Deathly Fates
by Tesia Tsai
Publication Date: April 14th 2026
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Find This Book: Deathly Fates
Source: NetGalley eARC
Rating: 3/5
As a priestess paid to guide the deceased home, Kang Siying has never feared death. However, when her beloved father collapses, Siying realizes that even she is not free from the cruel grasp of mortality. Desperate to provide her father with the medical aid he needs, Siying accepts a dangerous job that promises a generous commission, and travels to a hostile state to retrieve the corpse of a missing prince.
But the moment Siying places her reanimation talisman on the dead prince's head, rather than make the corpse obedient to Siying's commands, the talisman brings the prince back to life. Worse, he won't stay alive for long—not unless he absorbs enough qi, or life force, to keep his soul anchored to his body.
In return for a reward worth twice her original commission, Siying agrees to aid the frustratingly handsome prince in finding and purifying evil spirits for their qi. As they journey across the countryside, encountering vengeful ghosts and enemy spies alike, they gradually uncover dark secrets about the prince's death—secrets that could endanger both Siying's father and their entire kingdom.
I was hoping this book would completely hook me and make it impossible to put down, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. The execution felt lacking overall, and I found myself pushing through a story that never fully grabbed my attention.
I ended up loving Siying in the last few chapters, but for most of the book I struggled to feel invested in her goals or emotional journey. The dynamic between her and the back-from-the-dead prince had potential, but it needed far more development. I was told they were falling in love, but I never really felt that chemistry on the page. Their relationship lacked emotional depth, and both characters could have used stronger personalities.
The MMC especially frustrated me — he’s often an idiot and a coward, and while I appreciated that Siying actually calls him out on it, I couldn’t fully buy into her feelings for him. She spends so much of the book pining after him long before he shows meaningful character growth, which made the romance hard for me to invest in.
The most interesting part of the book was Siying’s role as a priestess of death, but ironically, the story barely explores that aspect. I kept wanting more of the worldbuilding, lore, and moral complexity tied to her position, and it felt like a missed opportunity.
Overall, this wasn’t a terrible read, but it never lived up to its premise for me. There were interesting ideas here, but the characters, romance, and execution didn’t fully deliver.