Thank you NetGalley & Random House for the eARC!

This was a good last read for the year and my first dive into Chinese mythology! I loved the imagery throughout the book and enjoyed all of the characters. The ending took me by complete surprise! The Scorpion and the Night Blossom gave me The Cruel Prince vibes and I’m here for it.

Sadly, this was a DNF for me. I’m sure others will love this more than I did but I just couldn’t get into the writing. I wasn’t a fan of the characters. It just feels like it was something I’ve read before. I just wasn’t brought into the story like I would have hoped. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review!

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom has exquisite world-building that will immerse you entirely into the world of the three realms! I greatly enjoyed following An Ying on her journey through the Immortality Trials, and look forward to finding out how things will unfold in Book 2! Highly recommend for fans of the xianxia genre and historical fantasy C-dramas.

I absolutely ADORE Zhao’s writing. Truly, anything she writes I will read and I am so thankful to have been able to read this arc. This books is filled with amazing world building, a spectacular plot line and the character development is *cheffs kiss” I will absolutely be re-reading when it is published! :)

First and foremost, I received an arc from NetGalley. (Thank you!)

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom is full of action and some interesting characters. I enjoyed it for what it is. It’s fantasy with action, games and trials.

I received an eARC of The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao from NetGalley.

Àn’yīng and her sister have had their lives torn apart due to the ongoing war between The Kingdom of Night, where demonic creatures known as the mó hail from, and the Kingdom of Rivers where Àn’yīng and her sister reside with their dying mother. Their father died in this war and Àn’yīng’s mother was barely saved from death but now suffers an almost constant catatonic state. Àn’yīng decides to enter a tournament (called the Immortal Trials) with the Immortals in hopes for the immortal pill which is granted to the winner that will return her mother to her lucid state. Along the way, Àn’yīng forges unlikely alliances and discovers startling truths about herself and truths that could change the tide of the ongoing war.

This book was superb, and somewhere around 40% I blinked and was at 75%. I stayed up the rest of the night to finish it because I couldn’t possibly stop where I was in the story. The mó being reminiscent of vampires was intriguing for me. I loved Àn’yīng relationship with the friends she made during the Immortal Trials and some of the twist of some of the other relationships. I found the story fast pace, and our main character Àn’yīng complex; meaning she has a rigid viewpoint about some things in the beginning but as the story progresses so does she.

Thank You NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the eARC of The Scorpion and Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao. This book was addicting and suspenseful, and I can’t wait for the second part of this book in this duology to be released. 5/5 stars.

nine years ago, àn’yīng’s family was torn apart due to the war between the kingdom of night and the kingdom of rivers. now, she’s decided to enter the immortality trials with the hopes of healing her dying mother. death is common in the trials, but a rival contestant, yùchén, is helping her survive for reasons unknown to her. as the trials go on, àn’yīng realizes that all is not as it seems, and she has to decide if yùchén will help her or destroy her.

i was so excited when i heard amélie wen zhao would be releasing a new book! this was such a great start to a new series. i love books with trials, so i was eager for this aspect of the book. i loved how this played out, and i also loved how the romance was woven in through this element. this book had me hooked the whole time, and i can’t wait for the next one!

Heartbreak feels good in a place like this.

I think that I had guessed some parts of the big reveal(s) but I was still taken by surprise. I need book 2 immediately.

Amélie Wen Zhao has been on my TBR forever but this is the first book I've actually read by her. I need to read her other books immediately. Also, her dedication 😭

Àn'yīng is the eldest daughter of her family, trying to protect her mother and her sister Méi'zi nine years after demons attacked the kingdom, killed her father, and nearly killed her mother. Her mom is dying, and while Àn'ying can use magical flowers to help, there's only so much she can do. So with her jade pendant (which has messages from her secret protector), she sets out to compete in some magical trials in the immortal realm in hopes of winning a cure for her catatonic mother's illness. On her journey, she meets the Incredibly Hot and mysterious Yù'chén, another competitor who keeps protecting her even though she keeps pushing her away. But these Hunger Games-style trials aren't all fun and games, and something is off at the immortal temple.

I LOVED this book, and I need to have the second book immediately so I can find out if my little romantic heart will be satisfied.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House/Delacorte for this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc! The writing was excellent and I was hooked from the beginning. As someone who likes to watch c-dramas, this was definitely up my alley. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

I've been in a fantasy reading slump the last few months, and this book has single handedly revived my love for the genre 😭

💫 The writing is so so >>>>> I think I absorbed every single line and emotion written in these pages
💫 The love story??? I've never been torn more, I'm sobbing 😭 I can't say more because, spoilers, but this love story will wreck you
💫 It was a cliffhanger in the best possible way, I'm anticipating book 2 SO much (and no dread)
💫 Also the pure brilliance of the plot okay. Especially the twists revealed in the third act

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

While The Scorpion and the Night Blossom had some interesting elements, it ultimately fell short.

The main character, An’ying, didn’t resonate with me, which made it hard to fully invest in the story. Her actions often irked me, and it was frustrating that we didn’t get to see her true strength shine because of the men who constantly stepped in to save the day. This undercut what could have been a compelling character arc.

The romance also felt misplaced. Given the gravity of her mother’s dying situation, it would have been more impactful as a slow burn rather than rushing into it. The trials, which had the potential to add excitement and tension, were underwhelming and didn’t leave much of an impression.

Additionally, the book became repetitive in parts, which dragged the pacing and made the story feel less dynamic. That said, I did enjoy the cultural inspiration behind the story, which added a layer of richness and depth.

Overall, The Scorpion and the Night Blossom had potential but didn’t fully deliver for me. If the pacing and character development had been stronger, it could have been a much more memorable read.

Wow, I am speechless. This book not only took me on an emotional rollercoaster but gave me a story that kept me hanging on for dear life. This is the first story I have read by Amelie Wen Zhao and I am SO excited to dive into the rest.

The imagery in this book is absolutely mind blowing. I feel like I was transported to a different world full of mystique and wonder and beauty. I really appreciated how illustrious her writing and worlds are it is truly remarkable.

Secondly, the cultural themes and narratives in this story just gave me so much insight into the belief systems and traditions that influenced this tale in a way that piqued my curiosity to want to learn more (another motivator to go back and read the other series!)

I just truly was engaged whole heartedly in this narrative because of how well developed the characters were and how unpredictable the story line was and that’s what I look for in these types of titles, and this book totally delivered.

Thank you so much to Random House Children's Publishing and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest review <3

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The Scorpion and The Night Blossom is a dark fantasy duology with a side of romance. The plot moves fast and the stakes are high. An'ying joins the Immortality Trials in order to save her mother’s soul after a demon attack. Along the way she meets Yuchén, a fellow participant with an air of mystery. Their dynamic is full of tension due to mistrust, but she reluctantly teams up with him to increase her chances of survival.

I enjoyed the banter between An'ying and Yuchén, although An'ying’s behavior towards Yuchén felt overly harsh at times. However, her mistrust wasn’t without reason, and I’m curious to see how things play out going forward. The ending was unexpected and I love when a book surprises me. I look forward to reading the sequel!

Some of my favorite quotes:

"But meeting the right person at the wrong time, the right love in the wrong life, is a tragedy written from the start"

“Touch her and I'll show you how it feels to actually have aim."

"You have poisoned me, little scorpion, and I would gladly let you do it over and over and over again."

"Do you fear me?" he murmurs. "No," I lie. "I hate you." "Good," he says, and then he lowers his lips to mine.

This was such a wonderfully written, completely engaging read! I loved the world-building and am so glad this is a duology!

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom is captivating from start to finish. Àn’yīng is such a strong main character. I couldn't help but root for her, even when I didn't agree with her. I loved watching her empathy grow throughout the book as she questioned her own opinions. The two male leads are such brilliant opposites, and I adore them both in completely different ways. One is enticing and mysterious, while the other is warmth and safety, but they both have their secrets. And speaking of secrets, the twists and turns kept me on my toes. There was so much going on in this book, but it never felt like I was being overwhelmed with information. The writing feeds you lore and world building at a very palatable rate while still making sure you are fully immersed in the story. The ending left me with questions, theories, and so much emotion. I truly can't wait to see where the journey goes.

Thank you to Random House Childrens and Netgalley for the ARC.

Could. Not. Put. It. Down!! From the moment I began the authors intro to the story I knew I was going to be hooked. She uses this descriptive writing that has been unparalleled in about 90% of the books I have read. I knew right away that I would be transported into her world in the most exciting way. I can’t get my hands on another of her books soon enough! This is a must read, and this author will no doubt be a staple in my favorites list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for providing me with the ARC for this book for my honest review.

My Rating - 3.5/5

tl;dr - I am definitely not the target audience for this book but Amélie Wen Zhao's exceptional writing kept me engrossed

I'll start with a disclaimer saying that this story had too much romance for my taste but I was happy that this was explicitly called out in the book's marketing, unlike many other books that are "hidden romantasies".

Overall it had the great writing that I've come to expect from AWZ - I was already a fan of her prose which was what led me to this book in the first place, but I think this is her best work in that area yet.

I felt the worldbuilding was rushed a near the end with a bunch of pieces just kind of thrown together. The stakes seemed to increase exponentially out of nowhere, losing its impact on me.

Characters are well-written, especially the main character, but most of the side characters are flat and mostly non-existent.

Overall, this book is dark, has fun magic and tense situations with good PoV characterization and tremendous prose.

The beautiful xianxia backdrop was right there and yet Wen Zhao’s books continue the trend of stagnating my interest; I was hoping that this one would fare better, or at least, improve from the her latest duology but now I may just move on from the author altogether. My problem was not that everything was bad, just that everything was aggressively… fine. The strong-willed heroine with a cause, yeah, okay. The mysterious man that she teamed up with, cool, but still missing the spark. The “competition” was genuinely so chill and without inspiration, there was no urgency in it at all. The plot twist might be the one saving grace in all this but by that time I was tired of everything else.

Despite my harsh reviews, romantasy readers will no doubt eat this book up. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this earc!

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao is a darkly seductive tale of vengeance, loyalty, and forbidden love. Zhao’s lush, cinematic prose brings a morally complex world to life, filled with gripping twists and unforgettable characters. Perfect for fans of epic fantasy that blurs the lines between justice and revenge, this book is an unmissable masterpiece.

Set in a world ravaged by demons, the story follows Àn’yīng, a determined young woman who enters the deadly Immortality Trials to save her mother’s soul. The trials are fraught with danger, and Àn’yīng must navigate a web of alliances and betrayals, all while questioning the true motives of her enigmatic protector, Yù’chén
If you’re a fan of fantasy and adventure this book has that plus it’s both heart-pounding and heartwarming, you might find yourself Cheering the character on.
The ending leaves a few questions unanswered which I hope will be answered in the next book.
Rich, detailed world-building
Strong, relatable protagonist
Engaging plot with high stakes
Intriguing romance and character dynamics
Thank you netgalley