A Chinese inspired Romantasy novel. This book follows the formula for most romantasy novels, with the deadly trials trope. I was engrossed in the first half but quickly faded over the next half that I found myself struggling to read this. This book is not bad, but it doesn't expand on what is out there as much as I'd like to see. Where it does shine is creating a space for Chinese mythology, a fleshed out magic system, and a breathtaking world building system.

This book was good! I liked it but didn’t love it. I definitely see potential in it and look forward to seeing what else the author does.

This book painted such a beautiful and vivid world. It was mystical yet harsh, beautiful yet gritty. The main characters were complex. I wish we saw more of the side characters, I wanted to feel more about them but I didn’t. The few twist at the end I didn’t see coming. So that was a nice surprise. This sets up for a major battle in the second book that I would like to see.

This book was okay. Took me a while to get through it because it was a bit boring at times. The characters felt underdeveloped and the FMC was a bit insufferable.

I think the problem is this formula, at its core, is very overused in this genre lately. I’ve started at least 5 other series in the last year and a half with a similar “deadly trials” storyline and they’re just starting to blur together in their mediocrity.

Was the book bad? No. But was it memorable? Also, no. Might continue on with book 2, but might also forget the series exists.

**I received an ARC from NetGalley and Random House Children’s in exchange for my honest review**

Such an interesting adventure awaits readers of 'The Scorpion and the Night Blossom'. I thinkthus one definitley lived up to it's hype and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Where to start. This was beyond amazing.
I think Amalie did a wonderful job on waving this story. Lets just said that I got hooked right away with the story. Full of actions and adventures. I like that is a constant flow of info and action. Definitely loved the main character or characters 👀👀. Their interactions, the tension. Wow. Not me rooting for the wrong guy 😭😭. Whatsoever the story is very well done and the last 30% had me claiming the walls with how much was happening and how manny chocking revelations given. Definitely excited for the next book. I cant wait for it

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom was utterly enchanting—lush, lyrical, and brimming with atmosphere. The world felt both dangerous and beautiful, and I was completely swept away by the tension and romance woven through every page. It’s the kind of story that lingers like a dream long after you finish.

"In each life, we are born to a walk path"

Plot: ★★★
Characters: ★★

What started strong fizzled out at around 25% once familiar tropes appeared and characters became hard to root for. The Scorpion and the Night Blossom were enjoyable at first — I thought the premise was very interesting, the demons (mó) were unique, and Àn’yīng and Yù’chén started off as pretty likable and interesting characters. Combine that with good writing, and I was eager to see where The Scorpion and the Night Blossom would go.

Then we reached the Immortality Trials, a few secrets were revealed, and things began to go downhill steadily. I was trudging through The Scorpion and the Night Blossom, debating on DNF'ing it several times. The trials felt familiar to dozens of other romantasy novels, so staying motivated to continue reading was hard. Àn’yīng became exceptionally cruel to Yù’chén (some of which made sense based on past traumas, but still made it increasingly difficult to root for her).
"There are no words I can offer to make up for the wrongs I have done him. I have despised him on the basis of his birth, suspected him and doubted him time after time even when his every action was to help me, to protect me. I have accepted his help without consideration of the consequences for him [...] and I have sentenced him to death."

Despite Àn’yīng realizing that she acted atrociously to Yù’chén by the end of the book, it was hard for me to feel any sort of positive/fond feelings for her.

I, personally, cannot recommend The Scorpion and the Night Blossom to readers similar to myself. If you haven't read very many romantasy books before and will not be tired of repetitive tropes, you might enjoy this book. If you can get past a main character that is hard to root for at times, you might like this book.

2/5 stars. Thank you, NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Amélie Wen Zhao, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one. An’ying is a young girl marred by tragedy, Demons have long been attacking mortals, killing her father and leaving her mother in a comatose state. Determined to save her family and her village, she sets out to a magical kingdom where, if she survives the trials, she will given an immortality pill to cure her mother.

Fast paced and well written, this was a very entertaining read. Looking forward to the conclusion!

This 5 star story has it all! A truely epic adventure that spans relms, enemies to lovers, vivid action scenes, secrets amd deception,and a tiny bit of spice. Its not very often that a book ends in a way that doesnt make me want to tear out all my hair, but leaves me craving more. I will be paitently waiting for book #2 "The Dragon and the Sun Lotus".

I couldn’t get enough of the world-building and adventure in this book—it pulled me in right from the start. The main character was compelling, and I was constantly curious to see how she’d handle everything thrown her way. I’ll definitely be picking up more from this author!

" The Scorpion and the Night Blossom" centers on An'yīng, a fierce young woman who will do anything to protect her family, including joining the Immortality Trials.

Reading through the story and her initial reactions to the training and trials were captivating. I enjoyed the world building that went on in book 1 and cannot wait for the second part of this duology.

I also found the interactions with the character Yu'chén to be entertaining as well and can't wait for more.

Thank you Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for selecting me for this ARC.

With its descriptive world-building and daring adventure, I enjoyed escaping into this story and uncovering the mystery of the main character's history and the world falling apart around her. The ending left me wanting to be transported back as soon as possible. It was difficult to put this book down on the best of days and impossible on the worst. I found myself wanting to jump right into this dangerous world myself and help fight the monsters.

I really enjoy the immersive atmosphere that Amélie creates when she writes and this book is no exception to her style. The tale was engaging and exquisitely written. The story also included a few of my favourite tropes: enemies-to-lovers, morally grey male lead, and well paced slow burn. Yù’chén is my kind of male love interest, his character has just enough mystery to keep me guessing at his motives, but also enough swoon worthy qualities to keep me wanting more. I refuse to believe that the ending is the end it was - also no spoilers. While I do also like the other male lead, he almost too sweet and perfect… somethings gotta give, right? I guess the next instalment will answer that question.
I am always intrigued and drawn in by stories woven with different mythology’s that I am less familiar with. The author painted such a beautiful picture of the immortal realm, I could feel the light and life that it gave off. I am eagerly anticipating the sequel.
I recommend this book to fans of Zhao’s and people looking for a fantasy tale with Chinese-inspired folklore.
Many thanks to Random House Children’s (via Penguin Teen Canada) and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of the book. the opinions expressed are given freely and are honest and my own.

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amelie Wen Zhao is book one in The Three Realms Duology. If you like YA, immortal realms, rivals to lovers, forbidden love, magical trials, and Chinese mythology then you will love this book.

This was my first book by Zhao and I was drawn into this story and hooked. She did an amazing job with the storyline and plot. An’ying’s mother’s soul by a mo or vampire demon and her world has been ravaged them. In order to save her mother she has to compete and win this competition. Winning this competition will not only save her mother but will give her eternal life. Zhao did an amazing job with the world building it was so beautiful and mystical. She did an amazing job with the characters. There were twists and turns, adventures, immortals, and of course some betrayal. You need to read this book! I can’t wait for book two!! Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for very late thoughts and opinions.

Amélie has done it again! Her latest story is full of darkness and beauty and the will to survive. Following Anying's footsteps to save her mother and discover who she truly is, and will be, was a delight. Her love story with Yuchen was also a blast to read, starting from their dangerous first meeting to deciding to fight for each other.

Although I'm over reading about trials since the Hunger Games days, Amélie made this one feel different. All of our heroes join these trials for someone else, and Anying joins to save her mother, but the danger in her story made the trials feel like the background when real danger is around them. I suppose tropes can be fun when experimented in new ways.

Of course, the love story was beautiful. Even though Yuchen was Anying's enemy, I found I was always rooting for him. He treated Anying well and with respect, and as an equal. I fear the bar is low when it comes to romances.

As always, I'm excited to read the sequel!

in a world taken over by demons, a girl fights to save her dying mother. her path leads her to the immortality trials and a boy with secrets. can she trust her heart with him?

from the second i flipped open my ipad and read the dedication i knew i was going to love this book. tsatnb is a book filled with deliciously vivd imagery, intriguing characters and so much angst!! this is enemies to lovers perfection!! it felt like i was watching a cdrama fr!!

ᯓ★ án'ying, ahh i love her soo much!! she deserve so much more than what she went through. girl hasn't gotten a day of peace after ten years old!! miss amélie let her rest please 🥺😭 i love how she was stubborn and confident in her beliefs (even when she was being unfairly stubborn, cause she is human after all!!) and the fact that even though the world has made her into a warrior for survival, she still hasn't forgotten to be kind. her relationship with her sister was so heartwarming yet heartbreaking cause she has to leave them to protect them, ahhh the world is soo unfair 😭

ᯓ★ im sorry but this is a yù'chén fanclub and im his forever apologist!!! idc what anyone says but he's my baby and anyone who makes him upset, has to go through me and my friends 😤 he was doomed by the narrative (looking at you miss amélie 🤨) the moment he appeared, he reminded me of some of my favorite cdrama men (think the perfect mix of duke su from the double, and ziqi from lgief, and yes i guess i do have a type 🙂‍↕️🤭) and i knew he was going in the list. i mean boy saw her once and fell so hard, he's never looking back 😭 in this essay i will- (go to my goodreads to read the whole version )

ᯓ★ these two together was one of the most epic enemies to lovers stories ever!! he falls first and harder, but she's in the river of denial. but dear miss amélie THEY ARE ENDGAME!! book 2 pls be nice!

if you enjoyed my incoherent word vomit and painstakingly made beautiful edits, what are u waiting for?? go read the book now!! thank you so much to amélie wen zhao, delacorte press, and tbr and beyond tours for sending me an ARC through netgalley! this does not affect my thoughts about the book in any way. out now!

So much better than Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, at least for me. For one, the "magic" was not cultivation magic, which I just don't find that interesting. But I think I liked the main characters in this story a bit more from the get-go. No, they weren't perfect and no I didn't love everything about them (in particular, Àn’yīng’s prejudice against demons, while understandable, bordered on cruel at times), but I found both characters to be interesting and there were enough twists and turns (some predictable, some not so much) that kept my interest. The overall plot of the story (competition to gain a huge prize/immortality, main character weak compared to the rest of the competitors, love triangle of sorts, huge conflict between "good and evil", etc.) was not unique, but I liked Zhao's fresh take on it. I also really loved the inclusion of Chinese mythology, and the skills using Qi to do things like walking on water (I kept picturing the movie Hero). The story was very visual for me, making me imagine it as a movie or tv show. The only thing is that I would have loved to see Àn’yīng save herself more often, but perhaps that will happen in the second book. In her defense, she did save Yù’chén almost as often as he saved her. I don't want to say to avoid spoilers, but I did feel she did a lot of growing, especially in questioning her prejudice, but also in persevering to learn the skills she needed.

My only regret is that we will have to wait for the next book!

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom totally pulled me in with its mix of drama, intrigue, and beautiful writing. The main characters—an exiled assassin and a mysterious courtesan—have such a tense, slow-build connection that kept me turning pages. The world feels super rich and detailed, with East Asian-inspired vibes that make it stand out. I really liked how the story dives into themes like loyalty, revenge, and second chances without feeling heavy-handed. Overall, it’s one of those books that’s both gorgeous and gripping—I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you Delacorte Press and Netgalley for the ARC!

I LOVED THIS STORY.

This was such a breath of fresh air. Everything about this story was beautiful, from the FMC dealing with guilt and grief, the love interests, the magic system, the description of the landscape, the trials, all of it. Zhao is such a fantastic writer, weaving such a strong and beautiful tapestry of the world. I loved how we see the FMC make bad and good decisions, but never giving up, trying her hardest to save her family and humanity.

Also, the descriptions of this world! It was so beautiful and well done, and I loved it.

Book 2 when?