6 Must-Read Books Releasing in July 2024 By Asian Authors
The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song
Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventure inspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young woman determined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.
The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.
The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.
In the army, Meilin's relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another? As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.
With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.
Publication date: July 2, 2024
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Retellings
Why should you read it? This compelling fantasy adventure, inspired by the legend of Mulan, follows Meilin, a young woman who disguises herself as a boy to escape an unwanted marriage and take her father's place in the army. Amidst the turmoil of the Three Kingdoms' war, Meilin earns recognition and forms deep connections, including with Sky, a prince turned training partner. As she faces the reality of her new life and its challenges, Meilin is haunted by visions of a sea dragon spirit promising power at a steep cost. With the fate of her kingdom and her heart at stake, Meilin must navigate trust and loyalty to determine her true destiny.
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
From the nationally bestselling author of the “powerful, heartbreaking” (Shelf Awareness) The Stationery Shop, a heartfelt, epic new novel of friendship, betrayal, and redemption set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran.
In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams of a friend to alleviate her isolation.
Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind, passionate girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions for becoming “lion women.”
But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.
Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.
Written with Marjan Kamali’s signature “evocative, devastating, and hauntingly beautiful” (Whitney Scharer, author of The Age of Light) prose, The Lion Women of Tehran is a sweeping exploration of how profoundly we are shaped by those we meet when we are young, and the way love and courage transforms our lives.
Publication date: July 2, 2024
Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adult
Why should you read it? Set against the backdrop of three transformative decades in Tehran, "The Lion Women of Tehran" by Marjan Kamali is a heartfelt epic that explores friendship, betrayal, and redemption. The story follows Ellie, whose life shifts dramatically after her father's death, and her deep bond with Homa, a brave and spirited girl. As political turmoil engulfs Iran, Ellie and Homa's friendship is tested by one devastating betrayal, altering their futures. Kamali's evocative prose captures the profound impact of youthful connections and the transformative power of love and courage.
The Melancholy of Untold History by Minsoo Kang
A beautifully crafted, enriching saga inspired by East Asian mythology, The Melancholy of Untold History is Minsoo Kang’s debut novel, steeped in history like R.F. Kuang’s Babel , epic in scope like Anthony Doerr’s Cloud Cuckoo Land , and lyrically exciting like David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas , interweaving four complex yet entertaining stories as they shape and create a nation’s literary narrative through the themes of love and grief.
A history professor mourning his wife. His young protégé’s search for a path forward. Four witty mountain gods with much to say and not enough time to listen. A gifted storyteller bringing a world into being out of thin air... Famous for his dispelling of the national myth, the Historian understands the power of narrative. He has inspired another young professor to search for her own truths, while trying to understand the way fiction creates fact and how sometimes the past can only be understood by filling in holes with a new narrative. Which is exactly what he needs when his wife passes away to parse meaning out of a world that no longer makes sense.
Together the protégé and the Historian find comfort in each other. Yet they know their time together is fleeting, as time usually is. Only the gods have an abundance of time, and yet—the two discover—even that might not be so clear cut. Part of their homeland’s myth tells of four gods who squabbled and argued and destroyed and rebuilt time and again. Or did they? Because, of course, even the gods need mouthpieces on earth. And the one the Historian knows of—the elusive Storyteller—may have just been spinning tales for his own amusement and, ultimately, revenge.
By fabricating the exploits of the gods, he could have set a course for certain events to unfold and a particular story to survive today. Spanning 3,000 years and multiple voices—with tales within tales woven expertly together— The Melancholy of Untold History reveals a people and its individuals who seek to confront the hardships of life through storytelling. Mixing the East Asian mythos with a postmodern approach to standard sci-fi/fantasy narrative tropes, Minsoo Kang has created a challenging, beautiful, sad, humorous, and ultimately unforgettable novel of love, grief, and myth-making.
Publication date: July 16, 2024
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Why should you read it? "The Melancholy of Untold History" by Minsoo Kang is an enriching debut novel inspired by East Asian mythology, blending historical depth and lyrical storytelling akin to R.F. Kuang, Anthony Doerr, and David Mitchell. The novel weaves together four intricate narratives: a grieving history professor, his protégé's quest for meaning, witty mountain gods, and a gifted storyteller who blurs the lines between fiction and fact. Spanning 3,000 years, it explores how storytelling shapes national identity and personal understanding, making it a compelling read for those fascinated by myth, history, love, and grief.
Docile: Memoirs of a Not-So-Perfect Asian Girl by Hyeseung Song
For readers of Crying in H Mart and Minor Feelings as well as lovers of the film Minari comes a searing coming-of-age memoir about the daughter of ambitious Asian American immigrants and her search for self-worth.
A daughter of Korean immigrants, Hyeseung Song spends her earliest years in the cane fields of Texas where her loyalties are divided between a restless father in search of Big Money, and a beautiful yet domineering mother whose resentments about her own life compromises her relationship with her daughter. With her parents at constant odds, Song learns more words in Korean for hatred than for love. When the family’s fake Gucci business lands them in bankruptcy, Song moves to a new elementary school. On her first day, a girl asks the teacher: “Can she speak English?”
Neither rich nor white, Song does what is necessary to be visible: she internalizes the model minority myth as well as her beloved mother’s dreams to see her on a secure path. Song meets these expectations by attending the best Ivy League universities in the country. But when she wavers, in search of an artistic life on her own terms, her mother warns, “Happiness is what unexceptional people tell themselves when they don’t have the talent and drive to go after real success.” Years of self-erasure take a toll and Song experiences recurring episodes of depression and mania. A thought repeats: I want to die. I want to die. Song enters a psychiatric hospital where she meets patients with similar struggles. So begins her sweeping journey to heal herself by losing everything.
Unflinching and lyrical, Docile is one woman’s story of subverting the model minority myth, contending with mental illness, and finding her self-worth by looking within.
Publication date: July 16, 2024
Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction
Why should you read it? In this powerful coming-of-age memoir, Hyeseung Song explores her journey as the daughter of ambitious Korean American immigrants. Growing up in the Texas cane fields, Song navigates a tumultuous family dynamic and the pressures of the model minority myth. As she strives to meet her mother's high expectations and achieve academic success, she faces intense personal struggles, including episodes of depression and mania. Her quest for self-worth and authenticity leads her to a psychiatric hospital, where she begins a transformative journey of healing and self-discovery. This memoir offers a poignant and lyrical reflection on identity, mental health, and resilience.
Asking for a Friend by Kara H.L. Chen
This charming YA rom-com follows a strong-willed, ambitious teen as she teams up with her childhood frenemy to start a dating-advice column, perfect for fans of Emma Lord and Gloria Chao.
Juliana Zhao is absolutely certain of a few things:
1. She is the world’s foremost expert on love.
2. She is going to win the nationally renowned Asian Americans in Business Competition.
When Juliana is unceremoniously dropped by her partner and she’s forced to pair with her nonconformist and annoying frenemy, Garrett Tsai, everything seems less clear. Their joint dating advice column must be good enough to win and secure bragging rights within her small Taiwanese American community, where her family’s reputation has been in the pits since her older sister was disowned a few years prior. Juliana always thought prestige mattered above all else. But as she argues with Garrett over how to best solve everyone else’s love problems and faces failure for the first time, she starts to see fractures in this privileged, sheltered worldview. With the competition heating up, Juliana must reckon with the sacrifices she’s made to be a perfect daughter—and whether winning is something she even wants anymore.
Publication date: July 23, 2024
Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary
Why should you read it? This charming YA rom-com follows Juliana Zhao, a strong-willed and ambitious teen, as she reluctantly teams up with her childhood frenemy, Garrett Tsai, to start a dating-advice column for a prestigious business competition. As they navigate their differences and the pressures of their Taiwanese American community, Juliana begins to question her long-held beliefs about success and love. Perfect for fans of Emma Lord and Gloria Chao, this story explores themes of identity, family expectations, and the true meaning of winning.
That Prince Is Mine by Jayci Lee
A love-averse Korean royal court cuisine instructor in search of a perfect-on-paper husband is waylaid from her practical, heartbreak-proof plan when she meets a gorgeous professor—and prince in disguise—who will do anything to prove to her that love and happily ever after can be theirs.
Emma Yoon runs a small business as a culinary instructor in Los Angeles teaching Korean royal court cuisine to young ladies striving to marry into the exclusive upper crust Korean families. She has built her business alongside her renowned Korean matchmaker godmother, which brings her one step closer to her dream of opening up a culinary school on her own. But when her godmother’s fellow matchmakers decide to meddle in Emma’s love life in a bid to sabotage her godmother, and indirectly push Emma's dream out of her reach, she must go on a series of arranged first dates and find herself the perfect-on-paper husband to help save both, her godmother's reputation and her dream--even if she's not ready for love. But when she meets Michel Aubert, a professor at USC, after a series of disastrous first dates, she wonders if she might reevaluate her position on love.
Prince Michel Aubert is bound by duty and responsibility to his country, but an arranged marriage is the last thing he wants. If he is going to spend the rest of his life in service of his people, then he at least wants someone he loves and trusts by his side while doing it. He needs to find a woman who loves him for who he is before his engagement to his handpicked bride is announced. Emma Yoon might be just the woman he is looking for.
Publication date: July 30, 2024
Genres: Romance, Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Why should you read it? Emma Yoon, a Korean royal court cuisine instructor in Los Angeles, is determined to find a perfect-on-paper husband to save her godmother's matchmaking business and realize her dream of opening a culinary school. However, her practical plan is upended when she meets Michel Aubert, a professor and disguised prince who seeks genuine love before his royal engagement. As Emma navigates disastrous dates and meddling matchmakers, Michel strives to prove that true love and a happily ever after are possible. This charming romance explores themes of duty, love, and self-discovery, perfect for fans of heartwarming, contemporary love stories.
