Archives par étiquette : Amélie Wen Zhao

THE SCORPION AND THE NIGHT BLOSSOM d’Amélie Wen Zhao

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Song of the Last Kingdom series comes the beginning of a dark and opulent fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Kingdom of the Wicked and Fourth Wing. In a world invaded by demons, one girl faces the ultimate test: to save her dying mother, she must enter into a fabled, ancient competition for a chance to save her mother’s soul…or die trying.

THE SCORPION AND THE NIGHT BLOSSOM
The Immortality Trials Series, Book 1
by Amélie Wen Zhao
Delacorte, January 2025
(via Park & Fine Literary and Media)

Nine years ago, the Kingdom of Night began to seep into the mortal realm, and the Kingdom of Rivers was invaded by mó: beautiful and deadly demons that lure in humans with their appearance, then feast on their bodies and drink their souls. Those that survived the mó’s initial invasion now live behind protective wards, hoping to get through to another day.

Àn’yīng hasn’t forgotten the face of the demon who killed her father and drank her mother’s soul. Àn’yīng was helpless then, but now, armed with her crescent blades and her father’s magical practitioning texts, she’s determined to heal her mother’s soul, and the Immortality Trials are her only hope.

Hosted by the Immortals in the Kingdom of the Sky, the Trials have taken place for centuries. Open to mortals who can find their way to the Kingdom of Sky, those who complete all eight trials and prove their merit are granted a pill of immortality—a prize Àn’yīng believes can restore her mother’s soul. But competition is fierce, and if the Trials themselves don’t kill her, the other contestants might.

Who is friend and who is foe? And who is the irresistibly handsome and frustratingly arrogant contestant who keeps appearing when Àn’yīng least expects it—and most needs help? Danger is everywhere, and Àn’yīng is beginning to see signs that not all is right in The Kingdom of Sky. Night is coming for the Immortals–and when they fall, all is lost.

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. Amélie is the NYT bestselling author of the Song of the Last Kingdom duology and the Blood Heir trilogy.

SONG OF THE LAST KINGDOM SERIES d’Amélie Wen Zhao

In a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to its forgotten past – and the demons that sleep at its heart…

SONG OF THE LAST KINGDOM Series
by Amélie Wen Zhao
Delacorte, 2023 – 2024
(via Park & Fine Literary and Media)

SONG OF SILVER, FLAME LIKE NIGHT (Book 1 – January 2023)

Once, Lan had a different name. Now she goes by the one the Elantian colonizers gave her when they invaded her kingdom, killed her mother, and outlawed her people’s magic. She spends her nights as a songgirl in Haak’gong, a city transformed by the conquerors, and her days scavenging for what she can find of the past. Anything to understand the strange mark burned into her arm by her mother in her last act before she died.

The mark is mysterious—an untranslatable Hin character—and no one but Lan can see it. Until the night a boy appears at her teahouse and saves her life.

Zen is a practitioner—one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom. Their magic was rumored to have been drawn from the demons they communed with. Magic believed to be long lost. Now it must be hidden from the Elantians at all costs.

When Zen comes across Lan, he recognizes what she is: a practitioner with a powerful ability hidden in the mark on her arm. He’s never seen anything like it—but he knows that if there are answers, they lie deep in the pine forests and misty mountains of the Last Kingdom, with an order of practitioning masters planning to overthrow the Elantian regime.

Both Lan and Zen have secrets buried deep within—secrets they must hide from others, and secrets that they themselves have yet to discover. Fate has connected them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world.

Now the battle for the Last Kingdom begins.

DARK STAR BURNING, ASH FALLS WHITE (Book 2 – January 2024)

The Demon Gods have risen. Skies’ End has fallen to the colonizers. And Lan and Zen have chosen sides.

But they will not fight together.

Though Lan inherited the power of the Silver Dragon, she understands the path she must take. She believes the Demon Gods to be the cause of war, conflict, and turmoil, and that the future of the Last Kingdom depends on their being eliminated forever. Worse, she knows that if the Elantians manage to bind one of the legendary beings, their army will be unstoppable. To save her kingdom and her people, Lan will need to find the only mythical weapon capable of destroying the Demon Gods: the Godslayer.

Zen is sure that the only way to free the Last Kingdom is to use the power of the Demon Gods. When he bound the Black Tortoise, he paid the ultimate price: to inherit its strength, he will forfeit his body, his mind, and his soul. Yet one Demon God is not enough against the might of the colonizers. In the ruins of the northern Mansorian lands slumbers a magical army of demonic practitioners capable of facing off against the Elantians—but Zen must find the Seal to awaken them to fight by his side.

At the center of both Lan’s and Zen’s journeys is one city: Shaklahira, a former stronghold of the Imperial Court that vanished without a trace when the Elantians invaded. Its location is a mystery, and both are sure that it holds the answers they need, but the past it hides might be more dangerous than anything they’ve faced yet.

The battle for the Last Kingdom rages on. But to win the war, Lan will have to decide: Can she face the boy she loves again? And when she does, can she kill him to free her people?

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 in finance by day and being a fantasy author by night. Amélie is the NYT bestselling author of the SONG OF THE LAST KINGDOM duology and the Blood Heir trilogy.