TO DREAM IN DARKNESS, by Ann Liang, St. Martin’s Press, Oct. 27, 2026, Hardcover, $32 (older young adult/ new adult, adult fiction)
Two gods strike a bargain that leads them on a journey with devastating consequences in To Dream in Darkness, by Ann Liang.
China in the age of brilliance, where gods freely wander the three realms. Amongst them is the cruel and beautiful Death God, who has never failed to collect a soul on time. Until now. For when he seeks out Rujia, the noble god of healing―and the only god he is fated to kill with his own hands―she makes him an offer he can’t refuse: she will help lift the excruciating, century-old curse placed upon him if he gives her a one-month reprieve.
Rujia knows she isn’t as noble as everyone believes. Her deal with Death is merely an excuse to buy herself time while she figures out an escape plan. But when her plan causes the Celestial Palace’s collapse and the beloved crown prince’s disappearance, she and Death are both held responsible. The only way to avoid the wrath of all the other gods is to travel across the realms and safely retrieve the crown prince themselves.
Yet the journey proves far more treacherous than expected. As the unlikely alliance between them blooms into more, and Death’s resolve to kill Rujia weakens by the day, neither can outrun their intertwined fate without devastating consequences: A mysterious plague. An empire-destroying flood. A thousand deaths―and rising―to restore the balance Rujia’s disrupted. And if Rujia continues to live despite the will of the Heavens, this is only the beginning… —Synopsis provided by St. Martin’s Press
To Dream in Darkness is a standalone fantasy romance written for adults but suitable for upper YA readers.
The story follows Rujia (the god of healing) the Death God and the Celestial Prince. All are morally grey characters who aren’t particularly likeable. Yet, you do find yourself drawn to them and their trials, which is the sign of a good writer.
That writer, Ann Liang, does a fine job with character development and world building. You understand the worlds they’ve both been stuck in even without knowing them.
The book is divided into two parts, and it isn’t until near the end of the first that you understand this story is going to be bigger than first thought. Its expansive scope is held together with ideas of love, grief and revenge.
To Dream in Darkness is not a particularly fast-moving novel, with Liang’s writing meandering at times. It does take a while to get through it, though the experience is worth it in the end.
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