Darker by Four by June CL Tan (review)

Reviewed by: Darker by Four by June CL Tan Aaren Tucker Tan, June Cl Darker by Four. HarperTeen, 2024 400p Trade ed. ISBN 9780063283848 19. 99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063283862 11. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 9-12 As the top cadet at Xingshan Academy, Rui is driven to fight to avenge her mother's death by the Revenants—spirits of the dead infected by the Blight, which makes them feed on humans. However, Rui's life is derailed when she and a normie boy, Yiran, are left alone in the path of an extraordinarily strong Revenant. To save their End Page 263 lives, Rui uses a spell that accidentally transfers all her magic to Yiran. However, Yiran isn't just any normie: as the magicless scapegrace of the powerful Song family, Yiran sees Rui's magic as a chance to claim his place and finally earn his grandfather's approval. The two soon learn that the stakes are even higher: the Fourth King of the underworld has gone missing, disrupting the balance of both the underworld and the mortal realm, and Rui might be the key to finding the lost King. This slick, stylish fantasy offers an exciting narrative, fascinating world-building, and characters that tug on the heartstrings. Tan presents her own modern spin on tropes, such as reincarnation, that are common in the xianxia genre of Chinese literature. Episodic pacing and a large cast of interesting side characters organically introduce new aspects of the world-building without overwhelming readers with too much detail at once, and Tan's author's note explains some of the Chinese word play and concepts appearing in the book. With thrilling action, supernatural horror, a bit of romance, and a sequel on the horizon, this story will be an easy sell to fantasy lovers. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois