The Girl with No Face

Boroson’s second Daoshi historical fantasy (after The Girl with Ghost Eyes) again brings Chinese folklore vibrantly to life. Young Daoist priestess and martial artist Xian Li-lin, working as a bodyguard and priestess for a tong in late-19th-century San Francisco, takes on the job of discovering the person who killed a young girl by means of a vampire plant. Her search leads her to Xu Shengdian, a gambler who attempts to enslave her with a love spell. After defeating him and escaping, Li-lin seeks out her father, Xian Zhengying, a Daoist priest of the highest level, to remove the curse. Together with Shuai Hu, a three-tailed tiger living as a Buddhist monk, they journey on a spirit railway to thwart the plans of the Ghost Magistrate, Xu Shengdian’s ancestor, who is scheming to become the local Earth God. Boroson endows Li-lin with courage and quick wit along with her magical and martial skills, allowing her to triumph over formidable enemies. Elements of Chinese culture are integrated naturally into the story, and the imagery can be breathtaking. Readers will be delighted that this exhilarating chronicle ends with the promise of more adventures in store for Li-lin and her allies. Agent: Sandy Lu, L. Perkins Agency. (Oct.)