The Scorpion and the Night Blossom (The Three Realms, #1) by Amélie Wen Zhao
on March 4, 2025
ISBN: 0593813847
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Format: Chapter Book Fiction, Young Adult
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao

This fantasy novel is based on Chinese mythology. A battle between the Kingdom of the Night and the Kingdom of Rivers has been raging for years.  Àn’yīng’s mother was attacked by one of the demonic creatures that have multiplied within the mortal realm and now Àn’yīng plans to enter the Immortal Trials to save her mother’s soul.  Àn’yīng has been trained by her warrior father, who was killed by one of the creatures many years before. She goes into the trials, as she believes, well prepared to survive and be gifted immortality (which she will use for her mother).  She meets a handsome young warrior and although she knows in her gut she can trust no one, she starts to find herself breaking down her mistrustful walls.  Within the twists and turns of the plot, things do not go as expected and everyone has a secret or two that they are guarding.  

With good vs. evil, a quest, a love triangle, a reluctant hero, an underdog story, a mysterious mentor, magical objects, demonic creatures, and more, Amélie Wen Zhao has worked in everyone’s desired tropes into the plot of the novel.  For those who can’t get enough of this, the book is easy to get swept up in.  Frustratingly, the protagonist is extremely biased or discriminatory in that she judges others based on their birth, and while the reader expects that is part of a greater lesson to be learned or flaw to overcome, it doesn’t quite feel like it’s resolved.  The novel is the first of a duology.  The YA novel is best suited for the 14+ audience. 

Reviewed by Heidi Kopishke, Camden Hills Regional High School, Rockport, ME.