Ye Xian and the Celestial Feast

by Kelsea Yu, Natalie Naudus (Narrator)

A Chinese folklore tale featuring a fox spirit, inspired by “Ye Xian” and “The Marriage of the Fox Daughter”.

"Ye Xian and the Celestial Feast" is a traditional Chinese-inspired fairytale following Ye Xian, a shy and artistic girl with a curious streak, who is the daughter of the village chief's First Wife. Her stepsister, Jun-Li, is sharp-edged but not cruel, unlike her mother, the chief's Second Wife, who harbors a deep bitterness towards Ye Xian even after the chief and her mother die.

To make matters more complicated, Ye Xian harbors a she is a húli jīng, a fox spirit, a nature she keeps hidden due to the persistent rumor that eating fox meat grants protection against evil, and the general hatred towards fox spirits in her time. To survive, Ye Xian secretly transforms into a fox at night to hunt for food. In her eighteenth year, Ye Xian's curiosity and hunger lead her to a purportedly haunted house where she discovers a golden staircase to the celestial realm. Will the world beyond the golden staircase be Ye Xian's salvation from her life of cruelty...or her undoing?

Genres: Audiobook, Fantasy, Novella, Short Stories, Fiction

Audiobook

Published November 17, 2025

About the author

Kelsea Yu is a Taiwanese Chinese American writer who is eternally enthusiastic about sharks and appreciates a good ghost story. Over a dozen of her short stories and essays appear in Clarkesworld, Apex, Nightmare, PseudoPod, Fantasy, and elsewhere. Her debut novella, Bound Feet, was a Shirley Jackson Award nominee, and her next novella, Demon Song, will be published by Titan Books in 2025. Kelsea’s first novel, It’s Only a Game, is published by Bloomsbury. Find her on Instagram and Twitter as @anovelescape or visit her website kelseayu.com. Kelsea lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, and a pile of art supplies.

Photograph: ©Katy Weaver Photography

Reviews

[Loren Butters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was only an hour long but the audio was done so well and the writing and world building was immaculate for such a short book .
I wish it was a full length book ! 😭
Super fast easy read
The cover is BEAUTIFUL!

[Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need a longer, more in depth version of this POSTHASTE! POSTHASTE, I SAY! Also the audiobook version of this on Spotify was very lovely :)

[Tanya T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4
Pretty Much a Cinderella retelling told under a hour.

[stef · Rating 4 out of 5]

→ my rating: 4.0 ★

This reminded me so much of An Enchantment of Ravens in its storytelling. A retelling and a love story woven into very whimsical storytelling.

[Querciola · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tale takes inspiration from Chinese folklore and traditions to present a story that recalls the known "Cinderella" theme: the heroine, Ye Xian, is basically bullied by the stepmother and the stepsister Junli, whom she can't break off the link with her mother.

The fact that in this tale there's a supernatural twist, with Ye Xian being a spirit fox or 狐狸精 (húli jīng), just adds a layer of depth to the short tale.

I really enjoyed it and I'm just disappointed it was so short.
I also recommend to listen to the audiobook, as it manages to keep up the interest of the reader. It also might help to better grasp the names of the characters, especially for readers that are not familiar with the Chinese language and its sounds.

Highly recommended for a quick binge session~

[That One Witchy Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a 4.5 but will round up.

I needed an audiobook to kill an hour of time and I am so glad that this was the book I chose. I really enjoy reading other culture’s folklores and stories inspired by them. This felt a lot like “Cinderella”, but make it better with celestial beings, fox spirits, and more. While it is short, it was complete and I highly recommend it. I found it on Libby.

[Dana Stout | the_speedyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 31 of 2026 🦊

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An hour long audiobook retelling of Cinderella filled with stunning Chinese folklore & magical little twists.

Perfect for fans of:
🦊hidden protagonist
👠Cinderella retelling
🖤forbidden romance

[mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine this story as Cinderella in Chinese folklore, except the bad stepsister became good and helped her escape and be free.

[Rynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Katie Nickel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope the author rewrites the story as more in depth! I loved the second hand storytelling of it, but I need more!

[Sam Velasquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and short fairy tale to listen to!

[calliealaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

[Shann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good/cute short read but I do wish it was longer

[Fiction By Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a happy ending.
One scene in it broke my heart..
It's a beautiful tale that also reminds me a bit of Cinderella

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first attempt at an audio book. It was captivating enough to keep my attention from wandering. It was a cute story and quick enough it wasn’t intimidating as a first try.

[Karen Tomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick little read. Lovely story

[Carolina Colleene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Language: G (0 swears, 0 "f"); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
The mature content rating is for alcohol use, kissing, and innuendo. The violence rating is for assault.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story inspired by Chinese folklore. Natalie Naudus' narration was excellent, she really conveyed the magical world.

[Julliannea Plummer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful short story.

[Keshia Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sort of a mythology-inspired Cinderella story that’s super short. I definitely wanted more from it (world-building, character development, details, depth) and felt unconnected to the plot in general. The ending wasn’t a surprise (and the twist was guessable), but the story was cute and easy to consume, it just wasn’t anything special.

Didn’t regret my time with it… so borderline 3 stars it is 🤷🏻‍♀️

Edit: Upon further consideration, it’s a 2 star read.
I didn’t gain anything from this and likely wouldn’t recommend. 3 stars felt like a disingenuous rating on my part. Wanting to be honest and considerate is a tough combination sometimes.