An Indie Next pick!
Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventure inspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young woman determined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.
The special first edition hardcover will include a gorgeous, shimmering jacket with effects, brilliantly illustrated four-color endpapers, striking and detailed-stained edges, and a beautiful foil-stamped case.
The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.
The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.
In the army, Meilin’s relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another? As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.
With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.
Author
K. X. Song
K. X. Song is the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of critically acclaimed contemporary and fantasy fiction. A diaspora writer with roots in Hong Kong and Shanghai, she writes stories that explore collective memory, myth, and the shifting nature of history. Her young adult novel, An Echo in the City, won the Freeman Book Award and was named a Best Book of the Year by the Financial Times, Kirkus Reviews, and the Chinese American Librarians Association. Her fantasy duology, The Night Ends with Fire and The Dragon Wakes with Thunder, won the Octavia E. Butler Award and has been published in over a dozen international territories. Find her online at kxsong.com.
Learn More about K. X. Song