FIVE-STAR read! Both Yue and Sonam were great main characters who have depth and are likable. They have a past that shaped them, but I also felt like they grew from their past. They aren't perfect, but that makes them real. I felt bad for Yue. She was just doing what was in her nature to survive. The characters end up in Hell, Yue being banished and dragging Sonam down with her. To escape, they must work together. Each challenge they face has them learning about not only themselves but their companions. The story is paced well and flows well. I will be adding a hard copy of this one to my shelves. Even if I have a copy on my e-reader! I have been telling everyone about this book. Romantasy that's just so good. One of my top 2025 reads.
From the author of The Last Dragon of the East comes a sweeping fantasy adventure with a dash of romance between a nine-tailed fox and the demon-hunter who captures her, banished to the underworld together and forced to form a reluctant alliance to escape the circles of Hell.
Yue may be the last of her kind. At night, she stalks the streets of the capital city of Longhao, luring in unsuspecting victims with the mask of a beautiful woman, then consuming them in her true form of the nine-tailed fox.
When she is captured by a powerful demon hunter named Sonam and banished to Hell, she manages one final act of revenge: dragging him—and two of his subordinates—down with her.
Now trapped in an abyss with unimaginable terrors, they’ll need each other’s help to navigate Hell and bypass the gods who preside over each circle, each of whom presents the group with a unique and deadly challenge. Forced to depend on one another as they claw their way out of the underworld, both demon and demon hunter discover that there might be more to the other than meets the eye.
Pub Date Feb 24 2026
DescriptionFrom the author of The Last Dragon of the East comes a sweeping fantasy adventure with a dash of romance between a nine-tailed fox and the demon-hunter who captures her, banished to the underworld together and forced to form a reluctant alliance to escape the circles of Hell.
Yue may be the last of her kind. At night, she stalks the streets of the capital city of Longhao, luring in unsuspecting victims with the mask of a beautiful woman, then consuming them in her true form of the nine-tailed fox.
When she is captured by a powerful demon hunter named Sonam and banished to Hell, she manages one final act of revenge: dragging him—and two of his subordinates—down with her.
Now trapped in an abyss with unimaginable terrors, they’ll need each other’s help to navigate Hell and bypass the gods who preside over each circle, each of whom presents the group with a unique and deadly challenge. Forced to depend on one another as they claw their way out of the underworld, both demon and demon hunter discover that there might be more to the other than meets the eye.
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I received this egalley from NetGalley and Saga Press | S&S/Saga Press I was under no obligation to give a review. All opinions are my own.
