“Your lack of belief is not proof of something’s lack of existence,” Madam Meng said. “What is real and what is myth? You will often find the truth somewhere in between.”
Brighter Than Nine by June CL Tan
SERIES: Darker By Four #2
LENGTH: 400 pages
GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction
PUBLISHER: Storytide
RELEASE DATE: 10 March 2026
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The Shadowhunter Chronicles meets Chinese diaspora folklore in this sequel to the #1 Sunday Times bestseller Darker by Four! The Shadowhunter Chronicles meets the Chinese underworld, drawing inspiration from diaspora folklore, in this epic, sweeping contemporary fantasy duology from Jade Fire Gold author June CL Tan.
Rui has her life back together – or so it seems. Hailed as a hero, she’s finally on her way to becoming an important member of the Exorcist Guild. But she knows the Hybrid Revenants are still out there, and they’re planning something big. Something evil.
Zizi is trapped in the underworld. As his mortal body deteriorates, he realizes he can access the Fourth King’s memories, which may be the key to keeping the mortal realm safe. To save the girl he loves, he must defy fate – and escape Hell.
Yiran watches from the shadows, magicless once more. When he discovers a dark family secret that changes everything he thought he knew, his hunger for power tempts him toward a possible betrayal. And he must decide what he truly stands for – before it’s too late.
As the consequences of the past wreak havoc on the present, three lives bound by the threads of fate must weave a new destiny for themselves – and the realms.
My Review
“What is fate, if not the universe conspiring?” One mused, turning to the gleaming horizon. “As I once told you, Fate connects us through the past, present, and future. It does not care if you have faith in it or not. It simply is, and we are mere moments in its timeline.”
It’s been awhile since Darker By Four. So you can imagine how pumped I was when I saw that the sequel was releasing early this year. It was one of my most anticipated reads for March. I ended up enjoying Brighter Than Nine, just as I hoped I would. I love it when books that I look forward to end up being good.
First off, I really liked how the characters developed here. Rui was just as awesome as in the first book, even if her point-of-view chapters were a little slower in the first half of the book. Her personality is just as strong and fierce, and I was reminded why she was one of my top FMCs to follow in 2024.
We also got to see a lot of Zizi’s POV here in the sequel, which I was ecstatic about. He was one of my favorite characters in book one, and he was just as great here. His chapters were so fun and interesting. Yiran was also a much stronger character here, compared to the first book, and I loved seeing him grow. He honestly kind of pissed me off in Darker By Four, and while there was a little of that here, it wasn’t nearly as annoying, and he had a great character arc.
I loved seeing more of Ash as well, and was so happy that he got to have a few chapters. I love Ash. It was great seeing more of his perspective on things, like his mentor-student dynamic with Rui, and his brotherly relationship with Yiran. And I also liked Yuki, which I wasn’t sure that I would, since he came out of nowhere in the first novel. But he ended up being an interesting character.
“I see you’re intent on being difficult tonight, Cadet Lin.”
Rui shrugged. “Not any more than usual.”
“I need a coffee,” Ash groaned.
Seeing all of the mythology and lore and magic of Tan’s world get expanded upon from the first novel was also amazing. It’s probably my favorite thing about the book – I loved learning more about the underworld, and meeting the other Kings, and discovering the celestial realm.
The romance was also fantastic. Zizi and Rui’s protectiveness was just as great as in Darker By Four, even if the pining during their separation hurt my heart. And I really liked Yiran and Yuki’s relationship here, it was built up really well.
There were only a few things I didn’t really like about Brighter Than Nine. I disliked that the trio – Rui, Yiran, and Zizi – were split up for so much of the book. Their dynamic and banter were some of my favorite things about the first book. There wasn’t a lot of it in this novel, either, which was a little disappointing. One of my least favorite tropes also made a little appearance in the last quarter of the book, which was annoying, but even with it there was a satisfying resolution to everything.
The other thing that kind of annoyed me were a few lines of dialogue. They just kind of took me out a little. The one that comes to mind is when one of the characters starts talking about which parts of their relationship are trope-y, and similar stuff like that. I dunno, it just felt a little meta and it kind of bugged me.
It was magical. Her city. She would save it, no matter what it took. As they sped on, the noise and chaos seemed to fade. For a moment, everything seemed to slow, and she was able to catch her breath. It was just the wind and her and Zizi. And she found herself wishing that this quiet would last forever.
But other than those few things, I thought that Brighter Than Nine was a fantastic book. I even felt that it was better than the first one. The climax was also good, and I ended up liking the ending a lot.
So yeah, this was a great book. I definitely recommend it, especially to fans of June CL Tan’s other stuff, as well as enjoyers of other Asian fantasy, YA, and anime. This novel was a lot of fun.
Anyway, thank you all for reading, and I hope that everybody has an amazing day/night!
See ya ~Mar
