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A Curse Carved in Ink: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 26 Jan 27A dazzling standalone romantasy debut steeped in Chinese vampire folklore and a delicious queer love triangle, for fans of She Who Became the Sun and Daughter of the Moon Goddess.
All Zhenya has ever wanted is to escape the monotony of her tiny village with her best friend Shuhua. But Zhenya must care for her grandmother, whose madness haunts their crumbling family bookstore – and she won’t abandon her, madness and all.
But when her grandmother dies, everything falls apart. For she was never mad – she was cursed. And with her death, the curse passes to her one remaining descendent: Zhenya. It screams to be fed, but no matter how hard Zhenya tries, she is powerless to stop it. Even when it demands that she kill Shuhua with her bare hands, trapping her soul in an eternity of torment.
As Zhenya grapples with Shuhua’s death, she’s confronted by two immortals of ancient legend: Kaijun, the broody judge of hell, and Yaori, the flirtatious goddess of death. Together, they drag Zhenya to Diyu – hell itself. To free Shuhua’s soul, Zhenya must journey through the ten layers of Diyu, undertaking trials that will test her in unimaginable ways.
It’s terrifying. And to complicate things further, Zhenya finds herself torn between Kaijun and Yaori, confronting feelings she doesn’t fully understand. But she can’t afford to be distracted, not when the only way to break the curse is to destroy it herself.
All Zhenya has ever wanted is to escape the monotony of her tiny village with her best friend Shuhua. But Zhenya must care for her grandmother, whose madness haunts their crumbling family bookstore – and she won’t abandon her, madness and all.
But when her grandmother dies, everything falls apart. For she was never mad – she was cursed. And with her death, the curse passes to her one remaining descendent: Zhenya. It screams to be fed, but no matter how hard Zhenya tries, she is powerless to stop it. Even when it demands that she kill Shuhua with her bare hands, trapping her soul in an eternity of torment.
As Zhenya grapples with Shuhua’s death, she’s confronted by two immortals of ancient legend: Kaijun, the broody judge of hell, and Yaori, the flirtatious goddess of death. Together, they drag Zhenya to Diyu – hell itself. To free Shuhua’s soul, Zhenya must journey through the ten layers of Diyu, undertaking trials that will test her in unimaginable ways.
It’s terrifying. And to complicate things further, Zhenya finds herself torn between Kaijun and Yaori, confronting feelings she doesn’t fully understand. But she can’t afford to be distracted, not when the only way to break the curse is to destroy it herself.
400 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication January 31, 2027
About the author
Tzeyi Koay
1 book75 followersTzeyi Koay (🔊 Zee-Kway) is a Chinese-Malaysian lawyer turned fantasy writer based in Australia. She grew up in a small village surrounded by the stories and traditions that would later inspire her work. Her debut novel draws on her family’s practice of traditional folk religion and the Chinese vampire dramas she watched with her grandmother.
Tzeyi studied at the University of Melbourne, where she initially trained to be a psychologist before pivoting into law. When she isn’t writing, Tzeyi can be found singing and nurturing her ever-growing collection of books (fun) and chronic illnesses (less fun).
You can connect with her on Instagram and TikTok under @tzeyikoay. She is represented by the wonderful Naomi Davis of BookEnds Literary Agency.
Tzeyi studied at the University of Melbourne, where she initially trained to be a psychologist before pivoting into law. When she isn’t writing, Tzeyi can be found singing and nurturing her ever-growing collection of books (fun) and chronic illnesses (less fun).
You can connect with her on Instagram and TikTok under @tzeyikoay. She is represented by the wonderful Naomi Davis of BookEnds Literary Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 6, 2025
I was the lucky recipient of a very early version of A CURSE CARVED IN INK, and I believe the fantasy genre has just gained an instant classic.
ACCII is a dark, luscious epic of curses, love, and redemption against the vibrant backdrop of a Chinese mythology-inspired underworld. The hell Tzeyi Koay has created was made of layers, which is a perfect parallel to the many strengths of this book that work together to create a stunning whole.
To simply call this book a fantasy would be a disservice. It is magical, fantastical, and the gods she crafted are truly other in such a delightful way. However, this story reads almost like a deep character study in a fantasy world because the relationships of the main character, Zhenya, are completely fleshed out. Whether it is her connection to her family, friend, or new “connections” made in the underworld, they are heartbreakingly honest and unflinching. And these include probably one of the best platonic connections I have ever read that truly captures friendship in its purest form.
Zhenya is viciously flawed and astonishingly, imperfectly human. Her journey is not “the chosen one”…it’s the cursed one, and Koay captures her struggle and the pain that she has endured. The gods she meets have quickly become some of my favorite fantasy characters and are what I hope is waiting in the afterlife.
The author has used deep, original metaphors and detailed dives into the true emotions of these characters to tell what feels like a fantasy fable that could have come straight out of Zhenya’s bookshop. There were lines that made my heart ache, banter that made me laugh, and smart one-liners that made the hairs on my arms stand up. The Chinese mythology is woven into a truly lush backdrop that allows readers to become fully immersed, whether or not they’ve ever heard legends like these before. And. There. Is. Poetry!
If you don’t like rhyming poetry, you will still love this. If you love poetry, you will DIE for this (and know that according to this book, there are some really hot gods on the other side). I am a tough critic with rhymes, and I want a t-shirt made of nothing but the Koay’s creepy prose. If the tell-tale heart climbed out of the floorboards, possessed innocents, and started talking, it would sound like this. It is a genius callback to the poems of classic fantasy, but horrifying.
This may be Tzeyi Koay’s debut, but it reads like the epic of a seasoned pro, which undoubtedly will be what is to come. This book is for every person who has fought to smooth their jagged edges, who has learned that love and loss are intertwined, and who has found a light in a darkness that they may or may not have made themselves. Fantasy’s future is carved in the pages of ACCII.
ACCII is a dark, luscious epic of curses, love, and redemption against the vibrant backdrop of a Chinese mythology-inspired underworld. The hell Tzeyi Koay has created was made of layers, which is a perfect parallel to the many strengths of this book that work together to create a stunning whole.
To simply call this book a fantasy would be a disservice. It is magical, fantastical, and the gods she crafted are truly other in such a delightful way. However, this story reads almost like a deep character study in a fantasy world because the relationships of the main character, Zhenya, are completely fleshed out. Whether it is her connection to her family, friend, or new “connections” made in the underworld, they are heartbreakingly honest and unflinching. And these include probably one of the best platonic connections I have ever read that truly captures friendship in its purest form.
Zhenya is viciously flawed and astonishingly, imperfectly human. Her journey is not “the chosen one”…it’s the cursed one, and Koay captures her struggle and the pain that she has endured. The gods she meets have quickly become some of my favorite fantasy characters and are what I hope is waiting in the afterlife.
The author has used deep, original metaphors and detailed dives into the true emotions of these characters to tell what feels like a fantasy fable that could have come straight out of Zhenya’s bookshop. There were lines that made my heart ache, banter that made me laugh, and smart one-liners that made the hairs on my arms stand up. The Chinese mythology is woven into a truly lush backdrop that allows readers to become fully immersed, whether or not they’ve ever heard legends like these before. And. There. Is. Poetry!
If you don’t like rhyming poetry, you will still love this. If you love poetry, you will DIE for this (and know that according to this book, there are some really hot gods on the other side). I am a tough critic with rhymes, and I want a t-shirt made of nothing but the Koay’s creepy prose. If the tell-tale heart climbed out of the floorboards, possessed innocents, and started talking, it would sound like this. It is a genius callback to the poems of classic fantasy, but horrifying.
This may be Tzeyi Koay’s debut, but it reads like the epic of a seasoned pro, which undoubtedly will be what is to come. This book is for every person who has fought to smooth their jagged edges, who has learned that love and loss are intertwined, and who has found a light in a darkness that they may or may not have made themselves. Fantasy’s future is carved in the pages of ACCII.
they-told-me-to-read-it
July 19, 2025Rec via Kamilah Cole
May 27, 2025
I am eagerly awaiting this book! I cannot wait to read it. Chinese vampire lore? Bisexual love triangle Romantasy? Trials and tribulations? A Hell setting and trying to free a soul?
Yes please and thank you! This is everything I need
Yes please and thank you! This is everything I need
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you so much Tzeyi Koay for sending me an ARC of your book. I am voluntarily leaving a honest review.
Full RTC. This book is heartwarming, heartbreaking, poetic, and breathtaking.
Full RTC. This book is heartwarming, heartbreaking, poetic, and breathtaking.
Want to Read
May 8, 2026I’m seated.
August 14, 2025
I was lucky enough to read an early version of this and it is just such a beautiful, lyrical book. I found that I wanted to read it in little bites and then just sit with them.
We start off with Zhenya, who is adorable and who has to care for her unwell grandmother while trying to keep their family bookstore running in their crumbling village. She and her best friend dream of leaving, but after her grandmother dies, Zhenya inherits something unexpected from her: the family curse. Which is when two celestials turns up (bisexual love triangle alert) and take her down to hell to try and break it, because it is much more dangerous than her family have ever realised.
Evocative writing sets up the really creative, detailed worldbuilding, and Koay has such a surprising, insightful turn of phrase. Themes of love and loss are treated with profundity and depth, but also a desperate but often quite funny sort of gallows humour that really makes you feel for the main character. It's an atmospheric, creepy book that aches and yearns, and I loved it.
We start off with Zhenya, who is adorable and who has to care for her unwell grandmother while trying to keep their family bookstore running in their crumbling village. She and her best friend dream of leaving, but after her grandmother dies, Zhenya inherits something unexpected from her: the family curse. Which is when two celestials turns up (bisexual love triangle alert) and take her down to hell to try and break it, because it is much more dangerous than her family have ever realised.
Evocative writing sets up the really creative, detailed worldbuilding, and Koay has such a surprising, insightful turn of phrase. Themes of love and loss are treated with profundity and depth, but also a desperate but often quite funny sort of gallows humour that really makes you feel for the main character. It's an atmospheric, creepy book that aches and yearns, and I loved it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Tzeyi Koay for the ARC.
The cover for "A Curse Carved In Ink" is so utterly stunning, and I was really hoping that the story itself would live up to it.
Well, it certainly did! The story and the writing were gorgeous, and it was so easy to immerse myself and get sucked into it.
The only issue I really had with this was the romance. I wasn't always sold on it unfortunately, despite loving all of the characters involved. I did enjoy it more towards the end, but if the build up to it was more engaging for me, this definitely could have been a five star read.
Overall, it was a fantastic read and a brilliant debut. I'll definitely be watching out for any future releases by the author - and if their debut is anything to go by, a new auto buy author may be on the horizon.
The cover for "A Curse Carved In Ink" is so utterly stunning, and I was really hoping that the story itself would live up to it.
Well, it certainly did! The story and the writing were gorgeous, and it was so easy to immerse myself and get sucked into it.
The only issue I really had with this was the romance. I wasn't always sold on it unfortunately, despite loving all of the characters involved. I did enjoy it more towards the end, but if the build up to it was more engaging for me, this definitely could have been a five star read.
Overall, it was a fantastic read and a brilliant debut. I'll definitely be watching out for any future releases by the author - and if their debut is anything to go by, a new auto buy author may be on the horizon.
September 16, 2025
A Curse Carved in Ink is as layered as the captivating lotus-structured underworld of Diyu it depicts. Koay’s debut masterfully knits a tale as rich in emotion as it is in magic, grounding generational curses, celestial mythology, and a journey through death in the profoundly eternal experiences of grief, love, and sacrifice.
^ Official blurb and the incredible Julia Alexandra said the rest so much better than I could have! I'm beyond grateful to have gotten a chance to read this brilliant, moving, soothing tale of life beyond death and how nothing truly is the end. Book slump incoming.
^ Official blurb and the incredible Julia Alexandra said the rest so much better than I could have! I'm beyond grateful to have gotten a chance to read this brilliant, moving, soothing tale of life beyond death and how nothing truly is the end. Book slump incoming.
May 19, 2025
As someone who has been lucky enough to read an early draft of this book, I am very excited! Tzeyi's poetic writing style and ability to tug at your heartstrings is something to behold- even at such early stages the story and characters were incredibly moving. Can't wait to see it hit shelves and be amazed by how much she's levelled up!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is, hands down, now in the running for my favorite books I've read all year. It's beautiful. It's lyrical. It's haunting. It's emotional. It's an adventure I want to carry with me the way I carry the memory of everyone I've ever known. Zhenya is an amazing heroine, and that ending... I'm in tears (pos). Please read this book.
July 29, 2025
A lyrical and moving tale that unfolds in a richly-textured underworld, with beautifully real and flawed characters - and that includes the gods of the underworld themselves. A Curse Carved In Ink feels both epic and personal, and will keep readers captivated to the final tearstained page.
Review of advance copy received from Author
My blurb of A Curse Carved in Ink:
“From intriguing start to stunning end, A Curse Carved in Ink is a beautifully written folkloric tale exploring the ache of grief and the journey to healing set in a grand, dark underworld. Gorgeous!”
“From intriguing start to stunning end, A Curse Carved in Ink is a beautifully written folkloric tale exploring the ache of grief and the journey to healing set in a grand, dark underworld. Gorgeous!”
May 19, 2025
Super excited for the book!
May 26, 2025
Soooo excited for this one!!!
June 13, 2025
UM. YES. 100% YES.
July 7, 2025
Worth the wait. 10000%
May 31, 2026
Review of advance copy received from author
There are some books so beautiful that they take my breath away, and then there are others that linger with me long after finishing, and this one was both.
I’ve always longed for a depiction of the world after death that would help me feel less afraid of it, and Diyu made me long for the day Yaori would greet me for my final journey. At the heart of this story is a lonely girl who believes it is her destiny to stay cursed and unwanted and the two celestials who show her she can be loved, and in return, feel love again.
There are so many things to obsess over in this book. I was swept away by the lyrical poetry, the GORGEOUS prose, and the imaginative worldbuilding. But nothing can compare to the emotional depth and sheer hilarity of the complex, multi-layered characters within its pages. Zhenya, Kaijun, and Yaori are the beating hearts of this book. They beat as strongly together as they do apart. There were so many moments of banter that had me laughing out loud and so many pages where I had to hold back tears.
I absolutely loved the Chinese folklore folded into every facet of this book. The food was described so beautifully that I wanted to force Kaijun to make me a mooncake. Every character arc felt perfectly paced and immensely satisfying by the end. And perhaps my favorite part was that the love story was one where the reader need not choose.
I truly cannot say enough wonderful things about the brilliant writing, masterful story-telling, and unforgettable characters that graced the pages of Tzeyi’s fantasy debut. I will read everything else she writes, and not only because she is such a kind and immeasurably talented soul, but because I absolutely adored this story, and these characters will stay with me long after finishing.
There are some books so beautiful that they take my breath away, and then there are others that linger with me long after finishing, and this one was both.
I’ve always longed for a depiction of the world after death that would help me feel less afraid of it, and Diyu made me long for the day Yaori would greet me for my final journey. At the heart of this story is a lonely girl who believes it is her destiny to stay cursed and unwanted and the two celestials who show her she can be loved, and in return, feel love again.
There are so many things to obsess over in this book. I was swept away by the lyrical poetry, the GORGEOUS prose, and the imaginative worldbuilding. But nothing can compare to the emotional depth and sheer hilarity of the complex, multi-layered characters within its pages. Zhenya, Kaijun, and Yaori are the beating hearts of this book. They beat as strongly together as they do apart. There were so many moments of banter that had me laughing out loud and so many pages where I had to hold back tears.
I absolutely loved the Chinese folklore folded into every facet of this book. The food was described so beautifully that I wanted to force Kaijun to make me a mooncake. Every character arc felt perfectly paced and immensely satisfying by the end. And perhaps my favorite part was that the love story was one where the reader need not choose.
I truly cannot say enough wonderful things about the brilliant writing, masterful story-telling, and unforgettable characters that graced the pages of Tzeyi’s fantasy debut. I will read everything else she writes, and not only because she is such a kind and immeasurably talented soul, but because I absolutely adored this story, and these characters will stay with me long after finishing.
January 23, 2026
Lush and lyrical, A Curse Carved in Ink deftly depicts a richly imagined world of mythical creatures, deadly trials, and a magical realm whose wonders and horrors will have readers glued to the page. A beautiful and haunting story of love in all its forms--tender, twisted, and enduring beyond lifetimes.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews