The Scorpion and the Night Blossom
The Three Realms
Teen, Young Adult, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy Romance,
Delacorte Press
March 4, 2025
Kindle, Audiobook, Hardcover
400
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.
“But meeting the right person at the wrong time, the right love in the wrong life, is a tragedy written from the start.”
Amélie Wen Zhao’s, The Three Realms, duology commences with the epic and beautiful story of Àn’yīng’s quest to save her family in The Scorpion and the Night Blossom. From its opening lines this richly written and eloquently told dark fantasy transports you to an ancient world where humans are the pawns in a supernatural battle between immortals and demons and magic is the only way to navigate the conflict. With its high-intensity action, forbidden romance, otherworldly location, and extraordinary creatures this saga is reminiscent of the best of chinese period fantasy. Yet within all the grandness is an intimate encounter with an unassuming girl who does exceptional things because of her desire to take care of the people she loves. The trials and challenges she faces in her competition to achieve the pill of immortality pushes her farther than she ever thought possible yet she never imagined that the prospect of a forbidden love would be her biggest obstacle.
“I often wonder if it is possible to love someone you’ve never met, someone you aren’t even sure exists. The pendant now rests upon my breast, the guardian a companion to my heart.”
The Scorpion and the Night Blossom is a multi-layered plot that weaves Chinese myth and legend around a high stakes competition, the Immortality Trials. I absolutely loved every aspect of this story: the captivating world building, the lyrical writing style, the deadly and treacherous action, the unexpected relationships, and the coming of age transition. Told strictly from Àn’yīng’s point of view, the story was a very personal and intimate encounter with a young girl that I really liked. She felt real and authentic right from the start and navigated her difficulties with strength and character. She stayed true to herself and her goal even when her heart and her mind were at odds. I never anticipated where Amélie took Àn’yīng’s relationships and I’m dying to know how this will all play out in the next book.
The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao was such an easy five star for me. A luscious and enchanted world where “willows dip their branches into the water, and orchids and flowering plum trees lean over to gaze at their reflections.” A dichotomous saga of a tranquil realm of immortals and a corrupted earth overrun by demons with twists and turns and surprises chapter after chapter. A complex and transforming main character moved by devotion and love who finds romance in the most unexpected place. And last but not least a gorgeous cover that is worth having just for the sheer beauty of it!
Tanya’s love for books has been a lifelong passion that she likes sharing with others. Reading is also the thing that relaxes her after a day of juggling the many responsibilities that come with being being wife to an amazing man, mother to four great kids spread around the world, business manager, and farm hand on their place in southwest Missouri; home to Akaushi cattle and a menagerie of pygmy goats, horses, chickens, dogs and cats.
