The second book for award-winning Melbourne author Keshe Chow, For No Mortal Creature is a dark, lyrical fantasy that wonders how far people are willing to go for love and family. And how much further they might go for what they believe is right.
The story opens at the edge of a forest where Jia Yi is apprehended and killed by an enemy soldier. Just as quickly she is alive again, though she’s never possessed any of the magical abilities of her people. And so begins Jia’s back and forth journey between the Living Realm and the levels of the Death Realm.
Alive, she is held captive by Prince Essien, who offers Jia’s freedom for her help retrieving a sword from the Death Realm. He shares his own magical secret with her, trusting she won’t betray him. Too late to say goodbye to her grandmother, Jia agrees to the task with the hope of using the sword’s storied magic to bring her grandmother back to life. In both realms she is haunted by the ghost of her former best friend, Lin, who abandoned her in life and now seems to be both helping and hindering her quest. In death, Jia chases the ghost of her grandmother while trying to save the world from a long-dead General who is also searching for the ancient weapon. To save herself and those she cares for most, Jia must decide whether to put her trust in her beloved grandmother, the friend who betrayed her, or the enemy prince she’s just met. Or maybe it’s herself she should trust most.
For No Mortal Creature is an emotional journey through Jia’s first-person perspective. Complete with the anger, passion and uncertainty all seventeen-year-olds experience, Jia’s tale shows the conflict that comes when old bonds fray, new bonds begin to tie, and we stop trusting our own judgement and instincts. The exploration of good vs evil is splintered between life and death, enemies and lovers, and woven with themes of acceptance, prejudice and trust. Readers are plunged into the depths of Jia’s longing and despair, only to emerge wondering ‘But… what?’
Suitable for readers 14 and up who enjoy dark fantasy, unexpected twists, and surprise sacrifices. If you like the world-building and depth of place in Comes the Night or the twists and turns of Our Infinite Fates, you will enjoy For No Mortal Creature.
The second book for award-winning Melbourne author Keshe Chow, For No Mortal Creature is a dark, lyrical fantasy that wonders how far people are willing to go for love and family. And how much further they might go for what they believe is right.
