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Imprint: Bedford Square Publishers
Category: Fantasy romance, Myth & legend told as fiction
‘A gorgeous and bloody fairy tale about power, revenge, and love: Marsden will tear out your heart and serve it right back to you’ Yume Kitasei, author of Saltcrop
A young woman makes a bargain with a shapeshifting demon who promises her power and sets her on a dark journey in this historical fantasy inspired by Taiwanese myth
Eleventh century Taiwan. In a small village, far from the political conflicts of the royal dynasty, a too-young Yu’er is sold off to be married at the word of a jing, a shapeshifting-demon who prophesizes that her parents will thus gain wealth beyond their imagination. Her new husband Xiaozhu is, like her, barely more than a child himself—but he’s kind, and, over the years, Yu’er heals as they build a home together. They become allies, then friends, then lovers.
Until misfortune befalls them, once again at the hands of a demon. They’re left destitute and estranged. Reeling from loss and determined to never leave her fate in another’s hands, Yu’er decides to strike her own bargain with a jing: she will have all the agency and riches she desires. She just has to leave Xiaozhu and their home together, forever—a price that will cost her more than she then understands.
Yu’er’s choice sets off a saga that will lead her to the heart of the royal court and bring her more power than she ever dreamed of, but may kill her humanity along the way, in this sweeping tale of love, revenge, and redemption.
Category: Fantasy romance, Myth & legend told as fiction
RRP: £9.99
ISBN: 9781835016664
Published: June 3, 2027
RRP: £6.99
ISBN: 9781835016671
Published: June 3, 2027
‘A gorgeous and bloody fairy tale about power, revenge, and love: Marsden will tear out your heart and serve it right back to you, and you will eat it right up and ask for more’ Yume Kitasei, author of Saltcrop
‘Both beautiful and harrowing, Bones of Jade, Flesh Like Ice is an exquisitely crafted tale of love, vengeance, and power intertwined. Marsden’s enchanting prose and heartrending characters will captivate you from the very first page’ Kylie Lee Baker, bestselling author of Japanese Gothic
‘Rich and heartfelt, Bones of Jade, Flesh like Ice scintillates with power, sacrifice, and sisterhood, finding warmth and magic amidst brutality’ Shen Tao, bestselling author of The Poet Empress
‘Marsden luxuriates in moral grayness, refusing to let her heroine be simply good or simply ruined. Steeped in Taiwanese folklore, the story’s fairy tale cadence persists even in its bleakest turns through a court rife with treachery. The plotting is propulsive enough to make a heavy, often brutal narrative feel urgent rather than punishing, and the sense of grounded emotionality remains throughout. Fans of Shelley Parker-Chan’s morally complex fantasies, and readers willing to stomach graphic violence and body horror, should seek out this mesmerizing, deeply human tragedy.’ Publishers Weekly Starred Review
‘A gorgeous and bloody fairy tale about power, revenge, and love: Marsden will tear out your heart and serve it right back to you’ Yume Kitasei, author of Saltcrop
A young woman makes a bargain with a shapeshifting demon who promises her power and sets her on a dark journey in this historical fantasy inspired by Taiwanese myth
Eleventh century Taiwan. In a small village, far from the political conflicts of the royal dynasty, a too-young Yu’er is sold off to be married at the word of a jing, a shapeshifting-demon who prophesizes that her parents will thus gain wealth beyond their imagination. Her new husband Xiaozhu is, like her, barely more than a child himself—but he’s kind, and, over the years, Yu’er heals as they build a home together. They become allies, then friends, then lovers.
Until misfortune befalls them, once again at the hands of a demon. They’re left destitute and estranged. Reeling from loss and determined to never leave her fate in another’s hands, Yu’er decides to strike her own bargain with a jing: she will have all the agency and riches she desires. She just has to leave Xiaozhu and their home together, forever—a price that will cost her more than she then understands.
Yu’er’s choice sets off a saga that will lead her to the heart of the royal court and bring her more power than she ever dreamed of, but may kill her humanity along the way, in this sweeping tale of love, revenge, and redemption.
"Bones of Jade, Flesh like Ice" was written by Gracie Marsden.