I had a horrible reading slump in April and survived solely on hockey romances (that honestly got worse by the hour) but tHEN I FOUND THIS ONE. I don’t know what was in the water when June C.L. Tan wrote this book but what the actual f***??????
Mindblowing, I’m telling you.
The plot of this book is basically a mix between Chinese mythology, anime and some hidden nods to K-pop (ones I didn’t even realize I existed until I read the afterword, I’m gonna be honest).
Rui is a young exorcist with a single goal in mind: avenging her mother’s death. The story kind of goes like this: Rui meets Yiran – grandson of one of the most important ‘magic’ families in the city, but born without an ounce of magic in his blood. When an accident causes Rui’s magic to transfer to Yiran, both parties have something to gain, and to lose. In Rui’s case, her possibility to win comes in the form of a deal with a god, and having to find a god who doesn’t want to be found. In Yiran’s case, it’s keeping Rui’s magic as his own.
The book switches POV’s all throughout the story, introducing side characters and main characters the like. My favourite one is Zizi, a magician who openly dedicates his heart to Rui and also always wears pyjamas. If that’s not a vibe, I don’t know what is. There’s also some fraternity with the enemy (because why not) and, of course, some good old monsters. (Who, by the way, are sometimes very monstruous and sometimes just need a hug.)
One of the things that struck me when reading this book was the fluid use of gender and sexuality. I – as a queerio cheerio – obviously like it when there’s some queer representation, but I love it even more when it’s just a ‘tiny part’ of the story or plot. You know what I mean? When the focus is just 100% on the storyline, and whether or not someone is gay or queer or enby or trans does not change a freaking thing. Absolutely love that.
There’s no title nor date yet for book two, but I already know I’m gonna be reading it the day it’s released. Thank you, June C.L. Tan, for writing my new favourite fantasy.
