I fell in love with this author’s writing with the first book she put out. She has such a way with characters and combining their stories to other and this was not an exception. This was such a great time and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy as well as for others to be able to do so as well !

4.25! Such a fast paced and intense read. The world building was fantastic and I loved the main character, Ān’yīng. The romance was ok but it could’ve been better. Overall, it’s an exciting mix of action, magic, and romance with great potential for the next book :)

Watch out book girls and boys—we have a new dark book boyfriend to OBSESS over.

This book is breathtakingly beautiful, and that it IS the start of a highly promising story. It is the dark gothic fantasy book I’ve always been searching for!

The story follows An'ying, a fierce 19 year old woman who takes on the role of head of the household and protector after her father passed 9 years ago from a mó (a demon from The Kingdom of Night) who tore apart her family. Not only did this mó unalive her father, she sucked her mother’s soul to the point where she was a husk of the women she was before. An'ying must face the Immortality Trials, a deadly competition that will offer the pill of immortality, the last hope for her mother returning to the way she was before.

On her journey to get to the trials, she meets Yu'chén, a dark & powerful man who just won’t stop helping save her life. Not only is he still a rival but he’s mysterious and seems to have secrets. Trusting him could cost her everything. How can the right person be so wrong for you at the same time?! He is literally now my favorite book boyfriend—HANDS DOWN!

This book is unlike any story I’ve read before. It’s new and fresh and leaves you wanting more. I cannot wait to read the next and last book of this duology!

also-RUDE! Why didn’t anyone tell me I was going to find my favorite read of 2025 in the middle of January?!

Read if you love:
* gripping twists
* gothic fantasy
* trials/competition
* Chinese fantasy
* fairy realms
* demons/mythological beings
* forbidden love

🌟🌟🌟✨ 3.5-Star Review: The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao

Amélie Wen Zhao delivers a dark, intricate tale of love, loyalty, and betrayal. The morally gray characters and lush world-building are standout features, but the dense political intrigue and pacing issues sometimes make it hard to stay fully engaged.

The dynamic between the assassin and the spy is compelling, with a slow-burn connection that keeps you hooked, though some emotional stakes and character decisions feel underdeveloped.

While not perfect, the book’s rich atmosphere and ambitious storytelling make it a solid read for fans of morally complex fantasy.

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom follows Àn’yīng—armed with crescent blades and the ancient art of partitioning as she enters the Immortality Trials to save her mother and help protect her baby sister. The mortal realm has fallen into eternal night and devoured by beautiful, ferocious demons. With no other way to keep her family safe, Àn’yīng ventures into the immortal realm to enter the trials. On her way there, she encounters another contestant who sends her world spinning. Àn’yīng must figure out who to trust and how to survive the trials before it’s too late.

Hello, new favourite meet cute!!! I was screaming—it is literally so like kicking your feet and grinning kind of meet cute. Yù’chén … oh Yù’chén. I LOVE him. Fully obsessed and so desperate for him to be happy because that ending is stressing me out. Like need him to have a happy ending, I ADORE him. I am 100% behind any of his plans. I also loved Àn’yīng! She’s so fierce and powerful and I love how much she loved her family. She’s very honourable and the slow progression of her relationship/trust with Yù’chén was perfect. The author crafted such layered characters and I’m definitely going to add her other books to my tbr.

It's so fun finding a new favourite so early into the year. This was honestly so much fun and had me hooked so quickly. I love the world and the magic system. It is so interesting, and the mythology was fascinating. And the trials! They were so intense and well placed throughout the novel to keep things tense and interesting. Along with a dash of murder mystery, and this book has everything to keep you hooked and desperate to find out what happens.

Highly recommend if you love cdramas, enemies to lovers, and fantasy books with trials!

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen CA and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars Rounded up to 5— Almost perfect, but just shy of a full five!

First things first, can we just take a moment to appreciate the stunning imagery in this book? The writing is beautifully vivid, and even the more horrifying descriptions—the Mó and the creatures—had this eerie, mesmerizing quality. I loved how the immortal and mortal realms were depicted; the immortal realm felt dazzling and otherworldly, a stark contrast to the mortal realm, which is described as ‘real.’ And honestly? That hit so perfectly. As a reader, escaping into fantasy worlds is the best part. Every time the story dipped back into the mortal realm, I was like, nope, let’s go back where the magic is!

Now, the reason this didn’t quite hit a full five stars for me—there were two things I wanted just a little more of. First, the worldbuilding—I wish we got a better look at how dangerous things had really become after the Mó’s destruction. An’yīng talks about it, but we don’t actually see much beyond her own home and neighbor. With the way the book ended, I have a feeling the next one will dig deeper into that, but I still would’ve liked a stronger sense of the world falling apart here. The story focuses more on the romance and character drama than the bigger political stakes, which worked, but a bit more balance could’ve made everything feel even more intense.

Second, An’yīng and Yù’chén’s relationship. Their rivals-to-lovers energy was so fun, and I loved their banter, but I just wanted a bit more buildup. There’s a big emotional moment near the end that felt a little sudden—it was definitely meant to hit hard, but I think it needed more lead-up to really land. That said, I still really enjoyed their dynamic, and I’m excited to see where it goes next.

The story itself was so good. I loved the friendships and the found family aspect, and I can't wait to see that develop even more in the sequel. The Mó were the perfect mix of eerie and fascinating. And after that ending? I’m beyond curious to see how the character dynamics shift going forward and how everything wraps up.

3.5 rounded to 4


An'ying has traded in her sewing needles for blades after the Kingdom of Darkness invades, killing the Emperor and slowly plunging the world into darkness. Nine years ago, her father was killed by a mo, a demon, after draining her mother of half of her soul. Determined to save the one parent she has left, An'ying competes in a tournament held by the Immortals to gain a Pill of Immortality. As An'ying reaches the site of the tournament, she discovers that nothing, literally nothing about her life or her world, was what it seemed.

I've been complaining about this quite a bit, and I finally realized it's because it is way too close to the plot of Love Between Fairy and Devil. Now, I'm not saying Wen Zhao stole that plot so don't freak out, but, it's like if you took Fairy and a Devil and then tossed a very large dysfunctional family into the mix. There's just a lot of tropes, and unfortunately, I didn't like An'ying enough for me to overlook them all. And that's really what didn't make this a solid four stars for me. An'ying is very, very angry, and while the fact that one of her parents were killed and another left catatonic should be enough to justify her anger, it really wasn't. There's just not enough world building showing just how dangerous the world is now. An'ying talks about it a lot sure, but that's it.

That all being said. Honestly, I mean, it's solid. I have to admit that for the genre, it's solid. I 100% could see this being made into a CDrama, without question. I may not have liked An'ying but I did truly enjoy Yu'chen, the whole entire thing with the Kingdom of Darkness descending the mortal realm and this kind of civil war happening between the Kingdom of Darkness and the Kingdom of Heaven with the mortal realm as the battle field. And the last oh half hour of the book, even though again a bunch of tropes, was freaking explosive. Honestly, the ending saved the entire book for me.


Overall, I can't not recommend this. It was a well-done novel that made me immediately think of some of my favorite CDramas. And to be fair, I'll probably even get over my annoyance with An'ying. Eventually. When she's nice to someone.

As always thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the eArc.

With rich, lush, and vivid imagery, this story is truly a feast for the eyes! The descriptions of the people and their world paint a virtual plethora of beauty and danger that immediately draws the reader in. The setting seems akin to the beautiful but deadly jungles of East Asia with the exquisite richness of the lotus flower and cherry blossoms, yet inhabited by creatures out of a fantasy lovers nightmare.

The story follows a young woman (Án Ying) whose father was killed by the demons who conquered her world and left her with a dying mother and younger sister to protect. Án discovers the only thing that can save her mother’s life is the pill of immortality, and that can only be won by entering the immortal Gods competition. There are challenges that Án Ying knows she must conquer but many more that she is unaware of. The biggest danger of all, however, comes in the form of a young man (Yu Chíng) who is determined to help her survive and win. If only she could determine why.

The biggest, and arguably, only problem with the telling of this tale is in that relationship. Throughout the vast majority of the story Án Ying is absolutely despicable to Yu Chíng. Her bigotry towards him is so pervasive that it becomes impossible to enjoy reading the book. And, unfortunately, taints a readers opinion of her even when things change. And change they do! The book teetered precariously on a three star rating because of the sheer unlikability of the main character until the last 20 percent. But man! That last 20 percent is a whopper of a switch and change in the entire outlook of the book! Everything one thinks they know about the plot, the characters and the outcome turns right on its end and delivers a rousing, nail-biting, heart-breaking ride that leaves one shocked and satisfied… Yet, aching for the next book!

A fantastic start to an expansive YA fantasy duology inspired by Chinese mythology, The Scorpion and the Night Blossom reminded me of Fourth Wing and Hafsah Faisal's work.

Àn'yīng is a seamstress who once dreamed of seeing the ocean. But when demons invade her world, nothing is ever the same for mortal humans again. Her father is killed by one of them and her mother is sick. Brave but unskilled, she takes comfort from a jade pendant that whispers secrets of survival to her. It tells her of trials she can train for in the realm of the immortals to win a pill of immortality to help heal her mother. She sets off on her quest and meets a mysterious halfling demon boy, Yù'chén, who helps her and has secrets of his own.

I loved their tension-filled enemies to lovers love story, complete with "touch her and die" and a hint of spice. The tender moment when Àn'yīng saved a halfling because she saw the humanity in them instead of succumbing to prejudice, leading into a dance of hate, betrayal and respect between them. The whims of the immortal realm and the lack of training and preparation given the candidates. I did wish I got more character development for some of the side characters, her friends at the school, but overall I really loved this. Loved how Yù'chén called her his little scorpion and Àn'yīng stayed stubborn and bold throughout their love story.

The worldbuilding was light but I liked how it focused on the romance and interpersonal drama instead of political machinations.

This is a book I had preordered before I requested the ARC because I fell in love with that gorgeous cover with the sprayed edges. Now I have fallen in love with the story and characters too.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom is book one in a new romantasy duology.

The story follows Àn'yīng, who resides in the Kingdom of Rivers—the mortal realm. Nine years ago a war broke out between the Kingdom of Rivers and Kingdom of Night—the demon realm—forever changing the course of Àn'yīng and her family's life. With the tragic death of her father and her mother gravely ill, Àn'yīng spends the next nine years taking care of her mother and sister—keeping them safe from the beasts of the Kingdom of Night who now roam the mortal realm.

Àn'yīng knows her mother is on borrowed time, so she decides to venture to the Kingdom of Sky—the immortal realm—where she has the opportunity to compete in a deadly competition. The winner will receive the only thing that can save her mothers soul—a pill for immortality. With rival contestant, Yù'chén, helping her along the way, Àn'yīng does all she can to survive the immortal realm.

The writing was vivid and imaginative. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the different realms—the immortal realm felt vibrant and bright compared to the mortal realm. The descriptions worked great in showchasing the timeless immortals to the finite mortals. The plot was engaging. I always enjoy a high-stakes environment, a fast-paced story and plenty of hidden motives/secrets. I would have liked to see more details with the competition. It felt a little rushed at times. The magic was unique and intruiging. I felt it paired well with the theme of the story.

The MCs Àn'yīng and Yù'chén had great banter—I loved their rivals to lovers dynamic but felt it needed more development. Overall, the characters were entertaining. I really liked the friendships Àn'yīng formed and hope to see that found family trope grow stronger in the next book. The descriptions of the mó were equally intruiging and creepy. After the ending, it'll be interesting to see the new dynamic between all of the characters—friend and foe alike.

Overall, this was a solid romantasy read. I am looking forward to seeing how Àn'yīng's journey ends in the next book.

—𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘴 | 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.—

Amélie Wen Zhao’s The Scorpion and The Night Blossom delivers a thrilling start to an amazing fantasy duology. Set in a world ravaged by demons and immortal wars, the story follows An-ying, whose family was torn apart by the conflict. Desperate to save her dying mother, she enters the deadly Immortality Trials. There, she forms an uneasy alliance with Yuchén, a mysterious and enigmatic participant, whose true motives remain unclear. The plot moves quickly, with high stakes and plenty of tension, especially between An-ying and Yuchén, though at times, An-ying’s harsh treatment of him feels overly intense. The romance unfolds quickly, with some insta-love elements that left me wanting a little more depth. However, the fast-paced action and compelling trials, along with Zhao's lush prose, kept me hooked through the entire book. The ending is full of unexpected twists, and I am so excited for what’s in store next!

As expected, Amelie Wen Zhao's latest fantasy is captivating and her writing is always a pleasure to read!

The book follows An-ying, who is
strong-hearted and scrappy - I absolutely loved her. In a world that has been ravaged by the appearance of demons and the subsequent devastating war, An-ying (and many others') family has been torn apart -- Humans were essentially collateral damage in the war between the immortals and demons and have now been abandoned by the immortals.

She decides to journey to compete in the deadly trials held by immortals, as the prize could save her mother's life. This is where the plot really picks up, and I love a fast-paced plot but at times I wished it would've slowed down a little! Similarly, the romance was a bit underwhelming for me - it was somewhat of an insta-love situation that unfolded quicker than I was expecting. For the most part though, this book totally delivered. The author's lyrical, lush prose blew me away! My interest was easily maintained the entire time and this was a fantastic start to this YA fantasy series.

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao is a captivating fantasy adventure with rich Chinese mythology. Similar to Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, this book is a fast-paced narrative that keeps you hooked from start to finish. While I occasionally wished for slower pacing to fully absorb the intricate details, fans of Zhao's previous works will be just fine with this dynamic-style of storytelling.
An-ying shines as a compelling protagonist. The world-building and lyrical writing are truly standout features. If you love fantasy infused with mythology and a touch of romance, this book is a must-read.
Thank you to NetGallery and Random House Children's for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I will always jump at the chance to read anything by Amelie Zhao. All of her novels are rich in imagery, symbolism, and beauty. Her newest novel is a work of art and culture.

The world has been torn apart by ancient demons and mythological creatures and the celestial immortals have abandoned mortals so they can hide behind their wards while suffering reigns. An-ying has spent the last nine years keeping her mother alive through a lotus blossom elixir- but as the world grows darker, she realizes she must enter the immortality trials to restore her family.

An-ying must face the immortal trials and risk death to save her family. Fate thrusts her into the path of two strangers: one bright as the sun, another dark as the night. An-yong must guard her heart.

Full of rich, beautiful Chinese imagery and folklore, Zhao’s novel is a worthy read.

An amazing read! It was such a captivating start to this world and its characters! I’m already looking forward to the next book. I’ve loved all of Amélie Wen Zhao’s work so far and this certainly did not disappoint.
Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and the author for letting me read an early copy!

When Àn’yīng was a young girl, war devastated the land and demons ran free through her world, killing her father and leaving her mother a shell of her former self. Now years later, Àn’yīng has cared for her younger sister the best she could while searching for ways to restore her mother to her former self. In a last-ditch effort, she will travel to the Immortality Trials and compete for a chance of new life for her mother. But only if she can get past the demons in her path first. Along the way she meets Yù’chén, and while he may not be her first choice for an alliance, he may just be the key to her survival.

I really enjoyed the well-built world and the dynamics between the two warring factions. Some of the magical connections were a little harder to follow, but overall this is a full-bodied story lush with individualized characters and descriptive landscapes. The twists in the end will leave readers anxious for the next installment to see what happens next.

The Scorpion and The Night Blossom is a captivating novel! One of my favorite parts was reading the main character, Àn’yīng, adapt to survival in this cruel world, where demons rule the lands. She not only takes care of her half soul mother, but also her younger sister. As she embarks on a dangerous journey to the Temple of Dawn to find a cure for her mother, she faces enemies and friends. Another one of my favorite parts was Àn’yīng herself. She’s brave when she faces the mó(demons). She has courage when she’s faces huà’pí. And she has kindness when she meets Lì’líng for the first time. In tots I think this novel was amazing, one of my favorites!!!

3.5 ✬'s

Thank you NetGalley for providing an eARC of Amélie Wen Zhao's upcoming xianxia novel.
I absolutely loved this author's past xianxia duology, so I was immediately hyped when this one got announced. The Scorpion and the Night Blossom features Zhao's usual beautiful prose that provokes strong imagery and makes the reading experience very C-dramaesque. The world-building was lush and magical,.
Àn’yīng, the main character, started off strong and had me hooked until she started to disappoint as the story went on. I dislike how she was constantly rescued by the mmcs for someone who had so much potential on her own to exhibit her talents.
I absolutely despised the forced and unexpected love triangle that we're hit with later on. I think there were too many tropes thrown in here for the fun of it, sometimes the interactions didn't feel natural. I don't feel as connected to the romance aspect for this reason, but Yù’chén's charisma was outstanding.

I loved Amelie Wen Zhao’s Song of the Last Kingdom duology, and immediately jumped at the chance to read her next release! The Scorpion and the Night Blossom has all of her signature lyrical prose, immersive world building, and is full of mythology. I could not put this story down!

The plot is incredibly fast-paced with themes of love, acceptance, tolerance, choice, and rebellion. Àn’yīng is also the perfect MC . She’s determined, courageous, fierce, and grows so much during the course of the novel. I thought the other characters were also extremely well-developed, and everything about Yù’chén was swoon-worthy.

This story literally has it all - a war between immortals and demons (where humans suffer the consequences), trials, a murder mystery, an achingly sweet/heartbreaking romance, all the secrets, and so many twists - and is sure to appeal to a wide range of readers. I loved everything about it, and cannot wait to see how it concludes!

Thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 rounded up

Overall, this was a lovely romantasy with xianxia elements. I think AWZ has improved a lot with this offering, and especially the writing has matured a lot. The romance was believable and compelling in this book, without overriding the plot. I think it was also a great element to demonstrate our main character’s growth and learning over the course of the book. I still get grumpy that “practitioner” is used instead of “cultivator” for seemingly no reason in AWZ’s books, when the genre standard is otherwise.

My biggest gripe, which denied this book .5 stars, is the clunkiness of some of the writing. While the prose generally leans towards the flowery, every once in a while, it gets incredibly blunt and obvious bordering on an outline. It’s such a random switch to just telling you as the reader how the character feels or what she plans to do, and it pulls you out of the story like nothing else.

However, this book overall was quite fun to read, and leaves me wanting to know what happens next. I’ll be rooting on our main couple!