This review first appeared in Booklist on October 1, 2025.
After several of her fans mysteriously die during one of her livestreams, guilt weighs heavily on young singer-songwriter Tian. It doesn’t help that, due to an unusual affliction, she’s rarely allowed to leave her guardian’s estate. So when her usually austere auntie recommends a restorative retreat on an island near Hong Kong, she jumps at the opportunity. Accompanied by Liya, her devoted but distant best friend and bodyguard, and Shenyu, her enthusiastic songwriting partner, Tian looks forward to a restful reprieve from her restrictive life. Once there, however, they begin to suspect that the surreally serene resort and its congregation of attendants might be more cult than commune—and they may harbor sinister intentions toward the group of friends. The resolute trio must uncover their connection to the ethereal island before their bodies are brutally sacrificed to its legend. Cheng explores themes of love, legacy, and the redemptive act of letting go in this sapphic follow-up to Gorgeous Gruesome Faces (2023). Perfect for fans of Trang Thanh Tran’s She Is a Haunting (2023) and E. Latimer’s The Afterdark (2025).
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