Publishers Weekly
03/18/2024
Deemed beautiful but “too odd,” 18-year-old Aihui Ying shirks her responsibilities as her family’s eldest daughter and instead dreams of becoming a world-class engineer like her father. Following his murder and armed with only his journal and a black jade pendant dropped by the assailant, Ying makes her way to the renowned, male-dominated Engineers Guild, the place where her father achieved great success—and where he stored his secrets. With help from an unlikely source—Aogiya Ye-yang, the eighth prince of the High Command—and using her younger brother’s identity as an alias, Ying gains a spot in the guild’s apprenticeship trial. Throughout the ordeal, Ying contends with guild masters who held contempt for her father, mechanical beasts on the prowl, and the killer, still at large, who seeks her father’s journal. A growing attraction toward the prince complicates things further, especially as he has an agenda of his own. Drawing on inspiration from Qing dynasty China to craft complex worldbuilding, debut author Chen employs vivid and sensory language to cleverly set the stage for Ying’s quest for answers—and revenge—in this gripping silkpunk fantasy that thrills from start to finish. Ages 12–up. Agent: Laura Crockett, Triada US. (June)
From the Publisher
A richly detailed and wildly imaginative book with some of the coolest retro-future tech envisioned on-page and an engineer heroine with the smarts to wield it! The steampunk C-drama of my dreams.”—Xiran Jay Zhao, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Iron Widow
"Drawing on inspiration from Qing dynasty China to craft complex worldbuilding, debut author Chen employs vivid and sensory language to cleverly set the stage for Ying’s quest for answers—and revenge—in this gripping silkpunk fantasy that thrills from start to finish."—Publishers Weekly
"[An] absorbing, deftly written story . . . A fascinating world with twists that will keep readers enthralled."—Kirkus Reviews
"An excellent starting point for new YA readers."—Booklist
“A twisting adventure filled with wild devices, rebellions against the natural order of things, and the battle between creation and destruction.”—Chris Kluwe, Lightspeed Magazine
Kirkus Reviews
2024-04-05
Wanting to follow in her father’s footsteps as an engineer, a girl disguises herself as a boy and travels to the city in this Chinese-inspired silkpunk fantasy.
Aihui Ying’s world is shattered when she witnesses the murder of her father. Although the elite Engineers Guild only accepts boys, she longs to become an engineer’s apprentice. Ying seizes the opportunity to leave her small village and head to Fei, capital of the Antaran territories. There, she’ll attempt to enter the guild’s annual trial and find A-ma’s killer. Although A-ma’s dying wish was for Ying to burn his journal without reading it, she takes it with her to Fei. Along the way, she makes an ally in Aogiya Ye-yang, son of the High Commander, who helps her secure a spot in the guild’s test. Ye-yang promises to keep her identity as a girl a secret, and an attraction grows between them. Ying also forges a solid friendship with another trial candidate with something to hide. As Ying and her new friend work through the various challenges the guild poses, the narrative hints at political upheaval stemming from the High Commander’s desire to overcome their enemy, the Great Jade Empire and its Qirin royal family. Ye-yang’s personal ambitions also increasingly strain his blossoming relationship with Ying. As secrets unravel and conflict erupts in this absorbing, deftly written story, Ying must question her own motivations.
A fascinating world with twists that will keep readers enthralled. (Fantasy. 12-18)
