4⭐

Thank you to Tesia Tsai and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 is a sweeping debut inspired by the Chinese folk practice of necromancy, where a corpse-driving priestess is desperate for money to help her sick father, accepts a job that promises a generous commission, and travels to a hostile state to retrieve the corpse of a missing prince but all is not what it seems.

I found out about this book from a STREET team I joined and this honestly did not feel like it was a debut because of how well it was written.

Deathly Fates follows 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐢𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠, a priestess with the ability to reanimate souls — a form of necromancy and purify souls. She's secretly a smuggler under the radar, desperate for any money to help pay for her father's treatments for his declining health. She's a strong and sharp character, who is unyielding with a mask but is deep down compassionate and fiercely protective of the people she cares about. She is willing to do anything for them, even if it means enacting vengeance because there is no line that she wouldn't cross. She's in heart a true morally grey and complex character. She carries rage and grief like an armour and compassion like a gift to all.

𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐮, the second Prince of his Kingdom, the son of the King's favourite consort is unlike everything that his family's reputation precedes. He was cheeky, playful and sweet-tempered, a man who easily believes and trusts anyone because of the privileged walls he's lived in. He was shelter and comes off as a coward because of his actions but as his character is explored, his development is such a wonderful by the end. He's the perfect example of those 'funny, green flag' main male characters that readers want more in books.

The romance between Kang Siying and Renshu was one of my favourite aspects of the book. Their dynamic started slow and steady and slowly progressed to yearning and love. Their love story was not the main parts of this book and as a subplot, their romance was very well explored.

Tesia Tsai's writing is very simple and easy to follow, beautiful and poetic at times and descriptive enough to give us vivid images of the lush backdrops of this tale. I was impressed by the pacing which was very well managed for the timeframe and the writing style for this narrative was extremely easy to follow.

Deathly Fates deals with a lot of themes. Themes of grief, vengeance, civil disparities, war, privilege, culture, power and control are heavily explored. The political intrigue serves as a backdrop, haunting the narrative. The silent war and tensions between the Sian King and the Wen Government was brimming in the backdrop, a nation pushing for independence while the Empire was on the verge of collapsing.

For fans of Chinese Folklore, necromancy, political intrigue, xiansia-inspired fantasy and romantic subplots, 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 by Tesia Tsai is the perfect read.

This is an amazing book. I really liked it and will probably buy a physical version when it comes out. I really liked all of the characters in this book. Just about everyone felt real and fleshed out. I especially loved reading about the evil spirits in this book and learning about their stories. I really appreciated that everyone’s backgrounds and motives were different and believable. The world building in this book was great. I loved learning about how the world worked along with its magic system. I loved Kang Siying as our main character. I felt that she was really relatable and well written. Also I absolutely adored the slow burn romance between her and a certain prince. Overall this was a really good book and I look forward to reading it again.

(Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC)
I loved the plot as well as the characters. Siying is a well-written main character who feels honest and relatable. It was interesting reading about her job as a priestess and how she tends to her responsibilities. The banter between her and the love interest was fun to read, and I enjoyed the side characters as well. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

this is an amazing debut that you do NOT want to miss! the characters had depth, the plot was plotting, the magic was unique and I really hope that there is more to come!

A sweeping debut inspired by the Chinese folk practice of necromancy, Deathly Fates is perfect for fans of Descendant of the Crane, The Bone Shard Daughter, and A Magic Steeped in Poison.

Deathly Fates
by Tesia Tsai
Pub Date: Apr 14 2026

As a priestess paid to guide the deceased home, Kang Siying has never feared death. But when her beloved father collapses, Siying realizes that even she is not free from the cruel grasp of mortality. Desperate to provide her father with the medical aid he needs, Siying accepts a dangerous job that promises a generous commission, and travels to a hostile state to retrieve the corpse of a missing prince.

But the moment Siying places her reanimation talisman on the dead prince's head, rather than make the corpse obedient to Siying's commands, the talisman brings the prince back to life. Worse, he won't stay alive for long—not unless he absorbs enough qi, or life force, to keep his soul anchored to his body.

In return for a reward worth twice her original commission, Siying agrees to aid the frustratingly handsome prince in finding and purifying evil spirits for their qi. But as they journey across the countryside, encountering vengeful ghosts and enemy spies alike, they gradually uncover dark secrets about the prince's death—secrets that could endanger both Siying's father and their entire kingdom.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and St Martins press for allowing me to read this early! I stayed up all night to devour it. Excellent writing with an interesting but easy to understand magic system and world. The romance was very well done and the quest moved quickly enough to have me turning page after page to know what would happen next. My only regret was there wasn't more lol if you like anime, forgery of tate, daughter of the moon goddess this vill be right up your alley.

This book was so beautiful and so well written and I really wanted to savor it but I could not stop reading and wound up devouring it in less than two days!

Kang Siying is a priestess who reanimates the dead to shepherd them home to loved ones. When Siyang takes a risky job to earn enough money to buy her beloved father the medicine he needs, she gets far more than she bargained for. Not only does the corpse come back to life, he's a prince and his life force is hanging by a thread! Convinced to help him for twice her original fee, Siyang and the prince must travel back home while searching for evil spirits to purify so the prince can absorb their qi and fully return to life. Along the way Siyang and the prince grow as individuals, unraveling political secrets and truths, and grow closer together.

I adored Siyang and the masterful way in which Tsai guided her character arc. The prince was delightful and the warming of their relationship was so lovely. Despite the vulnerable truths and poignant political commentary, this story was so fun and retained a thread of hope throughout.

Absolutely fabulous read and one I will be returning to when it publishes in April!

— 3.5/5★
this book was an amazing ya fantasy and it had so many elements that made me enjoy it!

: starting with the characters
— kang siying : she had a clear motive from the beginning, which i really appreciate in a main character. she was determined to help her father and she used that to drive her. i loved reading her inner monologue as she was falling for ren. it felt like labyrinth by taylor swift in the best way possible. siying was overall such an interesting and likeable fmc!
— prince renshu : i loved ren so much. he was such a sweet and kindhearted mmc. his character arc was pretty good, but my favourite part was how even though his idea of royal duty changed, he remained as kind and funny as he was when siying and him first met.
these two were reverse grumpy x sunshine and they had so much chemistry from the start!

there were many things that tesia tsai did well with this book. first, i liked the magic system in this book because it was unique and fleshed out, but still easy enough to follow. the world building was really interesting because we got a clear idea of the political situations and the different kinds of people they interacted with on their journey. the pacing was done really well too, which is the reason i was able to finish this in one sitting!

there was not much i didn’t like about this book, but one thing that didn’t make this a 5★ was that the plot was a bit repetitive at times, and that took away from me being really intrigued at what would happen next. i also wish that siying’s dad had more page time, since he is the reason she is on this mission in the first place.

overall, deathly fates was such a good debut, and i would love to read more books set in this world because there is so much more that i would love to read about siying and ren, or even about the kingdom after ren takes the throne.

I have to say that the Prologue gave me the chills, imagining the ganshi priest with the undead trailing behind him walking up the street with the houses windows closed, very compelling. But as I progressed, I find the pacing fast and the world building is not great… poor transition of scenes and I sometimes feel that characters have double personality with how fast they shift their ideals (looking at you Ren, you were idolizing your dage all your life then suddenly flipped with no hint of that idolatry?). I also find the writer’s use of contraction too much, there are lines where it would be better to not use it at all to evoke the emotion.

I truly enjoy the earlier horror part of the story (I stopped reading when dusk hits as I get afraid I would dream of the evil spirits); I wonder if the author initially intends this to be a scary novel or with no romance at all?

Siying, our ganshi priestess, I love her. She is a strong, loving, independent woman who deserves someone she can depend on. I love Ren for her (though sometimes I scream for Ren to get some balls and be the man Siying needs), a soft man that I hope learned to be truly brave and protect the people he cared about.

This is good for a debut novel, personally love the story but I feel with great writing techniques this would have been a favorite.

3.8 rounded to 4

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC!

What a fantastic debut!
The story captivated me from the first page to it's sweet ending.

I enjoyed the cultural and historical context included in this book, not to mention a Death Priestess.

Siying was a strong and solid FMC. Ren was a sweet and endearing MMC as well.

If you enjoy reading YA with romance, duty bound stories, and historical aspects - pick this book up!

I will definitely be looking forward to Tesia Tsai's future releases.

I really liked this. It was a quick read that kept me entertained from beginning to end. Plus, necromancers!

This book was an interesting read for sure! As far as asian fantasies go, this one was different from the others that I have read. In a good way! I enjoyed the book overall and would love to read the finalized copy as well.

I just have a few points to make. Siying's father has so little screen time for someone who haunts the narrative. He's brought up so many times and Siying's entire existence is built around trying to save her father, yet...we get so little time with him. I wish we had seen more of that relationship throughout the book in order to really feel the impact of his sacrifice. It would have made her lashing out so much more impactful. The lack of substance regarding the relationship between her and her father made her character arc feel like it came out of nowhere. I almost got whiplash when she had made a turn for the worst and suddenly decided to become a vengeful person.

The only other complaint I have is the pacing of the book. it felt very...fast and lacked transitions. One minute we're here and the next we're here and the plot thickens and thins at the same time. It just needs some fine tuning.

That being said, it didn't make this book not enjoyable. I devoured this book pretty quickly and would love to read another title by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up

In her debut novel, Tesia has knocked it out of the park! In the romantasy genre, there has always been a lack of asian representation and I was excited to read this. It was refreshing to read something that wasn't a retelling of another asian fairytale.

This has no spice, but not juvenile so it's perfect for all ages.

The only gripe I have is that the fighting portions had so many holes and inexcusable missed attack opportunities.

Siying is a special kind of priestess, one who can control the dead as she helps them along to their final resting place. When she accepts a risky mission to retrieve a corpse across warring state lines to earn the money to save her ill father, the last person she expected the corpse to be was the second Prince, Ren, or that he would still be alive! But for Ren to stay alive they must purify and capture qi all the while dodging soldiers and trying to figure out who set him up to die. Along the way they just might find themselves falling in love.

Siying was a refreshing protagonist in a world of YA heroes who are all rash, daring, and rebellious. She is calm, practical, and duty-bound. Ren, on the other hand, was her complete opposite: charming and teasing, carefree and handsome. They were the perfect compliments to each other and I greatly enjoyed experiencing them growing closer.

Siying’s power was really refreshingly different as well. I have read a lot of Asian fantasy, both written by English authors and Asian authors translated into English (by fans and publishers) but her gift of controlling corpses for benevolent purposes was the first time I had seen it used that way.

I think this book would be a great introduction for anyone trying to get into Asian-inspired fantasy (as the culture is vastly different from Western culture and can be confusing to new readers) but also to fans who are already interested in anime (especially popular animations like K-Pop Demon Hunters) or Asian mythology.

I loved this book! In a genre of mediocre stories featuring one dimensional characters, this was an epic, and one that I hope more people would read. Overall, this book captivated my attention throughout and I think it’s perfect.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those rare books that grabs you from the beginning and didn't run you lose till the end. It has a little bit of genre you can name zombie check quest check political intrigue check

This is an absolutely beautiful debut fantasy novel! From the compelling characters to the richly described setting to the well-woven plot, I loved every moment of Siying and Ren's story. Their character growth along their journey had me cheering them on even when things looked bleak and hopeless, and the ending was perfect...even if I was shedding some tears along the way. I highly recommend it!

Deathly Fates is a strongly written debut, immediately dragging the reader into its world. I loved almost everything about this book, especially the first few chapters that just seemed to drag me in. The writing feels simple, but in the perfect way. As someone with limited knowledge of Chinese folk customs, I was able to keep up as well as I can with any other novel. Not just keep up, but I could enjoy it too!

The romance between the main characters was one of my favourite things. The progression was slow and steady, molding into something that I had ended up rooting for the entire book. When I say "bring back slowburns", Deathly Fates and its romance is exactly what I mean. Kang Siying's character development, especially her feelings of acceptance and care towards Prince Renshu were so sweet to read. And the way Ren himself was just all around a wonderful person. He's the perfect example of those 'funny, green flag' MMCs that I've been missing as a reader. Like, he has an actual personality instead of hiding behind the mysterious facade (shocker, I know). I love his character so much.

The pacing of the book was something I had a little bit of hesitance on. I enjoyed the first 85% of the novel so much. I had gotten used to the slow and steady pacing by then, the way things were being described and very clearly depicted. I think near the end, the pace picked up a bit too much in comparison to the rest of the book. It was still an enjoyable read, but I definitely found myself stressing a bit to wonder if the story would be resolved, ha!

The ending was nice, a pretty little bow that sealed things sweetly. I'm a bit used to reading series, so I was kind of shocked at how quickly and neatly things wrapped up. But I loved the way it all ended, it was amazing!

There are some heavier themes that sink under the nice and neat ending. The war, the bodies, and the way Siying's entire mood shifted after the bridge at the end. I would've liked to see that bit drawn out for a bit longer, or at least the aftermath of what she felt. However, I'm not upset with the ending or with the way things were handled. The soft and sweet conclusion was worth it for me.

Overall, Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai is a strong debut novel, incredibly worth it for fans of standalones with happy endings. I'd recommend this to friends without a doubt!

I loved this! It was the perfect blend of magical, adventurous, and romantic. I adored Siying so much as she’s both strong and relatable and I couldn’t help but root for her. I’ve never read anything that incorporates Chinese folk necromancy practices, so this added such a unique layer to this story. The twists and secrets that unravelled had me hooked throughout. I also loved the spoiled prince and the dynamic between him and Siying. Themes of mortality and corruption definitely had a lasting impact. Overall, such a wonderful story and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this e-arc💕

This was such a fun read! I'd definitely recommend it for fans of Keshe Chow - it has the perfect immersive and hooky writing, fast pace, and high-tension romance I ADORE in YA fantasy novels! I loved how strong and determined Siying was—I'd follow her through any adventure - and this one, with the mysterious prince and its spirit worlds was so so good. I'd love to read more by the author, especially if they write a fantasy series!