VOWS OF GOLD AND LAUGHTER

Pawlicki’s series starter embarks on a fantasy adventure in an Asia-inspired milieu of gods, monsters, political intrigue, star-crossed romance, and family secrets.

In a world where myth and magic abound, immortal supernatural beings roam Heaven and Earth, with some even worshipped as gods. The eldest and most powerful of these are the Nine Colors, who reign over lesser gods and mortals. The ruler of all creation is the Sun Emperor, Aka, whose dutiful daughter Jin, Goddess of Beauty, has been engaged to her childhood friend Xiao, the hedonistic God of Pleasure, though neither party is excited about their arranged nuptials. Then, on the night of the formal engagement, Aka is struck deathly ill by a curse. The young couple, with the help of master thief Nanami, must enter the underworld and obtain a magical black peony to save the emperor. First, though, they must travel to the resting place of the fabled Great Warrior, the last owner of the key to the underworld. Instead, they find Bai, the Great Warrior himself, who’s very much alive. As the four immortals journey together, battle enemies, and uncover secrets about Aka’s past indiscretions, Jin finds herself at the center of a vast family conspiracy; meanwhile, she finds herself also falling in love with Bai, and Xiao grows closer to Nanami. How will they escape their vows and the mysterious forces trying to stop their quest? Pawlicki presents a sprawling epic with plenty of page-turning plot developments while also keeping a strong focus on the emotional arcs of her central characters. The novel occasionally leans on rather familiar tropes of fantasy romance—characters fall in love at breakneck speed, for instance—and there are a few clunky monologues that explain the mechanics of the fictional world’s intricate magic system (“Born immortals inherit all the abilities and needs of their parents and grandparents. That is why you sometimes…feel emotions like Aka”). However, the novel more than compensates for these moments with its well-constructed setting, charming characters, and its ever evolving conflict with increasing stakes.

A vibrant, entertaining quest with memorable characters; a promising start to a fantasy trilogy.