The Red Threads of Fortune

Mokoya, a former prophet who lost her daughter, now hunts naga in the wilderness with her raptor Phoenix. When a massive naga displays unusual powers during an attack on the city of Bataanar, she must investigate the connection between human consciousness and these powerful creatures. A mysterious practitioner of slackcraft named Rider enters Mokoya's life as she works to uncover the truth behind the naga attacks. Political tensions rise in Bataanar as the Machinist population faces threats from multiple directions, forcing Mokoya to navigate complex alliances and betrayals. The Red Threads of Fortune explores grief, identity, and the price of wielding power through a fantasy lens. The story examines how past choices echo through time and how people rebuild themselves after profound loss.

Readers found this novella slower-paced and more contemplative than its companion book The Black Tides of Heaven. Many note the engaging portrayal of grief, trauma recovery, and relationships. Liked: - Depiction of processing loss and moving forward - Non-binary representation and handling of gender identity - Detailed worldbuilding with naga and other magical creatures - Romance subplot development Disliked: - Pacing described as uneven, especially in middle sections - Some found the plot less compelling than Black Tides - Technical descriptions of magic system felt overwhelming to some - Several readers wanted more character development Ratings: Goodreads: 3.89/5 (4,900+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (290+ ratings) StoryGraph: 3.88/5 "The emotional core hit hard" - Goodreads reviewer "Stunning prose but meandering plot" - Amazon reviewer "Strong on representation but weaker on story structure" - LibraryThing review

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho A tale of found family among wandering martial artists in a Malaysian-inspired fantasy world explores gender, identity, and belonging through the lens of wuxia traditions.

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee A nonbinary painter becomes entangled with a mechanical dragon in a fantasy world based on Korean culture under Japanese occupation.

The Tiger's Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera Two women warriors navigate prophecy, politics, and their feelings for each other in an epic fantasy inspired by Mongolian and Japanese cultures.

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho A young woman returns to Malaysia and becomes possessed by her grandmother's ghost, pulling her into a world of gods, mediums, and family secrets.

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan A girl claims her dead brother's identity and destiny in a reimagining of the rise of the Ming Dynasty that examines gender, power, and fate.

🧵 The book is part of the Tensorate series, which includes four interconnected novellas exploring gender, power, and family dynamics 🐉 The naga creatures in the book are inspired by various Asian mythologies, where these serpentine beings are often portrayed as powerful, semi-divine entities 🎭 Neon Yang, who has also published under JY Yang, is a Singaporean writer known for incorporating Southeast Asian cultural elements into their speculative fiction ⚡ The magic system in the book, called "slackcraft," is based on the manipulation of natural forces and energy fields, reflecting the author's background in molecular biology and science 💫 The book was released simultaneously with its twin novella "The Black Tides of Heaven," with both stories designed to be read in either order while complementing each other's narratives