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Out on 19 August 2027

Dark Lotus Blooming

Synopsis

Far away from the Court of Wei where she was born, Xinni trains in the art of revenge at the Blooming Lotus Sect, a cult of female assassins shrouded in the clouds of Mount Hua that offers revenge to anyone who seeks it. Her mysterious teacher, Sanren, is ruthless and hard to please, but by blinding her targets with poisoned flowers, Xinni manages to win the favor of the vengeful, eclectic customers who seek the Sect’s services.

But Xinni harbors a deep secret – she came to the Blooming Lotus Sect seeking something strictly forbidden by the Sect’s rules – personal revenge for her mother, a consort of the Wei Emperor murdered in a political scheme.

When an assignment brings her face to face with a necromancer prince from a southern state who seeks to unite the fractured kingdoms that lie around her – and destroy the very dynasty that led to her mother’s death – Xinni finds her loyalty pulled in different directions. The rise and fall of the northern and southern dynasties is bloody, and the Blooming Lotus Sect punishes those that betray it with a fate worse than death. To survive, Xinni may need to kill a part of herself, the part that yearns the most to bloom.

Details

19 August 2027
400 pages
9781035011315
Imprint: Tor

Reviews

“I was utterly swept up in this tale of glittering cabaret girls and deadly gangsters, and Lin's incarnation of Shanghai—seductive, sprawling, full of malice—is a character in itself.”Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns, on Daughter of Calamity
“Every page is full of glamour, possibility, treachery . . . will pull you in like a fever dream.”Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief, on Daughter of Calamity
“This debut is a genre blend of mystery and fantasy with some amazing world-building . . . Fans of fantasy will want to know Lin's name.”Booklist, Starred Review, on Daughter of Calamity
“Lin successfully creates a world that is as much a character in the novel as the people who live in it…historical fantasy enthusiasts will be delighted by the worldbuilding.”Library Journal, on Daughter of Calamity