A Bright Heart

After 18-year-old Lu Mingshin helps her fiancé Ren become king of Dazhou, he betrays her and leaves her for dead. As she’s dying, Mingshin calls upon the gods to reverse time so she may have another chance to make different choices. Suddenly waking up two years in the past, she swears vengeance on Ren, vowing that he will never wear the crown and that she will never fall in love again. But the events of the previous years do not unfold as she remembers, and the arrival of Elder Hanxin from Nan’Yü, a country of dark magic wielders, now threatens all of Dazhou. To ensure Ren’s downfall, Mingshin teams up with charismatic Prince Jieh, another contender for the throne. As Mingshin and Jieh delve deeper into a treacherous battle of political intrigue and revenge, they must also fight their growing feelings for each other. Limited worldbuilding surrounding the magic system and the warring kingdoms’ history leave some questions unanswered. Debut author Chenli nevertheless employs abundant court relations, romance elements, and a well-developed cast to present a vivid and evenly paced fantasy series starter that centers a determined heroine seeking to topple an archaic patriarchal society. Ages 14–17. (Oct.)