NOTE: Blog Tour occurred from March 3rd - March 9th but I am posting this belatedly due to severe illness and hospitalization. (I am doing better now though and slowly recovering!)
Title: The Scorpion and the Night Blossom
Series: The Three Realms Duology #1
Author: Amélie Wen Zhao
Release Date: March 4, 2025
In a world at war with demons, one girl will face the ultimate test when she is forced to enter into an ancient, deadly competition for the chance to save her mother's soul… before she loses her forever. From the New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night comes the beginning of a dark and opulent fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Throne of Glass.
Nine years ago, the war between the Kingdom of Night and the Kingdom of Rivers tore Àn’yīng’s family apart, leaving her mother barely alive and a baby sister to fend for. Now the mortal realm is falling into eternal night, and mó—beautiful, ravenous demons—roam the land, feasting on the flesh of humans and drinking their souls.
Àn’yīng is no longer a helpless child, though. Armed with her crescent blades and trained in the ancient art of practitioning, she has decided to enter the Immortality Trials, which are open to any mortal who can survive the journey to the immortal realm. Those who complete the Trials are granted a pill of eternal life—the one thing Àn’yīng knows can heal her dying mother. But to attain the prize, she must survive the competition.
Death is common in the Trials. Yet oddly, Àn’yīng finds that someone is helping her stay alive. A rival contestant. Powerful and handsome, Yù’chén is as secretive about his past as he is about his motives for protecting Àn’yīng.
The longer she survives the Trials, the clearer it becomes that all is not right in the immortal realm. To save her mother and herself, Àn’yīng will need to figure out whether she can truly trust the stranger she’s falling for or if he’s the most dangerous player of all . . . for herself and for all the realms.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher/author. I am leaving a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.
I had a fun time with this book. This was a new author for me and I truly enjoyed her storytelling. I have a few criticisms but overall I was overjoyed with this story and the way it made me feel.
This author had a very solid writing voice that spoke to me straight away. I loved her smooth narrative and original storytelling. There were points in the book, mostly at the beginning, where there was a lot of "telling" by the female lead character. I know that happens sometimes to get all the information to the reader but it felt repetitive. I loved the premise for this story. When I read the synopsis it really spoke to me. The plot was engaging and compelling. There were many plot points that were very predictable but that didn't put a damper on my enjoyment of the book at all. The world-building was vivid and immersive for the most part. I loved the Chinese lore and inspirations in the story. I loved the originality of this world and appreciated the author's unique twist on things. I felt that the magic that practitioners use could have been explained more thoroughly though.
These characters grabbed my attention and held me hostage from the start. I was drawn in immediately by them. I love a strong female lead character and this one was a delight. I loved that the author showed her failing at times and showed her flaws because it made her more authentic and relatable. The male lead character was a mystery and I adored his personality. There were many other characters in this book that shined as well. Each character was distinct and stood apart from the other characters. All of the character dynamics were interesting and kept me glued to the story.
The romance in this book was an enemies-to-lovers trope with a dash of forbidden. The divide between the two lead characters made things so tantalizing. The chemistry between them was undeniable. There was a second potential love interest towards the end of the book and I think that the second book will venture into love triangle territory. So far, the love triangle aspects feel genuine and believable so I am excited to see where things go for these characters. I am a sucker for a convincing love triangle.
Overall, this was an engaging story with a unique premise that captured my attention from start to finish. If you love enemies-to-lovers, strong female characters, exhilarating plot twists, and characters that come alive on the page then pick this book up. I very much look forward to reading the second book in this series and want to explore more from this author!
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Amélie Wen Zhao（赵雯）was born in Paris and grew up in Beijing, where she spent her days reenacting tales of legendary heroes, ancient kingdoms, and lost magic at her grandmother’s courtyard house. She attended college in the United States and now resides in New York City, working as a finance professional by day and fantasy author by night. In her spare time, she loves to travel with her family in China, where she’s determined to walk the rivers and lakes of old just like the practitioners in her novels do.
Amélie is the author of the Blood Heir trilogy and the upcoming Song of Silver, Flame Like Night duology.
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My name is Vanessa a.k.a. Queen Alchemy. I am a 30-something-year-old mother of four nerdy, fantastic children. We live in the Midwest. I have a reading addiction, and I hope that I never recover! I'm the hugest nerd you can find with interests not limited to the following: comics (Batman and Captain America for the win!), science, computers, zombies, unicorns, Harry Potter, cartoons from the 80's & 90's, Frankenstein, history, crafting, cooking & baking, Star Wars, digital scrapbooking, D&D, Minecraft, Hello Kitty, horror, metalcore, royalty, tattoos & piercings, bright colors, and so much more!
