Jia Yi can move between life and death. When she unexpectedly discovers her power, she is tasked with finding an ancient weapon that could change the fate of her country.

This book is so well written! I loved the magic system, the characters and the plot and found I just couldn't put the book down!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for review

Overall a fine and enjoyable read. I think it's just not exactly the kind of book that I typically like, but I picked it up for the intriguing premise and gorgeous cover and am happy to be given a chance to read it.

I love a good Chinese fantasy world with powers and tortured love interests. Unfortunately I didn't love this one. The plot was interesting but i just didn't really fall for any of the characters. It's understandably tough to juggle multiple realms of death and have it be so baked in to the story that it's not something to dear, but it kind of felt like the stakes weren't real.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of For No Mortal Creature in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. I really loved this story. I received the eARC a while back and just recently started reading and couldn't put it down once I started. I loved the strong characters and the cinematically haunting prose of this book. I will definitely be adding this author as one of my favorites.

What is dead can die again.

For No Mortal Creature by Keshe Chow is an eerie dark fantasy that centers around Jia Yi, a girl with rare resurrection powers, who must venture into the underworld to retrieve a legendary sword.

Hands down, my favorite aspect of this book was its portrayal of the afterlife. The story incorporates various types of ghosts from Chinese folkore—nǚ guǐ (vengeful female ghosts), shui guǐ (drowned ghosts), èguǐ (hungry ghosts), etc. I also really loved that the death realm has multiple levels, so ghosts who die are sent down to an even more dangerous level, adding to the stakes.

However, my largest issue with this book was its love triangle. I much preferred the relationship between Jia and her childhood friend’s ghost. I felt like they had more history and angst between them. Jia and the enemy prince, on the other hand, had a surprising lack of tension and animosity. For people from two rival kingdoms with centuries of blood feud between them, they trusted and warmed up to each other far too quickly. Their relationship doesn’t feel earned to me.

A take on Wuthering Heights that is a great alternative than a certain film coming out soon.

Jia, our protagonist, has the power to walk between realms, to cross between life and death, and leads us into a magical journey where two very different men vie for her affections. Lin is an ex whom she despises (maybe) and Essien is a prince who is very different than what he seems.

Each cinematic realm is fully realized, just as each character is fully fleshed. Jia is not without her flaws, but she is determined, strong, and a delight to follow and cheer for as she fights for her family.

This was such a romantic book, I loved the depth of emotion in the prose, and the arcs of our three main characters. Looking forward to more from Keshe Chow.

Unfortunately I dnf’d this book. It just wasn’t holding my attention. The writing was slow and clunky and repetitive. I made it to about 25% before I finally gave up and absolutely nothing had been revealed or explained. All I know is the main character wanted to get to her sick grandmother and had already died twice despite having no magic. It was a mess of characters with no explanation of why they were there and why the main character had issues with them. The prince from the neighboring country has her prisoner because he wants something from her and of course you can see their relationship from a mile away. Despite this being a YA, I had much higher hopes.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my review!

I was pulled in quickly to this book, often it takes a strong romance component for me to be interested in most fantasy books, but I felt that the storytelling was so intriguing to me that I did not feel like I was missing out by being pretty tame in the romance element.

The idea of the afterlife as layers, each with different struggles and dangers was really interesting to me. I felt that the lore was not too difficult to keep up with and I was on the edge of my seat while reading. [ I did feel like it was obvious that the reader was not being told the entire story with Lin and that it was going to be a silly misunderstanding. I wish there was more to that story as I did not fully understand what he did to be coined the "betrayer" throughout the majority of the narrative. I was pleasantly surprised by the plot twist with her sister and I was relieved that she was given more depth than just being jealous and petty. (hide spoiler)]

Overall I really enjoyed the writing style of the author and I would be interested in checking out their other works! I thought it had kind of a tragically beautiful tone, and while I don't usually gravitate to such stories I found it a welcome change from my usual reads.

Jia Yi is out in the forest one day looking for herbs when she winds up getting killed. You would think the story is over, but no, she finds out she has resurrection powers. She can move from the living realm and into the ghostly realm at will. When Price Essien finds out about her power, he tasks her with a mission to find a weapon that no one has seen in a very long time, and it is suspected to be in the ghostly realm. Jia Yi and an unlikely group of ghosts set off on their journey to look for this weapon, but she is not the only one looking for it and they will do anything to get their hands on it.

I loved reading about the different levels of the death realm, it captivated me, and I hope this is explored more in a future book. The shining star in this story is our leading lady Jia; we are learning along with her about her newfound abilities and cheered her on in her journey. This is tagged as a gothic fantasy inspired by Wuthering Heights, that is an apt description and I would also recommend it to fans of YA fantasy with a dash of romance.

For No Mortal Creature is a stunning book that had really promising elements in the story, the atmospheric writing and the horror really drew me in, but I fear that this author's writing is simply not for me. That being said, this was a Wuthering Heights retelling and its got me more curious as to how the original story goes so I will be checking that out now and maybe that can help me appreciate this story much better!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

For No Mortal Creature by Keshe Chow is a first person-POV YA Gothic romantic fantasy. When Jia hunts on the border between her kingdom and their enemy, she is killed in the woods not once, but twice, revealing that she has the power of resurrection. Jia is willing to ignore her powers when her grandmother dies under mysterious circumstances and Jia follows her soul to the death realm and chases after a legendary sword. But it’s not only her grandmother who she finds there, but also Lin, the boy she once loved.

This is marketed as being inspired by Wuthering Heights and the author has confirmed her love for the classic on social media. I have still not read Wuthering Heights or even seen an adaptation so I am woefully unqualified to state whether or not it feels like Wuthering Heights. Instead, I can say that it feels kind of like Dante’s Inferno because the death realm has levels that Jia and Lin go down to the different ones and Jia is not capable of physically touching Lin because she has one foot in the death realm and one in the living realm.

There is a lot of yearning in Jia and Lin’s chapters as the two are not able to actually touch but the feelings are present. Jia was in love with Lin before he died and has missed him ever since, but she was also rejected by him so she constantly tells herself that any possible affection he has towards her is not romantic. While I have not read Wuthering Heights, what I do know of Catherine and Heathcliff’s romance does feel reflected in their story.

This book just flew by. The pacing was fairly quick and it was written in a way that is easy to read and understand. The gothic prose felt fairly atmospheric and used the darker imagery and horror elements well making this one of my favorite Gothic romantasies so far this year. It’s not quite a horromance and it’s not quite a romance, but it's definitely romantic and it is full of yearning and mess.

Content warning for depictions of racism

I would recommend this to fans of messy romance arcs in YA fantasy and readers of gothic romance looking for a secondary world fantasy

･ﾟ 𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 ·˚˖‧
𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒏'𝒔 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝑨𝑹𝑪!

❝ After all, every good lie begins with a half-truth.
And every good betrayal begins with a lie.❞

╰𝚂𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚛 𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚎╮

✦ Pub Date: October 7 2025
✦ Rating: 4/5
✦ Genre: YA fantasy horror
✦ POV: 1, and flashbacks
✦ Spice: 1/5
✦ Age: 16+
✦ CW: De*th, Gr*ef, Vi*lence, M*rder

࣪ ִֶָ 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘 ·˚˖

She’s died once and returned, and survival means dying again and again.
A ghost of the friend she hates, a grandmother on the edge of death, a prince demanding a favor.
Who can she trust? How can she protect everyone?
Death is closing in on her from every side…

·˚˖ 𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 ˖˚·

The blurb hooked me right away, so I knew I had to read this one.

And once I started, the vibe and writing were so addictive that I just kept wanting to pick it up. I loved the writing style, it was so smooth, perfect for a cozy evening read.

It’s dark, death is everywhere, the plot keeps moving, someone dies, someone runs, repeat, lol. The afterlife here isn’t simple either; it has its own levels and rules. I just wish we’d spent more time exploring that world, because I expected more of an actual journey through it. There are also flashbacks that show what happened in the past and why the FMC hates the friend who died.

The ending didn’t blow me away, but it was still interesting. Honestly, I don’t even have the right words for how I feel about this book.

·˚˖ 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 ˖˚·

Early on I couldn’t figure out why some characters acted the way they did, one of them made sense later, but the FMC never fully did for me, and the ghost friend was a mystery until the end. They didn’t annoy me, I just didn’t always get them in the moment.

Oh, and there’s a love triangle. I’m not a big fan of those, but I won’t dock points for it, it’s not the usual type anyway.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the opportunity to read and review this book early.

This will be a spoiler-free review since it has not yet been published.

Here’s a general synopsis from Google that I think is accurate:
The story follows Jia, a girl with the power to move between life and death, who must venture into the afterlife to save her grandmother. To survive the complex death realm and find a legendary artifact, she must rely on the help of her former love, Lin, and her enemy, Prince Essien. The novel is inspired by Wuthering Heights and explores themes of love, betrayal, and revenge.

I really enjoyed most parts of this book if I didn’t think too hard about it. This is definitely a book I’d say to go into for a good time—not for a flawless plot without holes or faults. Without spoiling anything beyond what the synopsis provides, I felt like there wasn’t enough world-building or backstory for the characters and their struggles for me to fully grasp what the author was trying to convey. Honestly, I felt like the prince came across more as a friend, and the childhood friend/former love seemed more like the enemy… but is this an enemies-to-lovers story? No, lol—don’t go in expecting that either.

Overall, I was really just in it for the vibes and wanted to see how things wrapped up. The story has real promise, but it needs more development to better explain certain aspects and make the plot less confusing. At this point, I’m asking myself: Would I read book two if there is one? And the answer is a hesitant no—but still, a no nonetheless.

Despite really enjoying the author’s other book and spotting many promising elements (multidimensional afterlife, body horror, ghost magic), I didn’t enjoy this one.

A number of readers will probably love this novel and its intriguing worldbuilding. And there’s a lot of good stuff in here. Much of the story involves Jia navigating between different levels of the afterlife, which is a great concept. It reminded me of Inception or The Last Hour Between Worlds, though much simpler in execution and without the disorientation that really sells the premise. There are also some genuinely gruesome bits, which reminded me of the horror that infused the author’s other work, The Girl With No Reflection. I loved the notion of being haunted by one’s former lover. And of course, that trope of a protagonist having no magical powers and then discovering she has the most rare and magical power of all is also sometimes really compelling.

But there are some big hurdles. A lot of the plot is driven by a MacGuffin that I couldn’t force myself to care about in the slightest, and it’s capped off by an annoying deus ex machina. The melodrama is turned up to 11, and the relationships between characters (both familial and romantic) are tenuous, unbelievable, and supremely frustrating. Jia bounces between thinking Lin isn’t good for her to absolutely burning for him.

For No Mortal Creatures follows Jia Yi as she finds herself alive after being stabbed in the heart. She has a rare ability to move between the living realm and the world of ghosts—a world where her ex-best friend and former love resides. She’s content to ignore the ghost world until her grandmother passes away and Jia must venture into the afterlife to save her. With the help of two people she considers enemies, she doesn’t know who to trust or how she will survive the ghosts.

If there’s one thing I love in the fall it’s a gothic fantasy and Keshe Chow has delivered an incredible, phenomenal book I am thoroughly obsessed with! She is an incredible writer with the most beautiful prose and atmospheric settings. It was so dark and eerie and I loved the horror element. I adored the world she created and found it truly fascinating and utterly gripping. It’s super unique and such a cool concept. The twists are SO good, and the pacing was perfect. Also, the ending was top notch!!

The characters really shine in this one, especially with how things shift all the time and how the motivations change. It’s really well done and I loved the depth and layers. I really loved Jia’s character and her arc. She’s very stubborn and flaws and has a lot of internal struggle. I also thought her power was just super cool and interesting. The enemies to lovers element in this one was so deliciously good. Lin and Essien are so different, but both so captivating and intriguing in their own ways. Essien is definitely a love interest I will not stop thinking about for a while. He was SOOOOOO good and the ending was really truly great.

If you love gothic fantasy, gorgeous prose, and a killer romance, I’d highly recommend checking this one out!

Thank you to the author, Penguin Teen, and Netgalley for the arc!

This is a mildly spooky read that held elements from Chinese mythology, especially regarding the afterlife, and is perfect for spooky season. The descriptions of the ghosts and spirits were vivid and creepy but in a good way. I enjoyed reading about how death was different from the living, but I think the world-building of the living world was a bit lacking, especially the magic system.

For the first 50-60% of the book, I felt like it was really slow and there wasn't much action, making it hard to stay invested. However, after that, the plot picks up and gets more exciting. Although every character was compelling, I felt like they weren't as fleshed out as much as they could've been, especially Lin and Essien, whose entire arcs weredependent on Jia. I also felt like the romance was a little rushed and out of nowhere, and I would've preferred if the romance wasn't included.

While this was marketed as Wuthering Heights x Inception, I only really noticed hints of Inception and none of Wuthering Heights. Regardless, it was a fun and easy read that gives you a bit of horror without being overwhelming, fantasy, and romance.

“After all, every good lie begins with a half truth. And every good betrayal begins with a lie”

I don’t know what to say. But the immense layering of the whole story?! And the way it’s just so so AMAZINGLY WRITTEN?!

I went into this book blind, solely because of one sentence I’d read somewhere and oh god- Keshe Chow did NOT disappoint at all!

Liu Jia Yi… girl- the SHEER despair and betrayal you had to go through 😭😭😭
And Lin- okay I don’t wanna say much because I wanna keep this review as spoiler free as I can. But oh god- YOU ARE insaneeee (in a good way)
And Essien- sir… THANK YOU.
Idk why I just find the body in snow scene just so so AMAZING? I mean it’s just the deep emotions- ✨✨😭✋🏻

While reading this all I could think about was this was so good and this is kind of inspired from Inception and in the acknowledgments… seeing “inception” I was LIKE DAMN. ✋🏻

But the utter multilayers of emotions grief and the backstories— all interlinked and everything having a reason!? 😭✨ amazing!

Thank you Keshe Chow and NetGalleyy for providing me this ARC!.

A YA romantic, gothic fantasy inspired by Wuthering Heights? Yes, please.

Right from the striking cover, which perfectly reflects the broody and atmospheric tone, this book drew me in. I really enjoyed Keshe Chow’s debut, so I was eager to see what she would do next, and she’s delivered another story rich in mood, mystery, and emotion.

At the heart of the novel is a stubborn, determined heroine who refuses to be intimidated by the shadows around her. The gothic setting is laced with whispers of ghosts, dangerous secrets, and a simmering love triangle.

I loved the gothic tropes...haunted landscapes, restless spirits, the weight of grief and desire. For readers who love ghostly encounters, slow-burn romances (no spice), and secrets lurking behind locked doors, this will be a perfect autumn read.

4 stars

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. For No Mortal Creature will be released on October 7, 2025!

As much as the premise of this book excited me, I couldn't get into the plot or characters. The dialogue felt too mature for an overall YA book. It saddens me but I was overall bored while halfway through the book. For that reason, I'm giving this book two out of five stars.

Cover art? 10/10 gorgeous
The Plot? Wuthering Heights x Inception, with resurrection magic and ghost realms and a dangerous quest (f*ck yeah)
The Characters? *cue eye roll*

For No Mortal Creature has a lot going for it, with its unique, action packed storyline, macabre magic, and romantic plot.

And yet, I fear I may have hate read this one because I found the protagonist to be 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.

Jia Yi felt less like a fully realized heroine and more like a caricature of one. She’s dramatic, impulsive, the magicless outcast who spends her time hunting for food—until, surprise! She does have magic, and it’s rare and powerful.
Throw in a cringy love triangle between a sweet boy prince and a morally grey childhood bestie for extra trope points.

To its credit, the book clearly shines in its plot—the action sequences and worldbuilding were genuinely cool. But the characters felt one dimensional, and the “emotional” beats didn’t land with enough depth for me to connect. I get why other readers will love this, but for me the execution wasn’t quite there… and honestly, I probably should’ve DNFed it.