Inspired by the legend of Mulan and steeped in rich Chinese mythol- ogy, THE NIGHT ENDS WITH FIRE is a feminist story about a woman who refuses to let her life be determined by the men around her. This first installment in a duology is accessible romantic fantasy at its best, featuring an immensely powerful yet snarky AF dragon
that fans of Fourth Wing’s Tairn will adore, and a love triangle that is sure to have BookTok pick- ing teams like they did in the glory days of Twilight and The Hunger Games. There’s fascinating magic rooted in Chinese lore, intense battles, and a heroine who is falling for the “good guy” yet undeniably attracted to her enemy.
The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft, putting his love for opium above his duty. In a desperate attempt to escape her father’s addiction and an impending marriage to a violent man, Meilin decides to enter the war under the guise of a man in her father’s place. Her kingdom enforces that women have no place in war, but Meilin refuses to let her path be chosen for her.
Life on the frontlines is no easier, and Meilin is at a disadvantage, struggling to conceal her true identity and making accidental enemies at every turn. Yet through her relentless hard work she finds friendship with an unlikely training partner—Prince Sky Liu.
As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price. With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide who she trusts—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew.
K. X. Song is a diaspora writer—with roots in Hong Kong and Shanghai—who portrays Chinese culture in a beautiful and authentic way. Song says, “THE NIGHT ENDS WITH FIRE takes my love for the Chinese wuxia drama–with its epic scale, star-crossed romance, and emotionally charged plot full of hairpin turns–and melds it with my interest in questions of female ambition and power, and what it costs.”
The first printing of THE NIGHT ENDS WITH FIRE will be an incredibly special edition, with gor- geous, shimmering jacket effects, brilliantly illustrated four-color endpapers, striking and de- tailed stained edges, and a beautiful foil-stamped case.
