AN AUCTION OF SOULS, my latest YA fantasy release, is a story about a young, enterprising auction master who must journey with two Hell guardians on a quest to find her missing grandmother and unravel the mystery behind a fragment of a soul. AN AUCTION OF SOULS belongs to a sub-genre of Chinese fantasy known as Xianxia, but what exactly is this sub-genre all about?
The term Xianxia is coined by combining two Chinese characters: xian, which refers to celestial beings, and xia, which refers to martial heroes. When the two characters are put together, we get a sub-genre that is defined by a blend of Chinese mythology, supernatural elements and martial arts traditions. Xianxia stories typically draw from Daoist philosophy and include ideas such as the pursuit of immortality through cultivation and a focus on strengthening and refining one’s body and spirit in order to achieve higher states of being. These stories also feature colorful casts of characters that span across different realms, such as immortals from the heavenly realm, mortal cultivators from the mortal realm and demons from the demonic realm.
Here are three interesting facts about Xianxia:
Magic comes from within, not without
Magic in Xianxia typically focuses on the cultivation of qi within the self. A character’s ability to control magic or power is dependent on the extent of their personal cultivation. Unlike many Western magic systems, the emphasis is on growing and strengthening yourself, rather than controlling external elements in the world around you. Think of magic as a sense of being, rather than a skill to be acquired.
There is no magic “system” per se
While certain progression-type fantasies may have levels of magic progression, there are many variations on how the cultivation is done and what you can do with your “magic.” In Xinaixa, it can often feel like the rule is—there are no rules. Throw your ideas about magic system consistencies and mechanics aside. Characters will fly, transform into different creatures and travel through time in the same breath, with no explanation provided, and this is normal for the sub-genre!
The concept of good and evil is unclear—gods can be evil and demons can be good!
Identity labels like “god,” “immortal,” “demon” or “spirit” typically describe the cultivation status or birthright of a character, but have no implication on a character’s moral stance or beliefs. A mortal can achieve immortalhood through cultivation, but can also fall to demonic ways through incorrect cultivation methods. Likewise, gods can become demons and vice versa.
If you are interested to find out what a Xianxia story is like, do pick up AN AUCTION OF SOULS - now available in bookstores!
A start to a new duology from Of Jade and Dragons author Amber Chen, perfect for fans of The Scorpion and the Night Blossom and A Forgery of Fate!
Meng Lingxi and her grandmother run a legendary auction house, Meng Wu—the House of Dreams. But when a mysterious traveler arrives bearing a fragment of a soul, all that Lingxi knows changes in an instant. Her grandmother mysteriously vanishes, and restless spirits descend upon Meng Wu.
Then two unlikely allies—Yan Jun and Yan Shan, guardians of hell itself—come to Lingxi's aid, revealing a shocking secret about the only home she's ever known: Meng Wu sits upon the gateway to hell, and her grandmother serves the god of the underworld himself.
Soon, Lingxi joins her two companions on a perilous journey to find her grandmother and unravel the mystery behind the dangerous fragment of soul. Along the way, the trio must outsmart humans, gods, and demons alike who try to stand in their way—before hell is let loose on earth.
Fantasy | Fiction Adventure | Action [ Viking Books for Young Readers, On Sale: October 20, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9798217039647 / eISBN: 9798217039661 ]
Amber Chen is a Singaporean Chinese author of SFF and contemporary fiction. She spends much of her free time living within Chinese fantasy novels and dramas, and also drinks one too many cups of bubble tea. One of her webnovels, The Cutting Edge, has been adapted for television. She is also the author of Of Jade and Dragons.
The Blood Phoenix, a thrilling silkpunk fantasy sequel to Of Jade and Dragons, is forthcoming from Penguin Teen in Summer 2025.
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