Published by William Morrow Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Paranormal
Format: Hardcover
Beautifully written book with a beautiful cover. It captured my attention from page 1 and it was very hard to put down. There was a not a single page that I did not want to read.
The long and short of it is that Li Lan, the daughter of opium addicted and bankrupt man (her Mother passed away when she was a child). Her father receives an offer by a wealthy and powerful family. The Lim family want her to become a ghost bride for their recently deceased son,Lim Tian Ching. .
After a visit to the Lim family home, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be husband, but also by her desire/crush/interest for the Lim’s handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is haunted by Lim Tian Ching. – a suitor who disturbs her in many ways.
After visiting a medium and feeling she has no options she “accidentally” takes to much “potion” and slips into a coma. This is really where the magic begins and the story becomes more and more interesting. She is drawn into the Chinese afterlife, full of ghost cities, deceased ancestors, hungry ghosts, demons, magic, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits, and, surprisingly, bureaucracy. In this Chinese afterlife she meets Er Lang, a type of official who becomes/acts as her guardian spirit. With Er Lang she learns that there is more to death (and life) than she ever imagined. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family’s darkest secrets and in the process learns about her own ancestors and their family history.
Such a fantastic book. Highly recommend.