needed. I think this is all a matter of perception though.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. The writing flows beautifully and the plots & storyline were just so unique! I absolutely recommend this one.
May 11, 2026
੭୧ 3 stars . ۫
overall thoughts — I honestly had a great time reading this!! When it comes to young adult Asian mythology, I find that it can usually be a hit or miss so I was expecting to rate this 1-2 stars, but Deathly Fates definitely surpassed my expectations 🤭
The story follows Siying, a priestess who guides dead corpses home. She gets hired to return the corpse of a prince…only to realize he somehow comes back to life instead. From there, the two go on a mission to fully revive his life force and along the way, uncover secrets, and deal with ghosts, danger, and a lot of chaos.
What really sold me on this book was the premise. It felt so unique and refreshing, and I loved reading about the corpse-driving priestess aspect of the story. The mythology and fantasy elements were interesting, and I think this would be the perfect beginner book for anyone wanting to get into Asian mythology fantasy!
I also really liked the characters. Siying was easy to root for, and her dynamic with Ren was so fun to read. They had great banter, growing trust, and so many cute moments together.
final thoughts — This wasn't necessarily a super emotional or deep read, but it was entertaining, fast-paced, and fun. Will be on the lookout for Tesia Tsai's future releases! I can definitely see her writing a promising adult debut in the future.
Thank you to Tesia Tsai, Austin Adams, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!
CW: death, violence, necromancy
────
finished: 04/22/26 𖥻𓈒 ꒱ ੭
waittt i was NOT expecting to have such a good time with this!! a very pleasant read and promising debut. thank you st. martin's press for always spoiling me with arcs <3 🤭🤭🤭
pre read: 04/19/26 𖥻𓈒 ꒱ ੭
another cdrama inspired book!! ignore the fact that i'm reading my arc copy almost a week after the pub date 😭 better late than never 🙈
overall thoughts — I honestly had a great time reading this!! When it comes to young adult Asian mythology, I find that it can usually be a hit or miss so I was expecting to rate this 1-2 stars, but Deathly Fates definitely surpassed my expectations 🤭
The story follows Siying, a priestess who guides dead corpses home. She gets hired to return the corpse of a prince…only to realize he somehow comes back to life instead. From there, the two go on a mission to fully revive his life force and along the way, uncover secrets, and deal with ghosts, danger, and a lot of chaos.
What really sold me on this book was the premise. It felt so unique and refreshing, and I loved reading about the corpse-driving priestess aspect of the story. The mythology and fantasy elements were interesting, and I think this would be the perfect beginner book for anyone wanting to get into Asian mythology fantasy!
I also really liked the characters. Siying was easy to root for, and her dynamic with Ren was so fun to read. They had great banter, growing trust, and so many cute moments together.
final thoughts — This wasn't necessarily a super emotional or deep read, but it was entertaining, fast-paced, and fun. Will be on the lookout for Tesia Tsai's future releases! I can definitely see her writing a promising adult debut in the future.
Thank you to Tesia Tsai, Austin Adams, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!
CW: death, violence, necromancy
────
finished: 04/22/26 𖥻𓈒 ꒱ ੭
waittt i was NOT expecting to have such a good time with this!! a very pleasant read and promising debut. thank you st. martin's press for always spoiling me with arcs <3 🤭🤭🤭
pre read: 04/19/26 𖥻𓈒 ꒱ ੭
another cdrama inspired book!! ignore the fact that i'm reading my arc copy almost a week after the pub date 😭 better late than never 🙈
Did Not Finish
November 19, 2025DNF @ 57%
While I liked the blood and ghosts, the story and characterizations were too young YA, simplistic, and formulaic for me. It also felt more ghost story than necromancy.
Even though it wasn't for me, I think that this would be a great intro to (slightly dark) fantasy for young teens with a grumpy x sunshine type of romance.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this arc.
While I liked the blood and ghosts, the story and characterizations were too young YA, simplistic, and formulaic for me. It also felt more ghost story than necromancy.
Even though it wasn't for me, I think that this would be a great intro to (slightly dark) fantasy for young teens with a grumpy x sunshine type of romance.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this arc.
March 11, 2026
I’m so torn on this one! On one hand, the magic system is chef’s kiss. 😘🤌🏼 I’ve never read a necromancy-based quest quite like this, and the scenes where they’re dealing with evil spirits actually gave me the creeps… think “The Conjuring” but in a fantasy setting. It’s the perfect spooky season read, as well.
But for some reason, I just didn't feel that desperate need to keep picking it up. When I was reading, I was having a good time, but it wasn't a "stay up until 2 AM" kind of book for me. The plot felt a little predictable, even if the world-building itself was super unique. A solid 3-stars for the vibes alone.
Just received a Netgalley copy in exchange for an honest. Thank you to Austin from St. Martin's for the opportunity!
But for some reason, I just didn't feel that desperate need to keep picking it up. When I was reading, I was having a good time, but it wasn't a "stay up until 2 AM" kind of book for me. The plot felt a little predictable, even if the world-building itself was super unique. A solid 3-stars for the vibes alone.
Just received a Netgalley copy in exchange for an honest. Thank you to Austin from St. Martin's for the opportunity!
April 22, 2026
Deathly Fates
by Tesia Tsai
Fantasy YA
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Apr 14, 2026
St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books
Ages: 16+
Accompanying her father while young, Kang Siying knew how to guide the dead, so when he fell ill, she quickly took his place, and as a priestess, she is paid to bring deceased people home with the use of magic.
Tasked to cross the border of the enemy nation, she finds her latest charge, but when she placed the talisman on his forehead, he came back to life. Knowing the talisman will not keep his soul tethered, thus him alive, together they set out to purify evil spirits and take their qi, or life force, to use to replenish his.
With the promise of double her pay, she agrees to find him the qi he needs to get him home. But as they venture across the land, they find that purifying spirits isn't as easy as it sounds, plus there are enemies lurking that want to keep the prince away from his home.
Honestly, hearing corpse-driving priestess, I was expecting a semi-dark story, but alas, this was more on the cozy side. Sure, there were some darker aspects as they attempted to purify evil spirits, but by the second attempt, I was bored because it was already starting to feel repetitive, with a side of video game adventure, and because of this, I started to skim.
It is a good story, especially for those who like a small dash of dark with their cozy romance.
If it hadn't felt repetitive and a lot less 'telling', this story would have earned one more star.
2 Stars
by Tesia Tsai
Fantasy YA
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Apr 14, 2026
St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books
Ages: 16+
Accompanying her father while young, Kang Siying knew how to guide the dead, so when he fell ill, she quickly took his place, and as a priestess, she is paid to bring deceased people home with the use of magic.
Tasked to cross the border of the enemy nation, she finds her latest charge, but when she placed the talisman on his forehead, he came back to life. Knowing the talisman will not keep his soul tethered, thus him alive, together they set out to purify evil spirits and take their qi, or life force, to use to replenish his.
With the promise of double her pay, she agrees to find him the qi he needs to get him home. But as they venture across the land, they find that purifying spirits isn't as easy as it sounds, plus there are enemies lurking that want to keep the prince away from his home.
Honestly, hearing corpse-driving priestess, I was expecting a semi-dark story, but alas, this was more on the cozy side. Sure, there were some darker aspects as they attempted to purify evil spirits, but by the second attempt, I was bored because it was already starting to feel repetitive, with a side of video game adventure, and because of this, I started to skim.
It is a good story, especially for those who like a small dash of dark with their cozy romance.
If it hadn't felt repetitive and a lot less 'telling', this story would have earned one more star.
2 Stars
April 18, 2026
enjoyed this one! very fast paced and dark, i just wasn’t convinced by the romance :/
March 30, 2026
I thought this was an impressive YA romantic fantasy debut and I quickly fell for Ren and Siying. It wasn't necessarily fresh and original, it had a fairly conventional romantasy storyline, but I loved the characters and their properly slow burn love story.
Kang Siying is a ganshi priestess, tasked with guiding the souls of the dead home. Necromancy is one of my favorite tropes and I love seeing it done well; it's got such a good pairing with YA coming of age stories, with good paralells around teens who are taking their first steps at figuring out life while struggling with grief. Necromancy was a ritual used to guide the dead home rather than a defining feature of this ghost story though; not as dark as others I've read.
To save her dying father, Siying, who's also a smuggler to make ends meet, takes a job to bring back the body of someone who turns out to be the second prince of Sian. But he's really alive, just in a weakened state and in need of more qi. So the two go on adventures to bring peace to evil spirits to restore the prince's qi. Along the way they discover a plot against him, but the story thankfully was not heavy on palace intrigue and political machinations. It was more of a romantic adventure quest story.
I love an MMC who's a pathetic sunshine himbo who loves to kid around and can't take anything seriously, but his good heart wins out and he takes responsibility in the end. Ren was quite pathetic at the beginning, but I loved his transformation thanks to Siyang's quiet influence into realizing that what the realm needs is a ruler with compassion.
I am not convinced that a more compassionate monarch is a better one, so this still sort of falls into the colonizer romance category; I always want to see the toppling of the monarchy rather than working from within to make an inherently corrupt system better. Just like there are no good billionaires I don't believe there can be benevolent kings. But this wasn't that kind of story.
Going back to characters, I also loved Siying's transformation from a brooding, controlling workaholic driven by duty to someone who could have fun and realized she valued her family and people she loved more than her responsibilities. I'm interested in the next book and how they can be together despite their very different stations in life.
I also love slow burn best for YA and these two were obvious in their feelings for each other except to each other until the end. There were only a couple of tender kisses and that was it. No dumb misunderstandings either, but there was still plenty of tension.
Overall this was a solid and entertaining YA romantic fantasy that had my heart.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Kang Siying is a ganshi priestess, tasked with guiding the souls of the dead home. Necromancy is one of my favorite tropes and I love seeing it done well; it's got such a good pairing with YA coming of age stories, with good paralells around teens who are taking their first steps at figuring out life while struggling with grief. Necromancy was a ritual used to guide the dead home rather than a defining feature of this ghost story though; not as dark as others I've read.
To save her dying father, Siying, who's also a smuggler to make ends meet, takes a job to bring back the body of someone who turns out to be the second prince of Sian. But he's really alive, just in a weakened state and in need of more qi. So the two go on adventures to bring peace to evil spirits to restore the prince's qi. Along the way they discover a plot against him, but the story thankfully was not heavy on palace intrigue and political machinations. It was more of a romantic adventure quest story.
I love an MMC who's a pathetic sunshine himbo who loves to kid around and can't take anything seriously, but his good heart wins out and he takes responsibility in the end. Ren was quite pathetic at the beginning, but I loved his transformation thanks to Siyang's quiet influence into realizing that what the realm needs is a ruler with compassion.
I am not convinced that a more compassionate monarch is a better one, so this still sort of falls into the colonizer romance category; I always want to see the toppling of the monarchy rather than working from within to make an inherently corrupt system better. Just like there are no good billionaires I don't believe there can be benevolent kings. But this wasn't that kind of story.
Going back to characters, I also loved Siying's transformation from a brooding, controlling workaholic driven by duty to someone who could have fun and realized she valued her family and people she loved more than her responsibilities. I'm interested in the next book and how they can be together despite their very different stations in life.
I also love slow burn best for YA and these two were obvious in their feelings for each other except to each other until the end. There were only a couple of tender kisses and that was it. No dumb misunderstandings either, but there was still plenty of tension.
Overall this was a solid and entertaining YA romantic fantasy that had my heart.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
❀ 𝔸𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝕊𝕡𝕠𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕖 ❀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
🦋≋🧟≋🩸 𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓵𝔂 𝓕𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓼 🩸≋🧟≋🦋
꒰➛ Stars: 4 ⭐!
꒰➛ Pov: First-person FMC
꒰➛ Spice: 1 / 5
꒰➛ Content: Violence; death; illness of a family member; just kisses
꒰➛ Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this e-ARC!
꒰➛ The expected publication date is April 14th
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
💙 𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 💙
~~~~~~~~~
꒰➛ This was very fast-paced, as in jumping from place to place in really quick succession. But I think it fits, because otherwise there would be a lot of traveling inbetween, and that would be kinda boring wouldn't it? I do also love how much the scenery changes, from town to town and ghost to ghost 💗
꒰➛ You all know how much the vibes of a book matter to me, so I'm happy to say the vibes here were good! I like the Chinese aesthetic anyway, but the ghostly and supernatural feelings made it that much better. And of course, the ending made me bump this up from a 3.5 to a 4 <3
꒰➛ I do wish there was more substance here. It just kind of felt like the whole book was missing something, but I actually can't put my finger on what that is. Maybe it's just a weird me thing. Or maybe I just wanted more detail about the ghost's backstories
🖤 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 🖤
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ˋ°•* 𝒮𝒾𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 ➳
She's driven and dutiful, focused on her goals and with a desire to be a good eldest daughter. But while she's stoic and stubborn, she cares for her family quite a bit, as everything she does in the story works towards their sakes. Especially her dying father's. But don't think she doesn't have any internal struggles; she has a pervasive, deep fear of failing people and not being enough. And sadly (or gladly), I connected with that 😔
ˋ°•* 𝑅𝑒𝓃𝓈𝒽𝓊 ➳
He's certainly the sunshine in this grumpy x sunshine, and I always love a reversal of the roles like this 💕 Ren is playful and teasing to Siying's stoicism, always smiling or cracking a joke to try and bring the tension down. He definitely doesn't give himself enough credit though, he can be quite self-deprecating sometimes. Being raised in a palace, he's very idealistic about how things will turn out if this or that happens, but his heart is definitely in the right place
🧡 𝓡𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮 🧡
~~~~~~~~~~~~
꒰➛ There's very little romance here, actually. It's very much a background plot, and honestly, I have conflicted feelings about that. On one hand, I wish there was more because my little romantic heart loves to squeal, but on the other, I'm glad the story takes prominence like it definitely would in real people's heads. I'm human, I'm allowed to be conflicted!
꒰➛ Despite the tiny amount of romance, what we do get is really innocent and cute. The two play off each other well, a classic odd couple who's personalities should clash, but don't at all. Of course, he falls first because obviously with Ren's personality
꒰➛ I actually found it really funny how much Ren needs saving by Siying, despite being the prince of the story XD That dynamic just fits them so well
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓬𝓵𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷: I liked Deathly Fates! It wasn't perfect, but it definitely wasn't bad. While it may have lagged here or there, and I did have some complaints, I still enjoyed my time reading it. If you like that Chinese aesthetic, supernatural stuff, and a reverse grumpy x sunshine duo, then consider giving this a read!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
❀ 𝔸𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕤𝕒𝕨, 𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘! ❀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
🦋≋🧟≋🩸 𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓵𝔂 𝓕𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓼 🩸≋🧟≋🦋
꒰➛ Stars: 4 ⭐!
꒰➛ Pov: First-person FMC
꒰➛ Spice: 1 / 5
꒰➛ Content: Violence; death; illness of a family member; just kisses
꒰➛ Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this e-ARC!
꒰➛ The expected publication date is April 14th
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
💙 𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 💙
~~~~~~~~~
꒰➛ This was very fast-paced, as in jumping from place to place in really quick succession. But I think it fits, because otherwise there would be a lot of traveling inbetween, and that would be kinda boring wouldn't it? I do also love how much the scenery changes, from town to town and ghost to ghost 💗
꒰➛ You all know how much the vibes of a book matter to me, so I'm happy to say the vibes here were good! I like the Chinese aesthetic anyway, but the ghostly and supernatural feelings made it that much better. And of course, the ending made me bump this up from a 3.5 to a 4 <3
꒰➛ I do wish there was more substance here. It just kind of felt like the whole book was missing something, but I actually can't put my finger on what that is. Maybe it's just a weird me thing. Or maybe I just wanted more detail about the ghost's backstories
🖤 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 🖤
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ˋ°•* 𝒮𝒾𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 ➳
She's driven and dutiful, focused on her goals and with a desire to be a good eldest daughter. But while she's stoic and stubborn, she cares for her family quite a bit, as everything she does in the story works towards their sakes. Especially her dying father's. But don't think she doesn't have any internal struggles; she has a pervasive, deep fear of failing people and not being enough. And sadly (or gladly), I connected with that 😔
ˋ°•* 𝑅𝑒𝓃𝓈𝒽𝓊 ➳
He's certainly the sunshine in this grumpy x sunshine, and I always love a reversal of the roles like this 💕 Ren is playful and teasing to Siying's stoicism, always smiling or cracking a joke to try and bring the tension down. He definitely doesn't give himself enough credit though, he can be quite self-deprecating sometimes. Being raised in a palace, he's very idealistic about how things will turn out if this or that happens, but his heart is definitely in the right place
🧡 𝓡𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮 🧡
~~~~~~~~~~~~
꒰➛ There's very little romance here, actually. It's very much a background plot, and honestly, I have conflicted feelings about that. On one hand, I wish there was more because my little romantic heart loves to squeal, but on the other, I'm glad the story takes prominence like it definitely would in real people's heads. I'm human, I'm allowed to be conflicted!
꒰➛ Despite the tiny amount of romance, what we do get is really innocent and cute. The two play off each other well, a classic odd couple who's personalities should clash, but don't at all. Of course, he falls first because obviously with Ren's personality
꒰➛ I actually found it really funny how much Ren needs saving by Siying, despite being the prince of the story XD That dynamic just fits them so well
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓬𝓵𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷: I liked Deathly Fates! It wasn't perfect, but it definitely wasn't bad. While it may have lagged here or there, and I did have some complaints, I still enjoyed my time reading it. If you like that Chinese aesthetic, supernatural stuff, and a reverse grumpy x sunshine duo, then consider giving this a read!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
❀ 𝔸𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕤𝕒𝕨, 𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘! ❀
August 12, 2025
I like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing it as a read.
For a debut novel, a YA one? I loved it. It reminded me of a cdrama reminiscent of Back from the Brink, Fangs of Fortune. Necromancer, cute undead prince, a mission, and a mystery of who killed him.
The plot was smooth, easy to understand. Girl's father was a necromancer, he became too old for the job and she has taken over. He is sick, and to heal him, she takes on his job of dealing with the dead. She is paid a huge sum to bring back a body from a nearby battle. Finding the body, she discovers the body is none other than the prince. Someone murdered him, but who? He can return from the dead, but they need the qi from evil spirits / demons to do so. Luckily for them there are rumored to be a few in the area.
I loved the prince. He is a perfect blend of funny, kindhearted, brave, but admitting that he lacks any sort of gumption to be a ruler. He wishes that his older brother is made king in his stead. Watching her go from wanting to get rid of him for sake of the job to wanting to not part with him was super sweet. Again, giving me those cdrama feels. I could tell what bits would get a 'slow mo' moment or a 'insert pop song here'. (That's why I can see Neo Hao in this role because he would be so cute with his teasing, banter, and kiss scenes.)
I loved our female lead because while she could oggle our main lead, she had a mission - or several by the end of it - that she needed to complete. She was tough, determined, and could oggle but not let the oggling distract from the missions. (Zhou Ye would be my choice if I could cast it - he gumption and her acceptance to romance reminded me of the character she played in Back from the Brink.)
Why one star less? While the story was simple, the romance good, I felt like the world could use more or another book. I want to see more necromancer problems, more time for romance and court / politics. I can understand the author one-and-done-ing this, but there is room for more if she so chooses.
I'm happy to find another Asian author to support and I can't wait for her next book!
For a debut novel, a YA one? I loved it. It reminded me of a cdrama reminiscent of Back from the Brink, Fangs of Fortune. Necromancer, cute undead prince, a mission, and a mystery of who killed him.
The plot was smooth, easy to understand. Girl's father was a necromancer, he became too old for the job and she has taken over. He is sick, and to heal him, she takes on his job of dealing with the dead. She is paid a huge sum to bring back a body from a nearby battle. Finding the body, she discovers the body is none other than the prince. Someone murdered him, but who? He can return from the dead, but they need the qi from evil spirits / demons to do so. Luckily for them there are rumored to be a few in the area.
I loved the prince. He is a perfect blend of funny, kindhearted, brave, but admitting that he lacks any sort of gumption to be a ruler. He wishes that his older brother is made king in his stead. Watching her go from wanting to get rid of him for sake of the job to wanting to not part with him was super sweet. Again, giving me those cdrama feels. I could tell what bits would get a 'slow mo' moment or a 'insert pop song here'. (That's why I can see Neo Hao in this role because he would be so cute with his teasing, banter, and kiss scenes.)
I loved our female lead because while she could oggle our main lead, she had a mission - or several by the end of it - that she needed to complete. She was tough, determined, and could oggle but not let the oggling distract from the missions. (Zhou Ye would be my choice if I could cast it - he gumption and her acceptance to romance reminded me of the character she played in Back from the Brink.)
Why one star less? While the story was simple, the romance good, I felt like the world could use more or another book. I want to see more necromancer problems, more time for romance and court / politics. I can understand the author one-and-done-ing this, but there is room for more if she so chooses.
I'm happy to find another Asian author to support and I can't wait for her next book!
September 21, 2025
ty Netgalley for the arc <3
🇵🇷🇪🇲🇮🇸🇪 💫
I loved the premise of the book. A priestess, Siying, works as a corpse-driver and guides the corpses to find peace. She accepts a rather high-stakes job in which her corpse turns out to be a not exactly dead prince, and together they journey to restore his qi, or his life through a series of "evil" spirits.
🇨🇭🇦🇷🇦🇨🇹🇪🇷🇸 💗
➛Siying. I loved her. Out of all the characters, she had to most depth. Her passion for her work and upholding her dad's legacy mixed with her empathy creates a fun dynamic between her and Ren.
➛Ren. Imma admit, his character was a bit two-dimensional. His character arc was very plain and predictable but he did grow on me as the book went on.
➛The "evil" spirits they encountered. I loved the backstory behind each of these spirits. It felt like journeying through the world and added so much depth to the world-building, characters, storyline, everything.
🇵🇱🇴🇹 🍑
➛I started for the romance, stayed for the plot. I loved the sort of quest-like story line mixed with the unpredictability thrown in by the side characters. The plot wasn't driven by the romance, the romance was driven by the plot which I LOVED.
🇫🇪🇪🇱🇮🇳🇬🇸 😌
➛Overall, it was an enjoyable read. With that said, it was a very simple book. Nothing complex, nothing mind-blowing, just some not so laid-back adventure with a touch of death lurking around the corner.
expected release date: Apr 14 2026
🇵🇷🇪🇲🇮🇸🇪 💫
I loved the premise of the book. A priestess, Siying, works as a corpse-driver and guides the corpses to find peace. She accepts a rather high-stakes job in which her corpse turns out to be a not exactly dead prince, and together they journey to restore his qi, or his life through a series of "evil" spirits.
🇨🇭🇦🇷🇦🇨🇹🇪🇷🇸 💗
➛Siying. I loved her. Out of all the characters, she had to most depth. Her passion for her work and upholding her dad's legacy mixed with her empathy creates a fun dynamic between her and Ren.
➛Ren. Imma admit, his character was a bit two-dimensional. His character arc was very plain and predictable but he did grow on me as the book went on.
➛The "evil" spirits they encountered. I loved the backstory behind each of these spirits. It felt like journeying through the world and added so much depth to the world-building, characters, storyline, everything.
🇵🇱🇴🇹 🍑
➛I started for the romance, stayed for the plot. I loved the sort of quest-like story line mixed with the unpredictability thrown in by the side characters. The plot wasn't driven by the romance, the romance was driven by the plot which I LOVED.
🇫🇪🇪🇱🇮🇳🇬🇸 😌
➛Overall, it was an enjoyable read. With that said, it was a very simple book. Nothing complex, nothing mind-blowing, just some not so laid-back adventure with a touch of death lurking around the corner.
expected release date: Apr 14 2026
April 30, 2026
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a physical proof copy
Rating - 3.75⭐️
This was about a priestess who guides dead souls into the afterlife and was paid to retrieve the corpse of a dead prince but ends up reanimating him to life, leading them on a quest to restore his life by purifying evil spirits along the way.
Death, loss, and grief were strong themes in this book so it was quite dark and sad at times since all the characters have suffered a loss of their own. I did end up crying a little because some of the take-aways I got from this book hit home😭. But despite the dark themes, if you enjoy reading YA targeted for younger teens then you’d enjoy this as the characters did feel a bit more juvenile.
Ren and Siying’s reverse grumpy x sunshine interactions were very cute, they slowly grew closer through out and I enjoyed most of their sweet and adorable interactions. I think Ren had amazing character development, from a spoiled playful prince to a responsible and brave one. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about him but then I found to care for him more.
To be honest, it took a while for me to be invested in the plot and characters. I sadly did feel bored during the first half but I definitely enjoyed the second half more.
Rating - 3.75⭐️
This was about a priestess who guides dead souls into the afterlife and was paid to retrieve the corpse of a dead prince but ends up reanimating him to life, leading them on a quest to restore his life by purifying evil spirits along the way.
Death, loss, and grief were strong themes in this book so it was quite dark and sad at times since all the characters have suffered a loss of their own. I did end up crying a little because some of the take-aways I got from this book hit home😭. But despite the dark themes, if you enjoy reading YA targeted for younger teens then you’d enjoy this as the characters did feel a bit more juvenile.
Ren and Siying’s reverse grumpy x sunshine interactions were very cute, they slowly grew closer through out and I enjoyed most of their sweet and adorable interactions. I think Ren had amazing character development, from a spoiled playful prince to a responsible and brave one. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about him but then I found to care for him more.
To be honest, it took a while for me to be invested in the plot and characters. I sadly did feel bored during the first half but I definitely enjoyed the second half more.
April 18, 2026
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was an interesting tale filled with Chinese folklore, paranormal encounters, and romance. Siying was such an interesting character in how she worked with necromancy and was able to use it for good to quell malevolent spirits. Wen was a great character as well providing some good banter between he and Siying as well as contributing to the romance which was paired well. Definitely worth the read if you're interested!
This was an interesting tale filled with Chinese folklore, paranormal encounters, and romance. Siying was such an interesting character in how she worked with necromancy and was able to use it for good to quell malevolent spirits. Wen was a great character as well providing some good banter between he and Siying as well as contributing to the romance which was paired well. Definitely worth the read if you're interested!
Did Not Finish
April 8, 2026DNF 16%
I’m just not interested and I feel like I’ve read this story a dozen times before. I’m also not vibing with the writing.
I’m just not interested and I feel like I’ve read this story a dozen times before. I’m also not vibing with the writing.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Actual rating: 2.5☆
The synopsis makes this book sound so intriguing however, the execution just felt short on all aspects. Everything felt so surface level, from character development, their dynamics and the political intrigue.
There was nothing awful about it, but it definitely isn't memorable.
Actual rating: 2.5☆
The synopsis makes this book sound so intriguing however, the execution just felt short on all aspects. Everything felt so surface level, from character development, their dynamics and the political intrigue.
There was nothing awful about it, but it definitely isn't memorable.
August 17, 2025
2.5 stars
This was a pretty okay debut. The story was interesting enough. However, it just failed to keep my attention because the characters were quite simple. I really wish I liked this more.
This was a pretty okay debut. The story was interesting enough. However, it just failed to keep my attention because the characters were quite simple. I really wish I liked this more.
September 16, 2025
huge thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
this was really good first off - easy to stay along, hooks you.. so on.
i will say though... it took me a moment to get into it. the fmc (which is on first person POV) is very headstrong, controlling, and very family first but also, does not show emotion. once i realized, THIS was HER - and she chooses to hide emotions and so on, is when i realized how much she truly does feel. working with death regularly, you have so much empathy and so on, but if you get so wrapped in it, then it becomes hard to form the line between your own life and those around you...
also when i say i love slow-burn - THIS IS SLOW BURN. was i upset it took forever and when it happened? yes. was i still happy i got it? YES
the plot was great... i expected the twist that it took, but it was still amazing.
this was really good first off - easy to stay along, hooks you.. so on.
i will say though... it took me a moment to get into it. the fmc (which is on first person POV) is very headstrong, controlling, and very family first but also, does not show emotion. once i realized, THIS was HER - and she chooses to hide emotions and so on, is when i realized how much she truly does feel. working with death regularly, you have so much empathy and so on, but if you get so wrapped in it, then it becomes hard to form the line between your own life and those around you...
also when i say i love slow-burn - THIS IS SLOW BURN. was i upset it took forever and when it happened? yes. was i still happy i got it? YES
the plot was great... i expected the twist that it took, but it was still amazing.
April 16, 2026
3.5* Equal parts horrifying and heartbreaking, Deathly Fates is an immersive and reflective debut fantasy read. This book takes the Chinese folk practice of necromancy and uses it to explore topics such as love, loss, grief and vengeance in such an interesting, fun and surprisingly emotional way. The writing style is extremely to read and I found myself having finished in a handful of sittings. I do wonder whether this could have benefitted from being a duology, as I felt there was so much left to explore within the world and characters and the pacing felt very quick but overall, it was a solid debut and I'd definitely be interested to read more from Tesia Tsai in the future.
October 19, 2025
3.5 stars
Kang Siying is no stranger to death. As a ganshi, a priestess tasked with purifying troubled spirits and guiding the dead to the afterlife, she knows the weight of final goodbyes. But when her father falls gravely ill, love and duty drive her to accept a lucrative commission to retrieve a soldier’s corpse from the aftermath of a brutal ambush. What should have been a simple job takes a turn when her purification talisman unexpectedly revives the dead man. Even worse, the corpse is no ordinary soldier, but Prince Renshu, the missing second prince of Sian. But death is not so easily undone. Now, Siying is in a race against time to gather enough qi to keep the prince alive and deliver him to the palace so she can save her father.
The heart of this book is Kang Siying. She is quite possibly one of the best protagonists that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. From the beginning, Tsai establishes duty as Siying’s core. She is dedicated to her job as a priestess, she is a dutiful daughter, and a rock for her father and younger sister. She went through a lot at such a young age and, as a result, Siying is very no-nonsense and serious and one bad day away from a breakdown. Despite that, Siying is compassionate and empathetic, especially when it comes to the spirits that she has to purify.
Renshu, or Ren, is the complete opposite of Siying. As the second prince, he doesn’t really have any aspirations for the throne. He actually enlisted in the army to make it clear that he didn’t want his older brother’s position. He was essentially Siying’s foil—playful and lackadaisical, bereft of any desire to carry responsibility. He does get better towards the end, but he continues to have rose-colored glasses until the last 80% of the book. Compared to Siying, he was underdeveloped and less interesting, but I did like his character arc.
The romance wasn’t necessarily the focus of the book. I felt like the focus really was on Siying that Ren’s character was put in the background, thus the romance wasn’t developed too well. It was a slow burn, a little predictable, but still enjoyable. I did appreciate the fact that Siying acknowledged that they only knew each other for two weeks when Ren confessed to her.
The underlying conflict in Deathly Fates surrounds the civil war between the kingdom of Sian and the state of Wen. Wen is a territory composed of smallfolk who are tired of Sian’s exploitation of their land and resources. Their grievances center around the King’s inattention to the land and people outside of the palace, especially when it came to a deadly fever that killed many citizens, including Siying’s mother. Though Siying, as a ganshi, is meant to be impartial, she sympathizes with the Wen and makes her dissatisfaction with the King known to Ren, who doesn’t quite understand the hostility and goes as far as to defend his father and brother. Tsai works in this political subplot very well. There was a kind of monster-of-the-week structure to the ghosts that Siying and Ren encountered, but they all served to explore that political conflict. The ending was a little anticlimactic and there was such a sudden shift in tone and with Siying’s later actions, but I still really liked it.
Overall an incredibly solid debut! I’d love to read more from Tesia Tsai.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for providing me with a digital arc.
Kang Siying is no stranger to death. As a ganshi, a priestess tasked with purifying troubled spirits and guiding the dead to the afterlife, she knows the weight of final goodbyes. But when her father falls gravely ill, love and duty drive her to accept a lucrative commission to retrieve a soldier’s corpse from the aftermath of a brutal ambush. What should have been a simple job takes a turn when her purification talisman unexpectedly revives the dead man. Even worse, the corpse is no ordinary soldier, but Prince Renshu, the missing second prince of Sian. But death is not so easily undone. Now, Siying is in a race against time to gather enough qi to keep the prince alive and deliver him to the palace so she can save her father.
The heart of this book is Kang Siying. She is quite possibly one of the best protagonists that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. From the beginning, Tsai establishes duty as Siying’s core. She is dedicated to her job as a priestess, she is a dutiful daughter, and a rock for her father and younger sister. She went through a lot at such a young age and, as a result, Siying is very no-nonsense and serious and one bad day away from a breakdown. Despite that, Siying is compassionate and empathetic, especially when it comes to the spirits that she has to purify.
Renshu, or Ren, is the complete opposite of Siying. As the second prince, he doesn’t really have any aspirations for the throne. He actually enlisted in the army to make it clear that he didn’t want his older brother’s position. He was essentially Siying’s foil—playful and lackadaisical, bereft of any desire to carry responsibility. He does get better towards the end, but he continues to have rose-colored glasses until the last 80% of the book. Compared to Siying, he was underdeveloped and less interesting, but I did like his character arc.
The romance wasn’t necessarily the focus of the book. I felt like the focus really was on Siying that Ren’s character was put in the background, thus the romance wasn’t developed too well. It was a slow burn, a little predictable, but still enjoyable. I did appreciate the fact that Siying acknowledged that they only knew each other for two weeks when Ren confessed to her.
The underlying conflict in Deathly Fates surrounds the civil war between the kingdom of Sian and the state of Wen. Wen is a territory composed of smallfolk who are tired of Sian’s exploitation of their land and resources. Their grievances center around the King’s inattention to the land and people outside of the palace, especially when it came to a deadly fever that killed many citizens, including Siying’s mother. Though Siying, as a ganshi, is meant to be impartial, she sympathizes with the Wen and makes her dissatisfaction with the King known to Ren, who doesn’t quite understand the hostility and goes as far as to defend his father and brother. Tsai works in this political subplot very well. There was a kind of monster-of-the-week structure to the ghosts that Siying and Ren encountered, but they all served to explore that political conflict. The ending was a little anticlimactic and there was such a sudden shift in tone and with Siying’s later actions, but I still really liked it.
Overall an incredibly solid debut! I’d love to read more from Tesia Tsai.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for providing me with a digital arc.
February 28, 2026
Thanks so much to Netgalley and St Martins press for allowing me to read this early! I stayed up all night to devour it. Excellent writing with an interesting but easy to understand magic system and world. The romance was very well done and the quest moved quickly enough to have me turning page after page to know what would happen next. My only regret was there wasn’t more lol if you like anime, forgery of fate , daughter of the moon goddess this will be right up your alley!
Yet again had the honor to listen to this thanks to Netgalley and an ALC! The narrator did a fantastic job with varying characters males voices and the tone and emotion necessary to bring this to life. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to our main characters and their gentle grumpy/sunshine relationship. This does cover topics of death and grief so be mindful 💜 Absolutely enjoyed listening to our fmc be a complete bad ass with her skeleton army at the end. Thanks so much to Netgalley, narrator, author and the publisher!
Yet again had the honor to listen to this thanks to Netgalley and an ALC! The narrator did a fantastic job with varying characters males voices and the tone and emotion necessary to bring this to life. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to our main characters and their gentle grumpy/sunshine relationship. This does cover topics of death and grief so be mindful 💜 Absolutely enjoyed listening to our fmc be a complete bad ass with her skeleton army at the end. Thanks so much to Netgalley, narrator, author and the publisher!
April 17, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC.
This was a very interesting story based on Chinese mythology (and now I really need to read up on Chinese mythology because this concept was so cool), with a strong female MC, political themes, and lots of adventure. It was very well written, engaging, creative and unique, and I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. Other reviewers are right in pointing out that some aspects may feel a bit repetitive, but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story, as these scenes still have their own unique aspects and work very well in adding to the general story, the context and especially Ren's character development throughout it all.
I enjoyed Siying and I enjoyed Ren and I enjoyed their dynamics, and I really liked that Siying was straightforward with Ren about his sheltered upbringing and the fact that he simply doesn't know shit about what's happening in the kingdom. She's never unnecessarily cruel, but she also does not sugarcoat the truth, and Ren actually LISTENS, which made this a really nice and refreshing dynamic.
As for the romance: I love himbos and I love male simping and this story had both. Very typical for a prince to be a little dumb, but Ren was dumb and kind, and that's my favourite kind of guy. I know he had to do as Siying says to literally not die but I love men that listen to women's orders. We need more of those. Finally, a romance that doesn't make me want to rip my hair out at the toxicity of it all. We need more stupid, yearning men!!!
The narrator did a great job, and I wonder if she was in contact with the author regarding the 汉字 of the characters' names, because I definitely noticed the tonality in how she pronounced them (less so for Ren, but Siying and the various ghosts she meets? Yup, that's Chinese alright!). I really enjoyed that, as I enjoyed the narration more generally. Huge fan.
This was a very interesting story based on Chinese mythology (and now I really need to read up on Chinese mythology because this concept was so cool), with a strong female MC, political themes, and lots of adventure. It was very well written, engaging, creative and unique, and I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. Other reviewers are right in pointing out that some aspects may feel a bit repetitive, but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story, as these scenes still have their own unique aspects and work very well in adding to the general story, the context and especially Ren's character development throughout it all.
I enjoyed Siying and I enjoyed Ren and I enjoyed their dynamics, and I really liked that Siying was straightforward with Ren about his sheltered upbringing and the fact that he simply doesn't know shit about what's happening in the kingdom. She's never unnecessarily cruel, but she also does not sugarcoat the truth, and Ren actually LISTENS, which made this a really nice and refreshing dynamic.
As for the romance: I love himbos and I love male simping and this story had both. Very typical for a prince to be a little dumb, but Ren was dumb and kind, and that's my favourite kind of guy. I know he had to do as Siying says to literally not die but I love men that listen to women's orders. We need more of those. Finally, a romance that doesn't make me want to rip my hair out at the toxicity of it all. We need more stupid, yearning men!!!
The narrator did a great job, and I wonder if she was in contact with the author regarding the 汉字 of the characters' names, because I definitely noticed the tonality in how she pronounced them (less so for Ren, but Siying and the various ghosts she meets? Yup, that's Chinese alright!). I really enjoyed that, as I enjoyed the narration more generally. Huge fan.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Audio🖤
Not bad at all and I love these books for the YA genre
Thoughts to come
Not bad at all and I love these books for the YA genre
Thoughts to come
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