Goodbye, My Princess
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
The only thing more dangerous than a king is his heir in this first English translation of the “beautifully heartbreaking” (Kirkus Reviews) historical novel inspired the popular TV series from one of China’s best-known authors of romantic tragedy.
There is no room for love in an empire.
Qu Xiaofeng has been living in Shangjing for three years now. A naïve, happy-go-lucky treaty bride from the desert kingdom of Xiliang, she has everything she could ever want as the crown princess of the Li Empire—everything except the crown prince’s heart.
Because Li Chengyin is a heartless boy. Cruel, jealous, and ruthless, he has given his adolescence to the cutthroat contention for the throne and, now that he is the heir presumptive, largely ignores his bride in favor of the girl he seems to really love.
Xiaofeng doesn’t mind…much. It leaves her more time to sneak out of the manor to go drinking and riding in the streets, living just the way she wants to. But one day another boy shows up, claiming to be a sweetheart from a life she can’t remember having lived. As Xiaofeng puzzles out the tangled threads of her past and her complicated feelings about the enigmatic, distant husband she loves and hates in equal measure, what she doesn’t realize is that she’s setting a course straight to tragedy.
Because the only place more dangerous than the palace is the crown prince’s court, the only thing harder to be than a king is his heir, and the path to the throne is paved with blood. Power will always have its price—the only question is if Xiaofeng will survive long enough to pay.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Wo Si Cun's romantic tragedy follows a young royal couple's tumultuous relationship as they navigate court drama, cutthroat bids for power, and the introduction of a mysterious suitor. It's been three years since Qu Xiaofeng married Li Chengyin, the crown prince of Shanjing. Though she plays the part of a dutiful wife by day, ignoring her husband's often cruel and power-hungry behavior and blatant infidelity, by night she explores the city with her attendant, A'du. But when enigmatic Gu Jian arrives claiming to be a former flame whom Xiaofeng doesn't remember, she must untangle her own past, reckon with her conflicting feelings for her husband and Gu Jian, contend with Chengyin's fervid jealousy, and protect herself against the underhanded machinations of the royal court, which will do anything to see her fall. While each featured romance seems doomed from the start, Wo Si Cun's absorbing prose and complex character work inject hope throughout this dark and riveting tale. A note from the translator provides historical context and addresses translation decisions; an author's note concludes. Ages 14–up.
