Amélie Wen Zhao is a Beijing-raised fantasy author whose work draws on Chinese history, mythology, and storytelling traditions. Across the Blood Heir trilogy and later series, she writes about power, justice, cultural inheritance, and the choices people make under systems of oppression.
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Years covered2019
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The first book in an epic new series about a princess hiding a dark secret and the con man she must trust to clear her name for her father's murder. In the Cyrilian Empire, Affinites are reviled. Their varied gifts to control the world around them are deemed unnatural—even dangerous. And Anastacya Mikhailov, the crown princess, is one of the most terrifying Affinites. Ana’s ability to control blood has long been kept secret, but when her father, the emperor, is murdered, she is the only suspect. Now, to save her own life, Ana must find her father’s killer. But the Cyrilia beyond the palace walls is one where corruption rules and a greater conspiracy is at work—one that threatens the very balance of Ana’s world. There is only one person corrupt enough to help Ana get to the conspiracy’s core: Ramson Quicktongue. Ramson is a cunning crime lord with sinister plans—though he might have met his match in Ana. Because in this story, the princess might be the most dangerous player of all. Praise for Blood Heir “ Cinematic storytelling at its best .”— Adrienne Young, New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep and The Girl the Sea Gave Back “ Zhao shines in the fast-paced and vivid combat scenes, which lend a cinematic quality that pulls readers in .”—NYT Book Review “ Zhao is a master writer who weaves a powerful tale of loyalty, honor, and courage through a strong female protagonist. . . . Readers will love the fast-paced energy and plot twists in this adventure-packed story.” —SLJ
Print · Random House Children's Books · 2020-12-01 · English ISBN 9780525707820
Print · 2021 · es ISBN 9781713765554
More About Amélie Wen Zhao
Amélie Wen Zhao was born in Paris and grew up in Beijing before attending college in the United States and settling in New York City. She began writing while learning English in China, after fantasy reading opened a new imaginative world to her. A fourth-grade poem and her teacher's response helped turn that early practice into an ambition to become an author.
Zhao combines a finance career with fiction by writing before work and protecting weekend mornings for sustained concentration. Her account of publication emphasizes reading closely within a chosen genre, completing the manuscript, and using critique partners to test and revise it rather than treating a first draft as finished.
Blood Heir, her 2019 debut, begins a young-adult fantasy trilogy about power, exploitation, and the moral weight of individual choices. Professional reviews recognized the action and political intrigue while also finding repetition and melodrama in its plotting, making its reception part of the documented record rather than an unqualified endorsement.
In Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, Zhao turns more directly toward Chinese xianxia and wuxia traditions, mythology, and the historical experience of imperialism. She connects the novel's questions about justice and the cost of reclaiming power to family memory, anti-Asian violence, and a desire to celebrate cultural continuity as well as register pain.
