Lui Jia Yi is convinced that she is the only member of her family born without magic. However, that all changes when she resurrects from a mortal stab wound.
Jia’s homeland, the Jinghu Dao Empire is constantly at war with the Yskian Kingdom, and Jia is the sworn enemy of Prince Essian of Yske. After he saves her from being executed, she realises that he needs someone with resurrection magic to journey to the afterlife and bring back a fabled sword. Jia passes through the veil between life and death and realises that the afterlife has levels, and she must go lower and lower to find this weapon.
The absolute standout of this book is Chow’s representation of death, resurrection magic, and the ghost realm. Jia’s sense of detachment and out-of-body experience as she goes deeper into the afterlife is so unique, and I loved the various creatures and spirits she meets on each level. Also, while her developing relationship with Essian is a little one-sided (as he is noticeably smitten from the start of the book) it is very sweet.
There is a lot happening in For No Mortal Creature. Aside from the sword quest, we have Jia’s animosity with her dead best friend Lin, who acts as half ally, half enemy. The plot splits into multiple branches with multiple focuses, and it doesn’t feel entirely balanced – the majority of the second half takes place in the afterlife, and I was missing the banter between Jia and Essian. However, the creativity and Jia’s character growth definitely makes up for it.
For YA lovers of books with death magic.
Reviewed by Rachel Denham-White
Age Guide 13+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Keshe (she/her) is a #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy, romance, and speculative fiction. She has won multiple awards for short and long form fiction, including the 2022 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript.
In addition to being an author, Keshe is also a specialist feline medicine veterinarian, which means her life pretty much revolves around books and cats. She currently lives in Naarm (Melbourne) with her husband, two kids, and an ice cream-obsessed Ragdoll cat named Wasabi.
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