The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amelie Wen Zhao was a captivating read from start to finish. It had action, tension, love, drama and twists that kept you reading and on the edge of your seat.

The story follows Àn’yīng as she sets out to complete the Immortality Trials for her mother. She ends up meeting Yù'chén on this journey who has mystery surrounding him and who helps her survive. There might or might not be an additional character you'll meet that delivers some additional tension between Àn’yīng and Yù'chén.

All in all, this story is one I believe you will not want to miss out on reading if you are a fantasy romance lover.

I"M SORRY HOW DARE YOU Amélie Wen Zhao!!!! You had me fall in love with Yù’chén and Àn’yīng together and then you hurt me like THAT?! Yù’chén is end game! END GAME! He better be at least or I will cry like I did towards the end. Anyway Àn’yīng is great but I want more Yù’chén!

2/5 ⭐️ I DNF this book at 70%! Im surprised I made it that far! This is a romantasy and that means it ain’t for me! It was boring and I couldn’t understand the reasoning for the romance! The plot was dull too! Sorry but not sorry!

I really wanted to connect with this book, but unfortunately, I struggled to feel invested in the story. I felt like I was dropped into Àn’yīng’s journey without enough background or emotional buildup to truly understand or empathize with her.
While the writing itself was beautiful, I found there was a noticeable distance between Àn’yīng’s emotions and the reader. Her feelings were often told rather than felt, more descriptive than immersive, which made it difficult for me to form a strong connection to her character.

*Thank you to Amélie Wen Zhao, Random House Children's | Delacorte Press and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

I devoured this book in one day. It was so so good. The plot was well developed, as were the characters. I could not put it down. Only downside? Having to wait for the next book.

Rating: 4.5/5
Spice Level: 1/5

addicting from the very first chapter. It felt like a mix of Lightlark and the Hunger Games wrapped beautifully together. Àn’yīng fights with everything she has to save her family, her town and her people while uncovering the truth about the notes and pendant her father left her. The raw emotions Àn’yīng experiences throughout are hauntly captivating as she struggles with her morality. This book left me emotionally drained and contemplative. I will be thinking about it for days.

Note: Thank you netgalley for providing me a copy of this arc. All thoughts and words are my own.

The story follows Ànyīng, who must compete in deadly trials to gain a cure to her mother’s sickness. Dropped into a series of deadly battles, she must make an alliance with Yù chén, whose half-demon heritage critically makes them enemies…

This book, as many others have said, was not anything brand new, but it perfectly played on the popular high stakes trial trope that’s been circulating. While I wouldn’t say this book was my best of the year, there definitely wasn’t that much to complain about, and, by the end of it, I wholly enjoyed myself.

If you’re looking for an Asian-inspired read after finishing Carissa Broadbent’s Serpent and the Wings of Night, this is a perfect choice

This story had me with all the feels!!!! The twist and turns and the love triangle…….. OMG my heart could not take it!!!! And that ending I am desperate for the next book!!!

Oh, my. This might be my favorite Amelie Wen Zhao book yet.

This was an epic, unexpected, heart-throbbing, and heart-breaking adventure. We begin with the An’ying, a practitioner of magic from a village that has all but fallen to the invasion of the demon realm. She has spent her whole life fighting and hating Mo, and knows she will likely need to face more of them when she enters the Immortality Trials to win the ability to save her ailing mother. Enter: a truly terrifying trial that often leads to death.

Early on in this story, An’ying finds and allies with Yu’chen, and begins to uncover hidden truths about her dead father who also completed these trials in his youth. The story unfolds so beautifully from here, with the perfect mixture of action, magic, romance, world-building, unexpected twists, betrayal, friendship, and a lifetimes worth of hidden secrets. I truly adored every second of this, and found it struck the exact fancy I was in the mood for. I think this is this author’s most romance forward book that I’ve read, and while she upped the ante in that department, it really didn’t detract from how perfectly executed the plot was.

The ending has left us in a truly heart-breaking and unexpected spot, one that I’m chomping at the bit to learn more about what’s coming next. If you love fantasy, magic, deadly trials, C-dramas, twists, betrayal, STUNNING imagery, beautiful writing, and romance, you will ADORE this!

A massive thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte for allowing me to read and review this title.

This was such a fun and gripping read, with everything I love in a romantasy: a magic school setting, dangerous trials, high-stakes secrets, and a romance that you know is going to ruin you a little (in the best way). I've enjoyed Amélie Wen Zhao's previous work, so I had high expectations going in—and this book absolutely delivered.

The story follows Anying, a fierce and determined girl who's willing to risk everything to win a pill of immortality and save her mother. From the moment she arrives at the celestial academy, it’s clear that this won’t be a simple path. The trials are brutal, the magic is unpredictable, and demons are creeping ever closer to their world. But what really kept me glued to the page was the mystery surrounding the people around her—especially Yù’chén. He’s the type of character who keeps you guessing, but also keeps showing up exactly when it matters. Their connection was evident from the start, and although the love triangle angle wasn’t my favourite thing, I was rooting for them the whole way through.

The pacing is fast—at times it felt like I blinked and fifty pages had flown by. But Zhao still manages to weave in stunning imagery and rich world-building, with just enough poetic detail to feel immersive without slowing things down. I also really appreciated how distinct and memorable the characters were, especially the sibling bond between Anying and Meizi, which added some emotional weight in the quieter moments.

If I had one wish, it would’ve been for a little more time with the side characters and the trials themselves. I would have gladly read a longer book if it meant more development there. That said, I tore through this one and finished it in a single weekend—I was completely hooked.

The ending definitely left me needing answers (and maybe shouting at a character or two), but in a way that makes me excited to see where the second book takes us. Fingers crossed for a satisfying conclusion for these characters I’ve come to love—especially my favourites, who absolutely deserve a happy ending.

I can’t wait for the next book in this duology!

I liked this book a lot, but I didn’t love it. I can’t hardly remember anything about it after reading it if I’m honest.

I loved the book. It was a quick and easy read. Loved the world building, the characters and even the monsters. Loved the twists and turns. The reveals towards the end, had my jaw on the floor. I thought the story was unique. Would of loved to have seen more of the trials. Only issue was I pictured Àn’yīng as someone in their early teens but surely she was older then that. Maybe I missed or forgot that when reading. It was only because every time they describe her in comparison to the monsters and her size.

The audio was out by the time I got around to reading it and I enjoyed the narrator. But at times it felt like when she said some of the character names it sounded weird or like it was copy and pasted in. I don't know.

Looking forward to book two. Granted might be waiting awhile since this book only just came out.

This story had me captivated! I finished it so fast. The enemies to lovers, intense trials and plot twists were everything I needed. The story instantly drew me in and had me caring about the character and her journey to bringing her mom back. The relationship was a slow build with a satisfying peak and a heart wrenching drop.(I am dying to know if the end of the book revelations will change who Àn’yīng has her HEA with). The flow of the story was perfect in my opinion especially given that this is to be a duology. The plot kept moving and I did not feel like there were any chapters that had me thinking it should have been left out. The writing was 10/10 and made the world so vivid in my mind. There is something about Asian-Inspired fantasy stories that have been scratching a particular itch for me in a way I cannot explain. I will continue to eat them up!

This book was ok. I found the premise interesting but the execution was average. The writing was very beautiful though.

WOW.
I loved this book.
It’s rare I struggle to formulate theories while reading but this book kept me in the dark yet intrigued the whole way through. I found myself reaching for the most outlandish guesses just for funsies even though I knew they wouldn’t happen—I just couldn’t figure out what would.
The ENDING. I was gasping out loud and in awe. The final chapter wasn’t really anything I wanted from the story but I’m trusting the process that it’s setting up for everything to come.
I did struggle with the hyper fixation on certain words in various passages and I think the flower descriptions were maybe a little overdone (though these could hold some symbolism I missed), but these are minor qualms to a great story.

I need the sequel right this moment.

shock and awe. SHOCK AND AWE! Literally WTF Amélie really knows how to create a plot twist/end a story. The last few books I've read of hers have ended in a similar way but also in very good ways too. I loved Yù chén from the beginning (so I wasn't really all that happy when Hào'yáng was introduced. I felt like Yù chén was a better fit for Àn'yīng. He was funny and he pushed her to work harder and understood her so well. I'm REALLY hoping she ends up with Yù chén and not Hào'yáng. I'm sure he's a great guy but I haven't grown attached to him the way I've grown attached to Yù chén. Part of me thinks though that he might die and/or sacrifice himself for Àn'yīng so we'll see!

Wow! This is a breathtaking and highly promising start to a dark and opulent duology, with mesmerizing world-building that perfectly balances darkness and beauty, life and death, love and hate!

DNF @ 51%

Note that I had every intention of finishing this book. I was so excited for it, as I’m a fan of Zhao’s previous books. However, I just couldn’t push myself to do so with this one anymore.
Firstly, the title only refers to the main character. Her name is Àn’yīng which means night blossom and the mmc caps her little scorpion. So why would the title be her and her? I’m not sure.
Second, I never expected to read a Zhao’s book and not like the writing. In her previous works, I loved her writing. It was always beautiful and I truly connected to the characters. But in this one there was no soul to it. It felt really monotone and gave me nothing to feel or be excited for. The characters, the writing, when the plot felt lack luster and I can’t push myself to read more.
Zhao has a beautiful way of bringing her Chinese culture into these books and that’s so true. I love learning more about it, but nothing else is keeping me from dropping this.
I’m sure other people will enjoy this book, it has romantasy and destroy trials. Much to like! It just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for accepting my request and giving me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to publisher for the eARC via NetGalley - in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first time reading Amélie Wen Zhao’s works. The author’s writing style was great and atmospheric. However, it had tropes that I wish were turned on their heads. I was about to DNF about 10% in but I stuck with it in hopes it would improve. The typical romantasy tropes stood out and were predictable.

The story follows Àn’yĩng, who was trained to fight at a young age and experienced a traumatic event which set her on a path to be a protector for nearly a decade. She enters the Immortality Trials to win a cure for her mother.
On that journey, she comes across Yu’chen, who she mistakes for a mó and attacks. They enter the trials along with 42 other candidates (mix of mortals and halflings).

The two have a shaky relationship but essentially it is enemies-to-lovers. This is fine considering the Immortality Trials they compete in.

There is a twist toward the end that I found to be a deus ex machina trope. Nothing hinted that our protagonist was more than she seems. I don’t think needing to be rescued each trial was supposed to be the hint, because it didn’t show any hidden abilities for her other than the ability to get a man to save her.

While this book is 3 stars for me, I like the author’s writing style enough to try out her other duology.

I really enjoyed this book and looking forward to the second part!
I love the dedication of the main female character to help her mom and her sister, she goes on a dangerous adventure to get a pill of immortality for her mom. She uncovers a lot about herself and her past but also the truth about her family.
Enemies to lovers and a little bit of a love triangle make the story even more exciting!