Brighter Than Nine

Gr 8 Up–The cast of characters begins scattered: Rui is being lauded as a hero after the events at Outram, while Yiran’s borrowed magic has returned to its original host, and Zizi, secretly the Fourth King of Hell, has been dragged back to the underworld and imprisoned. Rui is unwilling to let Zizi’s return to Hell be the final word on their situationship, and when she learns he needs help, she sets out for the underworld with barely a second thought. Meanwhile, Yiran finds himself being drawn into the schemes of the Hybrids, and C-drama worthy flashback dreams from Zizi’s point of view reveal much about the past he and Rui share. Shocking reveals are the name of the game, with no fewer than three moments guaranteed to make readers reassess everything they think they know. Despite the viewpoints that remain disparate throughout most of the book, at no point does the narrative feel overloaded or difficult to follow. Thrilling fight scenes are interspersed throughout the heavy intrigue, although romance remains more motivation than on-page action. Characters are Chinese.