by Joan He
First published 2019
Princess Hesina never wanted the crown of Yan. She preferred avoiding royal duties to embracing them. Then assassins kill her father, the king. The crown falls to her whether she wants it or not. Hesina refuses to let her father's murderer escape justice. She breaks the kingdom's most sacred law by hiring a soothsayer. Magic practitioners face execution in Yan. The ban has stood for centuries. But Hesina needs answers that conventional methods cannot provide. The soothsayer's revelations leave Hesina questioning everyone around her. Even her own family becomes suspect. She turns to Akira, a brilliant investigator with a criminal past. He carries secrets that could destroy them both. Together they hunt for the truth in a kingdom where political enemies lurk in every shadow. The investigation threatens to topple Yan itself. Hesina must choose between personal justice and her people's stability. The wrong decision could cost her everything she holds dear.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, fantasy, political-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Yan
Period: Ancient
13 pages · Audio CD · Dreamscape Media
Content warnings: death, murder