Penguin scoops new Molly X Chang trilogy in six-figure pre-empt

Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Random House Children’s UK, has acquired the second YA fantasy trilogy from Molly X Chang in a “significant” six-figure pre-empt.

UK and Commonwealth rights for the new trilogy, Immortal the Blood, were acquired by publisher Carmen McCullough from Thao Le at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. Immortal the Blood, the first in the series, will be edited by Amina Youssef, editorial director, in the UK and published in July 2025.

Penguin acquired Chang’s first trilogy, Gods Beyond The Skies, in 2023 for six figures in a separate deal. To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, her debut and the first of that series, was published on 18th April. To Kill a Monstrous Prince, the second book in that series, will publish in April 2025.  

Pitched as Helen of Troy meets “Mulan” with vampires, Immortal the Blood follows a young woman who is destined for greatness but finds herself caught between two princes and a prophecy she never wanted. It is described as the perfect read for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Tahereh Mafi and Hafsah Faizal.

The synopsis for the first book reads: “Torn from her family and raised in the imperial palace, groomed to marry the future Emperor of Rong, Fei dreams of a life of freedom beyond the palace walls.

“When the opportunity arises to win a wish from the Emperor by slaying a legendary tiger, Fei seizes it. What she doesn’t plan for is to cross paths with Lan Yexue, the prince of a fallen empire rumoured to have dabbled in dark magic and made deals with vampiric demons.

“In pursuit of her freedom, Fei puts into motion a wave of events that sparks a war that puts the future of her continent in jeopardy. In order to save her old and ailing father from conscription, she disguises herself as a man and takes his place. Torn between two kingdoms and two princes and plagued by nightmares of bloodshed, should Fei embrace her destiny as the ’Empress of all Empresses’ or risk everything to seize her fate once and for all?”

Chang said: “I am delighted to continue my partnership with Penguin Random House for another series! Immortal the Blood is the book that reignited my love for fantasy after being told that ‘Asian fantasies don’t sell’ in 2019. I wrote it as a last-hurrah to my childhood dreams. It is full of everything that I love – a dark double-villain love triangle and a girl who knows what she wants and seizes her own destiny with both hands. I have so much passion for this story, and I cannot wait for readers to meet my chaos second-born series next summer!”

Amina Youssef, editorial director, added: “When PRHC acquired Molly X Chang’s first trilogy, Gods Beyond the Skies, we were delighted to have secured such a talented author for our bestselling and award-winning YA list. So when her second trilogy, Immortal the Blood, was submitted soon after, promising Mulan with vampires, we didn’t hesitate to snap it up. It has been hugely rewarding to see To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods publish to such excitement with our showstopping campaign from covetable POS, including branded silk scarves, and an Illumicrate special edition, to an unmissable programme of public events. We have a long-term strategy in place and big ambitions to build Molly as a brand author in the fantasy arena, and we are so excited to watch this come to fruition in the near future.”