Molly X. Chang

She has power over death. He has power over her. When two enemies strike a dangerous bargain, will they end a war . . . or ignite one? Heroes die, cowards live. Daughter of a conquered world, Ruying hates the invaders who descended from the heavens long before she was born and defeated the magic of her people with technologies unlike anything her world had ever seen. Blessed by Death, born with the ability to pull the life right out of mortal bodies, Ruying shouldn’t have to fear these foreign invaders, but she does. Especially because she wants to keep herself and her family safe. When Ruying’s Gift is discovered by an enemy prince, he offers her an impossible deal: If she becomes his private assassin and eliminates his political rivals—whose deaths he swears would be for the good of both their worlds and would protect her people from further brutalization—her family will never starve or suffer harm again. But to accept this bargain, she must use the powers she has always feared, powers that will shave years off her own existence. Can Ruying trust this prince, whose promises of a better world make her heart ache and whose smiles make her pulse beat faster? Are the evils of this agreement really in the service of a much greater good? Or will she betray her entire nation by protecting those she loves the most?

Two kingdoms on the brink of battle. One prophesied empress to unite them, who finds herself caught between two princes, and the fact that love alone may not stop the coming war. A thrilling romantasy from the bestselling author of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods. "Beautifully written and brimming with defiance." —Xiran Jay Zhao, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Iron Widow *The first edition hardcover of The Nightblood Prince will feature stunning decorative sprayed edges!* Two princes. One prophecy. A fate she cannot outrun. The night Fei was born, a prophecy was made: she would one day become the Empress of All Empresses. Torn from her family as a child and raised in the palace to one day marry the Crown Prince of the most powerful empire in the land, Fei has only ever known loneliness. When the opportunity arises to seize her own destiny for the first time in her life, Fei sets out to hunt a legendary tiger, knowing it might cost her everything. What she doesn’t expect is to fall under the mercy of Yexue, the beautiful runaway prince from a rival kingdom. Blessed by the night, harboring a dangerous magic, and capable of commanding an army of deadly vampires, Yexue could be the key to Fei gaining more than just her freedom. But to outrun destiny, Fei must spark a wave of events that will change the world as she knows it. Torn between two princes and plagued by nightmares of bloodshed, she finds that the stars might be more inescapable—and more irresistible—than she ever considered before. . . .

The highly anticipated second book in the captivating anti-colonial YA fantasy series Gods Beyond the Skies by Molly X. Chang, for fans of Red Queen, These Violent Delights and Iron Widow.Praise for the first book in the series, To Gaze Upon Wicked ‘A thrilling tale of magic and murder, intrigue and betrayal.’ Cassandra Clare‘Hauntingly poetic prose’ Xiran Jay Zhao‘A tender and brutal fantasy that will leave readers breathless and eager for more’ Rebecca Ross‘A thrilling gut-punch, both lavishly magical and devastatingly human.’ Laini Taylor

In this magical epic fantasy, a young woman must navigate treacherous wartime alliances as she secretly reunites with her childhood crush, all while harnessing her power over death in a daring bid to save her realm—in the thrilling second novel of the Gods Beyond the Skies series.Ruying has learned a bitter that the enemy prince who had promised a better future for both of their worlds, has betrayed her. The Romans will not leave Pangu’s shores until they have depleted her realm as thoroughly as they have destroyed their own. Now only one question Will Pangu’s unmaking be a quick and brutal war, or a prolonged draining of resources?With the arrival of the third Roman prince, Cassius, the answer may come sooner than anyone expected. Tasked with a decision that will either end in fire and bloodshed and the destruction of everything Ruying has ever known, or an eternity of subjugation, he alone holds the fate of Pangu in his hands.But Ruying sees a third option. She and her childhood crush Baihu have now united in secret against the Romans. Both are highly placed inside the Roman hierarchy, and trusted by their respective princes. So who better to curtail Rome’s power by assassinating all three of the Roman princes at Cassius’ welcoming party? With the magic of Death at her fingertips, she will save her world or die trying.But there are forces at play that Ruying knows nothing about—forces that will test her courage and resolve in ways she never thought possible, and make her understand exactly where her heart truly lies.

Ruying, bekannt als das vom Tod gesegnete Mädchen, will bloß überleben, aber als ihre Magiefähigkeiten von einem feindlichen Prinzen entdeckt werden, muss sie entscheiden, ob die Rettung ihrer Familie es wert ist, ihr Land zu verraten. Schon solange Yang Ruying lebt, ist das Reich Er-Lang von den Römern besetzt, deren fortschrittliche Wissenschaft und Militär sie zu Göttern machen. Aber diese Götter sind nicht gütig. Ihre einzigen Gaben: Grausamkeit, Opium und Zerstörung. Als Antonius, der zweite Prinz von Rom, Ruyings Macht aufdeckt, wird sie zu dem, was sie immer befürchtet hat: einer perfekten Attentäterin. Während die Spannungen zunehmen und sich eine Rebellion anbahnt, kann Ruying nicht länger leugnen, dass Frieden für Er-Lang ein Todesurteil bedeutet. Ein Tod, den sie vielleicht nicht bereit ist, zu vollstrecken.