Title: To Dream in DarknessPages: 368
Publication Date: Oct. 27, 2026
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Fantasy / Romantasy
Synopsis:
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 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 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...
“Our lives are little but leaves flowing downstream, at the mercy of currents.”
Last year, I read A Song to Drown Rivers, and I quickly became a huge Ann Liang fan. Liang has such a talent for creating layered and emotional stories that are impossible to put down, and To Dream in Darkness is no exception.
Rich and atmospheric, the story is engrossing, as is the world. Liang’s writing style is so immersive and, not exactly poetic, but there’s something about the tone and figurative language and overall storytelling that adds so much meaning and evokes so many emotions while reading. The story is beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, and it’s completely captivating.
The plot, though a bit slower-paced in the middle, was layered and interesting, and I like that it went in several unexpected directions. I always love a good twist, and Liang’s stories definitely aren’t formulaic or predictable. For me, the characters were everything. The love stories, the personal journeys, the sacrifices, loss, and longing – these characters, especially the main ones, really went through it. There were actually a couple of characters that I didn’t like at all, and I was certain one in particular was irredeemable. I was wrong, and by the end of the story, I had so much sympathy for him.
The main love story was a slow-building, slow-burning romance, and I adored it. Some of the things Kelan did for and said about Rujia and his love for her were so incredibly beautiful and super swoon-worthy. To see them slowly grow closer and fall deeply in love despite the circumstances felt even more poignant and emotional because Kelan and Rujia were alike in their societal rejection and subsequent isolation. I didn’t think it would happen, but I totally feel for the God of Death and so wanted these two to find a way to be together.
A thought-provoking and engrossing read with interesting dualities and juxtapositions, To Dream in Darkness reaffirmed why I like Liang’s books so much. Hers are the kind of stories that take you on a roller coaster of emotions and makes you think – about fate, love, power, and the ability to create your own future.
He could not taste joy without the aftertaste of sorrow.
“All I’ve ever wanted is redemption. All he’s ever wanted is revenge.”
I have been a god all my life, but it is only when he smiles at me that I feel truly immortal for the first time.
To lose her is to lose an entire world.
