by Yangsze Choo
First published 2020
One evening, Li Lan's father asks if she would become a ghost bride. The impoverished young woman has few marriage prospects until the wealthy Lim family offers a proposal that could transform her fate. She must wed their heir, but he is already dead. Ancient Chinese tradition demands that unmarried men find brides among the living to achieve peace in death. Supernatural forces invade Li Lan's quiet world, cruel and threatening. She enters the spirit realm, a parallel reality inhabited by vengeful ghosts seeking retribution. Li Lan travels across the Plains of the Dead to uncover her intended's family's darkest secrets. The mysterious demon Er Lang accompanies her journey, working to prevent an otherworldly rebellion that could destroy both the living and dead worlds. Li Lan faces treacherous landscapes and deadly spirits while questioning whether she can escape her ghostly marriage. She wonders if returning from the afterlife will leave her unchanged, still the love-seeking girl who entered that perilous realm.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, fantasy, paranormal
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, supernatural-romance
Setting: China, Plains of the Dead
Period: Ancient
448 pages · Paperback · Znak Literanova
Content warnings: death