The Scorpion and the Night Blossom blends Chinese folklore and strong characters in my second book by Amelie Wen Zhao. I liked the world building and plot which consisted of a high-stakes trial which kept me up wondering what was going to happen next. The inclusion of caregivers and caregiving in the beginning of the book was well-researched and written. I also felt for Ying who was now the sole breadwinner for her and her mother.

The romance was fantastic and I can't wait to read more of the author's work. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

This is one I would love to see as a movie adaptation! I couldn't wait to read this story since Amelie shared a little teaser last year and it was worth the wait. The world building was immersive from the very first page and I loved seeing the Kindom of Rivers and Kingdom of Sky from Àn’yīng's POV.

After a visit from a demon a decade ago devastates her family, Àn’yīng is finally given the opportunity to compete in the Trials Of Immortality so she can save her mother's soul. The journey to reach the Kingdom of Sky, where the trials are being held, is riddled with challenges and Àn’yīng meets many interesting characters on the way, particularly a saviour in the guise of a monster (or is it a monster in the guise of a saviour?)

The storyline was riveting, and I really loved all the relationships - especially Àn’yīng and her sister and mother, and with the romantic interests, but I wish Àn’yīng was stronger and some confusing behaviour on her part which made the story slightly predictable but, if you are a romantasy fan (like me) which is inspired/a fan of C-Drama/ lore, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one! The story personally picked up for me in the climax and the sequel holds alot of promise so I am excited to see where we will go next with this.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest unedited review!

Actual Rating: 3.5⭐

I’m a sucker for romantasy stories with deadly trials, so when I came across this book, I grabbed it without hesitation!

The world-building is immersive and easy to grasp, hooking me right from the start.
While the plot shared some similarities with another book I’ve read, it kept my interest enough to see the story through to the end.

The story dives straight into the journey of Àn’yīng, our MC, as she heads to the Temple of Dawn to compete in the Immortality Trials and secure the pill of eternal life to save her ailing mother.

I really admired Àn’yīng at the beginning. Her deep love for her family drives her to face dangerous challenges, demonstrating her courage and determination. With the training she received from her father, there’s a high chance she might succeed.
However, during the trials, this badass side of Àn’yīng felt underrepresented, especially after she encounters the love interests.
I hope the next book gives her more opportunities to shine and showcase her strengths—particularly her skills with blades.

Now, onto the romance.
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting a love triangle.
I was especially drawn to the tension between Àn’yīng and Yù’chén during the trials. Their love-hate relationship stood out and kept me guessing whether they would finally give in to their feelings.
As for the other love interest, the chemistry felt a bit flat, but after that jaw-dropping ending, I’m curious to see how the romance will evolve in the sequel.

The last few chapters ramped up the intensity, revealing shocking secrets and delivering a delicious twist that completely took me by surprise.
That cliffhanger ending left me desperate to dive into the sequel—I need to know what happens next!

In summary, this book is a good start to a promising romantasy duology.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and found it even more captivating than the author’s previous series.
I’m eagerly anticipating the sequel to see what fate holds for Anying…

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: violence, gore, death, blood, war, mild romantic content and slavery

I really, really enjoyed this book. For any of you who’ve been reading my reviews for a while, you may know that I’ve had a long run of being left unsatisfied by Amélie Wen Zhao’s books. For no reason I could really put my fingers on. But this one, I didn’t have that. This one I didn’t just like, I loved.

Amélie Wen Zhao’s worlds are always gorgeously described. I wanted to live in the Immortal Kingdom so badly. The ravaged nature of her hometown in parallel with this was a stark contrast. You could easily see the devastation the Mó have reaped on the mortal kingdoms. I found it really effective.

I loved Àn’yīng’s character so much. The determination of her. The love for her sister and her lover. The constant refusal to be prey even though the world is trying to force her into that role. She is probably gonna go down as one of my favourite characters of all time.

Though I feel like, being familiar with other books this author has written, I should have guessed a couple of the plot twists, this book left me guessing right until the end. Highly recommend.

DNF @ Ch 5, 17%

I wanted to love this book but sadly it just never managed to capture me, I was intrigued by the concept and initial introductions were fascinating. However the writing style wasn't for me and felt long... being told a lot of information and not seeing on page along with repetition.

Anyway the world building is stunning, truly comes to life on the page and I enjoyed the details. Sewing, weapons, pendent and how all were important in some way. The importance of family and intriguing revelations as leading into the story.

Yu'chen & Àn’yīng’s first meeting was entertaining, I adore action scenes and the sass between them was fun. Despite the sadness lingering and the cruelty of others heading to the trials, the deaths & mo lurking in the shadows.

Anyway I just didn't feel any desire to pick the book up again and every time I attempt I'm simply bored, it's not gripping me sadly... I think this was mentioned to be Adult as well, yet reads like YA style and characters.

I had a look at other reviews and looks to introduce possible Love triangle for future as well which is a hated trope of mine so I'm even less invested in continuing.

Amelie created this interesting and beautiful world that I enjoyed exploring.
A whimsical but dark story with lots of high stakes!
Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down!
I thought the world building was really interesting and I enjoyed how the romance was woven into the story.

Well that was a ride. I need the sequel like yesterday. How do I even begin to coherently tell you what this is about?

When Àn’yīng was 10 years old, the Kingdom of Night (aka demons) invaded the Kingdom of Rivers (aka humans), Àn’yīng’s father was murdered and her mother was left with half a soul. Nine years later, Àn’yīng decides to enter the Immortality Trials (imagine the hunger games) for a chance at healing her mother and uncovering her father's secrets. And that's where all the fun begins.

During the first trial she meets Yù'chén (imagine Damon Salvatore), who has entered the Immortality Trials for reasons of his own and they become allies, keeping each other alive. And I completly lost it for Yù'chén. He's like a lost boy kind of character, acting all stong but just wanting to be seen and loved. I don´t care what he is or where he comes from, I care about who he is and how he treats Àn’yīng. Yes, in true Damon Salvatore fashion he also keeps information from her. Yes, the intelligent decision would be to choose the nice guy, the Stefan Salvatore guy who has been nothing but good to her. But who doesn't want -and I quote Damon- "passion, adventure and even a little danger"?

I really liked the plot, its twists and turns and I kept wanting to pick up the book and continue reading. I like he writing and the pacing of the story. I´m not even mad about the love triangle that's brewing because -and I never thought I'd say this- it makes sense.

The only reason this is not getting 5 stars is because I'm not 100% invested. I enjoyed it a lot and would pick the sequel right now if I had it but I don't feel immersed in the story, I feel like I'm watching things happen from afar instead of being there side by side with the characters. Like I'm not fully connecting with them, if that makes sense.

definitely think this is a case of this book just wasn’t for me situation, and not that it’s inherently bad or anything - just nothing memorable.

I enjoyed the writing in terms of the descriptions and the scenery , did feel like I could really imagine the scenes, however the characters were underdeveloped for me, and I found myself not caring.

I think a lot of it had to do with the author telling rather than showing on many instances, and the pacing being too fast, meaning we didn’t get to sit in some moments like I would like to.

I think this could have benefitted from being longer (slightly under 400 pages) to allow for the development I felt it was lacking.

As mentioned though I don’t think this was written poorly, just nothing new for me personally

Thank you to Amelie Wen Zhao,
HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | HarperVoyager, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A romantasy duology with an enemies / lovers plot? We’re not reinventing the wheel here. First person present tense can also feel a little juvenile, and the whole ‘chosen’ FMC who’s so great at fighting but actually has to keep getting saved by a man is a little jarring. The writing could get a little repetitive at times too but I think it works as a fun, easy read for fans of YA fantasy. I may pick up the second book.

I loved this book. I loved the deadly trials, the romance was romancing. Enemies to lover is always going to be a fave trope for me and I like there was a bit of a rivals to lovers aspect to the whole thing. I'm not saying this was a perfect book but I'm definitely keen on book 2 and what's going to happen to the characters further in the story.

🌙 𝓣𝓻𝓲𝓪𝓵𝓼, 𝓑𝓮𝓽𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓵, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓦𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓷 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓼 🦂

A deadly competition, an unraveling mystery, and a romance laced with betrayal, The Scorpion and the Night Blossom is a story of survival, love, and the pursuit of immortality.

I fell in love with Amélie Wen Zhao’s writing in her Song of the Last Kingdom duology, so I had high expectations for this book, hoping for the same depth and emotional pull. While The Scorpion and the Night Blossom delivered strong intrigue and a world steeped in mythology, it didn’t fully meet my expectations.

Lately, I’ve been drawn to books inspired by Chinese mythology, and I appreciated how this story wove in those elements. The Immortality Trials should have been the heart of the book, but they often felt more like a backdrop rather than the main event. Àn'yīng rarely won trials on her own, which made them feel less impactful. However, the intrigue surrounding Yù'chén and his true motives kept me hooked, as did the twists about Hào'yáng’s identity and the killer reveal.

The romance left me with mixed feelings. Yù'chén is a mysterious and compelling character-one whose actions made me question his true loyalties. While I was firmly Team Yù'chén, the romance leaned into insta-love/insta-lust, which made it harder to feel fully invested. That said, some of the most emotional moments in the book came from his actions, especially a particular small yet deeply meaningful gesture involving a sewing kit that shattered me.

Amélie’s writing remains immersive, though certain descriptions became repetitive. Still, the book carried powerful emotional weight, and one line in particular stuck with me:

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

Overall, The Scorpion and the Night Blossom is an engaging fantasy filled with political intrigue, betrayal, and a romance tangled in fate. While some aspects fell short for me, it still delivered moments that left me breathless.

📅 The Scorpion and the Night Blossom was released on March 4, 2025.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Amélie Wen Zhao, and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5

It took me a little while to fall into The Scorpion and The Night Blossom by Amelie Wen Zhao, but I am so glad I did because when I fell it was head over heels!

I loved the characters and the tension in this story. Featured here is my @fairyloot version from February with the glorious endpapers from @afterblossom_art on display, but I was lucky enough to receive an ARC as well, so thank you @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for this opportunity.

This is definitely one for you if you enjoy
-trials
-immortals and mortals and the divide between them
-a conflicted love interest
-a potential love triangle threat
-wanting someone against your better judgement
-depictions of immorality
-discussion of those with different bloodlines not belonging
-political subterfuge
-enchanting settings
-an underdog heroine
-unexpectedly emotional storyline
-to desperately want the next book in the duology!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ instant five stars for making me cry because what else can you want from a book really?

#thescorpionandthenightblossom #fantasybooks #bookreview #bookrecommendation #fivestarread

I have to say that for almost half of the book, it’s kinda boring, and i can roughly guest the plot, like who’s the villain. But toward the end, it’s kinda good. We got some action there. TBH, I prefer SoSFLN duology better, but i’ll keep my judgment until i read the sequel.

An Ying has a difficult life, with a mother whose soul has been devoured by a demon, and now living like a zombie, and her father killed by the same demon. She determined to participate in Immortal Trials to get the immortal pill to save her mom. In her journey to the immortal realm, she met Yu Chen, a half demon who always help her. And she also get help from her guardian, ‘the jade pendant’.
While the trials are deadly, An Ying’s life secret slowly unravelling.

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao combines Korean mythology with unique worldbuilding and interesting characters.
It is a young adult novel, the violence is not so graphic and the story is about a girl who wants to save her family, especially her mother. To do so, she needs to earn a capsule of immortality. It will be no YA story without pretty and strong love interests. And we got two of them. Would you like an ultimate handsome good boy or an almost godlike bad boy?

I can recommend this story for its fascinating mythology and beautiful storytelling. It's a great opening to a new series.
Thank you, NetGalley for this opportunity.

I had trouble getting into the story in the beginning, I'm not exactly sure why. As the book progressed I started to enjoy it more, but overall it was pretty predictable, the characters fell a little flat, and nothing amazed or surprised me. The mythology is very interesting and the world building was good, and honestly that's all that made the book a little better for me.

3 stars

The scorpion and the night blossom. This book is more New adult than Young adult I wanna say at first. In the beginning I had a hard time to get into the story, this was mostly because I was struggling with the names of the characters. This book is a bit dark romantasy I would say in a Chinese world.

In the middle of the book I started to enjoy it more because of the tension and the relationships, but some things were a little predictable. The pacing in this book was good.

This book is the first part in a duology, I dont know if I will pick up the next book yet.

If you are into Chinese/Asian inspired stories this book might be great for you and you can give The scorpion and the night blossom a try.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this read, but will start this review by saying that formulaically, this bears a strong resemblance to The Serpent & The Wings of Night. That’s not a criticism, to be clear! I loved Serpent, but I am of the opinion that there are only so many ways you can formulate a book about deadly trials!

I thought the use of culture and folklore was wonderful, although I’m a sucker for mythology so I fear it may have been inevitable I’d love that aspect.

The romance was okay - the book is YA so definitely spicy, but certainly well written. A ‘he falls first, and harder’ rivals to lovers situation? Stunning. But I swear if this turns into a love triangle in the next book, I’mma lose it 👀

So from my previous comment you’ll be able to tell, I do plan on reading book 2 - it was certainly enjoyable enough and did intrigue me enough to continue, but I am side-eyeing mildly at the thought of a love triangle…

I'm reading allllll the good stuff this year!!

This was pretty cool. I always go into historical c-drama inspired books with caution, because I find the insta-love aspect really annoying. But I highly enjoyed this!!

Anying is a strong, motivated female lead, who knows what needs to be done to get the immortality pill to save her mother. On the other hand, Yuchen is a mysterious, cheeky love interest who you can't help but love. He is SOFT like you just want to cuddle him because of who he is and I loved their chemistry together!

The plot is well-paced and the writing is LUSH. It felt like I was in a whimsical world with the most gorgeous descriptions! My only criticism is that Anying's relatiionship with the jade pendant and her mystery 'guide' should've been expanded on more, because when the truth comes out, it fell a little flat.

Overall, this book had twists and turns I wasn't expecting! Highly recommend :)

2,5 stars rounded down

Normally I start my review with a small summary of the book but for the life of me, I simply cannot do that. I had a lot of trouble following the story and because of that I missed so much information. At the end I still had trouble remembering what name was for which character, they all sounded the same to me (I listened to the audiobook) and I could not distinguish the different characters.
Because of that I could not form a bond with the main characters. They honestly felt flat and they were pretty predictable.
I have to say, pretty much everything was predictable and nothing amazed or surprised me.

The pacing was ok, there were beautiful parts written out, but it does not weigh up to the fact that I cannot tell you right now what this book is about. It was just not interesting enough to keep my attention and at the end I was still not sure what the hell happened in the beginning and middle part of the book.

This is part of a duology, but I won't be reading the next part in this.

If you like Asian inspired stories with hints of mythology and that is just a duology, this might be for you.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

Look, this is basically exactly what is promised: a mythology-laden story with trials and a couple of potential love interests. If any of that interests you, great, you will have a good time with this book. If those are red flags, then this will not be your cup of tea, simple as that.

For me, this was an enjoyable and fast-paced read, and while I fall closer into the latter category of the above, I did think this was well-written. The book I read immediately before it was a debut work that struggled to find its voice, and that certainly wasn't an issue here - the writing was a standout in the story to me.

The other thing that I particularly enjoyed was the mythology and the worldbuilding. It was very vivid and opulent, which was also complemented by the writing.

Overall, a simple and predictable story, but with a good main character and some nice worldbuilding, a rather fun read nonetheless.

Thank you to the publisher, HarperVoyager, and to NetGalley for the ARC.