As someone who devours Asian fantasy, lore and mythology, this was a spell-binding read for me. I came for the action, the creatures, the demons - this did not disappoint!!!!
This is my first read by Amelie Wen Zhao, and it certainly will NOT be my last!
This story follows An Yīng, a young girl who is desperately seeking a cure for her mother’s dangerously damaged soul. The solution? The Immortality Trials.
This book was filled with epic fight scenes, soul-sucking demons and mythological creatures of all kinds. The plot twists and hidden clues were very well done, causing me to be somewhat surprised each time.
Set against a richly woven tapestry of Chinese folklore, the world-building is one of the book’s strongest points. Readers are drawn into a realm where spirits, demons, and divine beings lurk in every corner, each carrying their own set of rules and dangers. The novel brings to life well-known elements of Chinese mythology—immense mountains, celestial beings, and the delicate balance between good and evil—with a fresh and immersive twist.
Ultimately, this is a thrilling, emotionally charged fantasy novel that blends mythological richness with a relatable, underdog story of resilience. It’s a must-read for fans of epic fantasy, particularly those with an interest in Chinese mythology and folklore. An Yīng’s journey is one of perseverance, and readers will find themselves eagerly turning pages to see if she can overcome the overwhelming forces arrayed against her.

I flew through this book, I was absolutely captivated by the world, the tension 😮‍💨 between the two main characters and I was NOT expecting that twist at the end! I’m so sad we need to wait another year plus for the next one! 4.5 stars

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom is incredible and is definitely one of my favorite reads this year! The compelling world building and entertaining cast of characters compliments each other well, which helps to elevate the story.

The strongest aspect of the book is the dynamic between Àn’yīng & Yù’chén, which kept me emotionally invested from the beginning to end. The back-and-forth between them is as fun as it is frustrating, and as much as they try to deny their attraction, it’s impossible not to root for them to finally give in. As their relationship develops, their interactions also become more layered and complex. Without spoiling too much, the author did a wonderful job in conveying the characters’ own internal conflicts and motivations.

While the entire book is filled with tension and suspense, it’s the last act that truly left me reeling. From the moment the final act begins, the tension ramps up in a way that has me on the edge of my seat until the very end. The cliffhanger has me desperate for the last book in the duology! I am eager to see how it all wraps up.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amélie Wen Zhao’s The Scorpion and the Night Blossom is a darkly enchanting tale set in a vividly crafted world where betrayal, intrigue, and forbidden magic intertwine. Zhao’s storytelling grips you from the start, weaving complex characters with morally gray motivations that keep you second-guessing each of their moves. The protagonist's journey, both literal and emotional, is compelling, drawing readers into her layered conflicts and choices.

While the pacing occasionally lags and a few plot twists feel predictable, the author’s skillful prose and atmospheric world-building more than make up for these minor flaws. The Scorpion and the Night Blossom delivers a satisfying mix of action, romance, and political intrigue that will appeal to fans of dark fantasy and anyone who appreciates morally complex characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite forgetting that it was the first in a series until near the end (when it became clear that not every conflict would be resolved). The author paints a vivid and beautiful world full of diverse characters and a complex mythology. Although I would probably put it in the romantasy genre (and maybe new adult v. young adult), the author didn't rest on romance alone to tell her story. There are interesting twists and turns, even some that I didn't see coming, that draw the reader in. Although the book is first in a series, I thought the author did an excellent job answering many of the "mysteries" in the book. I will eagerly watch for book 2 in the series.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-arc!

This book was amazing. It felt like I was reading a Chinese drama from start to finish and the book had been enthralled and wanting more. AWZ has managed to in all the books I’ve read by her create an amazing atmosphere and word building experience. It never felt boring at all, and I loved the details we got about the two kingdoms as well as the mortal realm.
The main character Àn’yīng I found myself falling in love with her as a person. She was strong, and determined to save her mother and I respect the character so much for that. Watching her go through the trials and deal with Yù’chén and the romance that was slowly brewing throughout the book was interesting. I liked the dynamic of both characters and trying to decide who I could and couldn’t trust in this book was hard.
The ending has me wanting more, and I can’t wait for the second book to find out what happens next! Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Childrens’s Delacorte Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for an advance reader copy of The Scorpion and the Night Blossom. Spoilers may follow.

I've always enjoyed Amélie Wen Zhao's books, and this one is no exception. In a world ravaged by demons, the main character, Àn’yīng, decides she must enter the Immortality Trials in order to save her dying mother. Obviously, along the way to the trials she meets a mysterious fellow contender, Yù'chén, and allies with him in order to survive the journey to the trials, as well as the trials themselves. I'm sure one can guess what eventually happens between the two, lol. In general, I'm always a fan of quests and magical competitions/schools and enjoyed the ones in this book. The pacing was appropriate; some books jump into the action a little too quickly for me, without getting to know characters or place, and I thought this one did a good job of balancing world building, characterization, and action. Overall, while somewhat predictable, I still enjoyed reading it and will pick up the sequel in the future. Four stars.

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom
by: Amélie Wen Zhao

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An action packed xianxia adventure filled with magic, mystery, and delicious tension, this YA Romantasy was fantastic! Wen Zhao never fails to amaze me with her impressive world building (the magic blades!!) and character development. I especially loved romance in this one, it was her best yet! I cannot wait to read the sequel and see how Àn’yīng’s story ends!

A must read if you like:
🔥 Chinese Mythology
🗡️ Rivals to Lovers
🔥 Magic Trials
🗡️ Touch Her and Die
🔥 Forbidden love
🗡️ Unique magic system

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so good! There were times when the FMC really got on my nerves lol, but this was still so enjoyable.

I love the forbidden love aspect of the story, An’ying’s unwavering loyalty to her family, the all the twists at the end.

Some things I was able to figure out throughout the book (no big deal) Every time I finished a chapter I couldn’t stop reading, I just had to know what happened next!

Overall I enjoyed and can’t wait to read more of Amélie Wen Zhao’s books :)

3.0 / 5.0

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amelia Wen Zhao is a dark fantasy drama for anyone who is a fan of Chinese folklore. Like previous books by this author, the writing is good and the resolution will depend on the second book. Unlike previous books, the characters and world building in this one are not as developed or immersive. It is a perfectly average book in writing and content, it has some missing elements to the characters that will need refinement, and there is not as much background to the world which would make it more engaging. I have hopes for the second book but if I did not have knowledge of this author’s style, I would be supremely apathetic of the whole thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC.

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amelie Wen Zhao was a fantastic read! The story pulled me in, and I’m already looking forward to the next installment. If you’ve enjoyed any of Zhao’s previous works, you won’t be disappointed—this book has all the intrigue and depth fans will appreciate. The prose is beautiful, and the fighting scenes are incredibly vivid; I could envision some great wuxia moments unfolding on the page!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Honestly guys, do you even need to see a good review to want to read another one of Amélie’s books? I mean this one boasts forbidden romance, Chinese mythology, rivals to lovers, magic trials… what more can you even ask for.

As with her previous series, Amélie is a brilliant writer who weaves mythology and stunning visualizations into her writing, and this book is a masterpiece. I loved the characters, the tropes, the dangerous trials, and the forbidden pull the love interest has. Okay and then the ending? Shit! What a twist (not unpredictable but a crazy one nonetheless that had me feeling all the feels) and now I’ve no idea how I am supposed to wait for the next book! What a treat of a read that I will certainly re-read once I get my preorder.

5/5- go preorder it!!!!!!!!!!

When I started reading this book, I thought it would have the same stunning sceneries as Song of Silver, Flame like Night (one of the author’s other book wich I loved). My expectations were not met on this point.

However, this book was still good with a lot of elements that I love to find in asian fantasy. Such as the magic in the universe, legends and histories wich build a lot of lore to the story. The world-building is also really promising for a dark fantasy and I really hope to see more in the second book!

I also much enjoyed the dynamic between Àn’yīng and Yù’chén, it’s really giving enemies-to-lovers but also right person wrong time kinda romance and I love love love that! I can’t tell you how much I wish to see more of Yù’chén’s back story in book 2!

There’s also, as said in the book description, a trial wich is a big part of the books, and let me tell you if you enjoy combat scene you will love The Scorpion and the Night Blossom! Boy how good there were, I was amazed!

This is almost a perfect but it is missing a few things to me, like more whimsical descriptions of this universe, a more developped building of the relationships between the characters, and I also wish the resistance had been more developed. Hopefully this last point might get better in book 2.

Asian fantasy is often a hit or miss for most readers, and this one didn’t disappoint (much)! I highly recommand it if you generaly like asian fantasy, enemies-to-lovers or forbiden love tropes and if you liked the author’s previous duology

Thank you so much NetGalley, Random House Children’s and Delacorte press foir this ARC in exchange of my honest review

I have read another series by Amélie Wen Zhao so I was thrilled to get this ARC.

Asian-inspired enemies to lovers with trials and some crazy twists. Potential love triangle maybe?

“Disarm me.” #iykyk

Dragon horses… yes. So cool.

The world building through imagery was beautiful.

I didn’t like that the FMC had to be saved in every conflict she encountered.

I did not predict that ending and any time an author can make my jaw drop, bravo.

I haven’t teared up from a book in a while - heart wrenching at times but beautifully so.

Ya know, I thought I had grown out of YA but this was honestly really good. YA authors… TAKE NOTE.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this eARC in exchange for a review.

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom is the book that every fantasy fan needs - I loved every moment of this dark, heart-pounding fantasy. Amelie Wen Zhao's writing is utterly gorgeous and transports the reader directly into the lush world of gods and monsters. The worldbuilding is intricate, rich, and develops throughout the book, and the characters are complex and human.
I loved reading about An-ying's development, and her fierce protectiveness over her family made her a really admirable and realistic character. I liked that she wasn't perfect - she can be cold, she can be cruel, and she's not perfect, but she develops beautifully over the course of the story. The chemistry with Yu-chen was excellent and leapt off of the page.
Readers will be happy to know that this is a true enemies-to-lovers story, with shifting loyalties and a constant push and pull between An-ying and Yu-chen as they are forced to confront their loyalties and preconceptions. I also really liked Hao-yang's character and I cannot wait to learn more about him in the sequel. All fans of epic fantasy, wuxia films/novels, and enemies-to-lovers romance will love this book!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC!

Everything I could want in a book. Zhao is becoming one of my favorite after this is my second book I've read from her. She has the perfect mix of world building and character development which makes it a wonderful creation of tension, action, mythology, magic, development and more. I think she has an amazing talent and now has a true fan with me

This one’s for the c-drama girlies.”

That’s me; I’m the chinese drama girlie.
And you know what? It’s accurate. It has the action, the ill fated romance and tragedy of a xianxia drama and the fancy wardrobe to go with it.

It’s Journey of Flower with the angst of Ashes of love and the romance of Back from the brink… and the classic star crossed lover situation I fall for every single time.

For those who have read the Celestial realms duet, you might have a sense of deja-vu: girl wants to save her mom, learns about her heroic father, gets entangled in a potential love triangle (it’s complicated) and ✨dragons✨. It’s kind of a cliché story, with predictable twists and cliché tropes… but there is a reason I will watch most costume dramas.

It’s the best.

The scorpion and the night blossom is entertaining, addictive, and had me hooked rather quickly. It’s not smooth sailing like the last drama I watched and has the potential to rip my heart out a few many times, and I’m excited to see where it goes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘮 combines elements from our favorite YA books of the early 2000s in a fresh, invigorating, and opulent story. It's a dark, dangerously addictive Chinese romantasy with enchanting mythology, a high-stakes plot, and complex characters.

We follow a strong female protagonist, Àn’yīng, as she reluctantly leaves her dying mother and younger sister in the mortal realm while she seeks a pill of immortal life to save her mother in the Immortality Trials. As the Trials advance, Àn’yīng finds herself unprepared, attracted to her rival-turned-ally, and suspicious of a likely monster lurking in the dark of the candidate's palace. She's also uncovering mysteries from her childhood, including the identity of her protector and his connection to her father, as war between realms looms on the horizon. Unbeknownst to Àn’yīng, she may play a larger role in the fate of the world than she ever could have imagined.

I really enjoyed the sensical character motivations, mesmerizing world, and fast-paced plot. It's well-written, mystical and immersive. I was very invested in Àn’yīng's, and even Yù’chén's, well being in the ancient, deadly competition with demons (and romance).

My only complaint lies with Àn’yīng, who is supposedly a strong defender of her family against the mó, yet she is saved over and over by Yù’chén, her friends, or her pendant guardian, and I wanted her to display more competence and self-sufficiency through the Trials. The minute she steps foot in the immortal realm, she's viewed as the weakest and most incompetent, and it seemed strange and unfitting to me. I didn't want her to not need any help, but I was disappointed that she had so much assistance from others. Also, Yù’chén, our brooding love interest, didn't have his backstory revealed until the end of the book, and I would have ideally enjoyed a bit more from him in this first book!

Zhao masterfully crafted this addictive story, and I am eager for the next installment!

Also... the sewing kit. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘵!!!! Iykyk.

An advanced digital copy was received from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Amélie Wen Zhao is an author whose books I always enjoy, so I was thrilled to get an ARC of this one. The story follows Àn’yīng, a girl living in a world overrun by demons, who enters a deadly competition to save her mother’s soul. Armed with crescent blades and her skills as a practitioner, Àn’yīng battles the mó (demons), with unexpected aid from a fellow contestant, the mysterious and powerful Yù’chén.

As in Zhao’s other books, I fell in love with the world she crafted. I’m drawn to apocalyptic survival themes, and this book has a touch of that. Àn’yīng and her family live in a warded village, but she must venture beyond the wards to support them, showcasing her resilience and skills. The world is dark and full of eerie creatures—the descriptions of the mó are particularly chilling, immersing me fully in this dangerous setting. I also loved the contrast between the Immortal Realm and the Realm of Rivers (the mortal realm); Zhao’s vivid descriptions made the divide feel strikingly post-apocalyptic.

Àn’yīng is a relatable character, carrying heavy burdens and a deep-seated resentment toward the mó. She’s steadfast in her values, yet her worldview shifts when she encounters Yù’chén, whose interest in her adds complexity to the story. He’s dark, brooding, and powerful, though he remains enigmatic for much of the book. I would have loved to see more of Yù’chén, especially since his reasons for joining the competition are only revealed at the end. I’m curious about his backstory and how his relationship with Àn’yīng might evolve in the series.

While the pacing felt swift, focusing primarily on Àn’yīng’s trials, I wished for a bit more of a “level-up” journey for her character. Her growth seemed sudden at times, and I personally enjoy a gradual montage of skills development. The ending, while not a major twist, left me intrigued and eager for more.

Overall, I’m excited to be immersed in another world by Amélie Wen Zhao. This book is a strong start to The Three Realms series, and I can’t wait to see where Àn’yīng and Yù’chén’s stories lead.

Thank you again, NetGalley, for the ARC!

A dark romantasy featuring rivals to lovers! Sign me up. And it’s a dark Chinese romantasy?! I’m so here for the representation.

We have An ying, a badass FMC who steps into the role of protector after a war between the Kingdom of the Night and the Kingdom of Rivers leads to deep divide within her own family. Now, An ying must survive the Immortality Trials - with the prize of a pill of an eternal life at the end. The immortal realm though is shrouded in its own secrets and An ying must evade death at every turn.

This book is filled with a fast paced plot and multi dimensional characters. The blossoming romance between An ying and Yu chen adds a layer of emotional depth to the story that I absolutely loved.

I absolutely cannot wait to find out what the conclusion is to this enthralling duology.