Darker by four

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Title:

Darker by four

Author:

Tan, June CL, author.

ISBN:

9780063283848

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

392 pages ; 24 cm

Subject Term:

Magic -- Fiction.

Revenge -- Fiction.

Gods -- Fiction.

Kings and rulers -- Fiction.

Mythology, Chinese -- Fiction.

Genre:

Fantasy fiction.

Paranormal fiction.

Romance fiction.

Summary:

Rui has one goal in mind, honing her magic to avenge her mother's death. Yiran is the black sheep of an illustrious family. The world would be at his feet, had he been born with magic. Nikai is a Reaper, serving the Fourth King of Hell. When his master disappears, the underworld begins to crumble, and the human world will be next if the King is not found. When an accident causes Rui's power to transfer to Yiran, everything turns upside down. Without her magic, Rui has no tool for vengeance. With it, Yiran finally feels like he belongs. That is, until Rui discovers she might hold the key to the missing death god and strikes a dangerous bargain with another King. As darkness takes over, three paths intersect in the shadows. And three lives bound by fate must rise against destiny before the barrier between worlds falls and all Hell breaks loose, literally.

Holds:

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	TEEN FICTION TAN	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Oakdale Library	TEEN FICTION TAN	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	TEEN FICTION TAN	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

The Shadowhunter Chronicles meets Chinese diaspora folklore in Darker by Four, the first in an epic contemporary fantasy duology from Jade Fire Gold author June Tan.

A vengeful girl. A hollow boy. A missing god.

Rui has one goal in mind--honing her magic to avenge her mother's death.

Yiran is the black sheep of an illustrious family. The world would be at his feet--had he been born with magic.

Nikai is a Reaper, serving the Fourth King of Hell. When his master disappears, the underworld begins to crumble...and the human world will be next if the King is not found.

When an accident causes Rui's power to transfer to Yiran, everything turns upside down. Without her magic, Rui has no tool for vengeance. With it, Yiran finally feels like he belongs. That is, until Rui discovers she might hold the key to the missing death god and strikes a dangerous bargain with another King.

As darkness takes over, three paths intersect in the shadows. And three lives bound by fate must rise against destiny before the barrier between worlds falls and all Hell breaks loose--literally.

Perfect for fans of This Savage Song and Only a Monster, Darker by Four will pull readers into a world of love and desperation and revenge--a world where every deal has a catch, no secret stays buried, and no one is exactly who they say they are.

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

When a god of the underworld goes missing, the balance between worlds is upset, leading to an increase in the Blight, a supernatural virus, and the number of infected souls called Revenants. Lin Rui is the top cadet at the Exorcist Guild; she's skilled in combat against Revenants and possesses unusually high levels of magic due to the circumstances surrounding her birth. Her primary ambition is to exact revenge on the Hybrid monster responsible for her mother's death. Rather than grotesque monsters, Hybrids are sentient Revenants who resemble humans--and many people don't believe they even exist. Rui secretly visits a young man named Zizi, an eclectic underground mage who specializes in powerful spells, and feelings of attraction grow between them. Their fates become entangled with that of Song Yiran, a nonmagical normie, when he's attacked by a Hybrid. When nothing else works, Rui uses one of Zizi's experimental spells, transferring her magic to Yiran, who's able to destroy the Hybrid, saving them both. Fearing the political repercussions of using Zizi's spell, which has left Rui a normie and Yiran brimming with spiritual energy, the three seek to secretly reverse the spell. The tight narrative shifts viewpoints: One storyline follows underworld god Ten as he searches for his missing brother, Four, leading to a climax that pulls everything together. This duology opener is richly infused with Chinese and Southeast Asian cultural elements. A darkly exhilarating ride rich with unraveling secrets and intrigue. (cultural note, author's note) (Fantasy. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

A Reaper who takes dead souls; a wannabe Exorcist who kills Revenants, a spoiled rich kid, and a young master mage don't have much in common, except for their involvement with the terrifying Revenants. Rui, who seeks to kill the monsters who killed her mother, sort of befriends rich Yiran when he sort of, accidentally saves her life from one. Then there's Zizi, a mage who works on secret talismans under the notice of the Exorcist Guild and has a mysterious history that might link him to Reaper Nikai. Their intertwined stories get very interesting as the Revenants grow more powerful and frightening--and one or all of these characters might be able to stop them. At the start, there's a lot going on, but it's not long before Tan deftly pulls the threads together. Recommend this to fans of Neal Shusterman's Arc of a Scythe series or to readers of the Sandman graphic novels--Nikai and the Kings will no doubt remind them of Death and Dream.

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Summary

Summary

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

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