Sacrifice (Cindy Pon)

Author Biography

Cindy Pon is the author of four YA fantasy novels and a member of the We Need Diverse Books advisory board. In 2011, she co-founded the Diversity in YA blog with Malinda Lo.

Published By: Month9Books

Year: 2016

ISBN-10: 978-1-944816-92-6

ISBN-13: 978-1-944816-52-0

Reading Level: Grades 8 and up

Reader’s Annotation:

Following the events of Serpentine, Skybright begins her new demonic existence with no hope of seeing her loved ones again. But fate will soon reunite them as terrifying supernatural forces threaten them all.

Plot Summary:

Having sacrificed her mortal life to save her lover Kai Sen and her best friend Zhen Ni, the half-human, half-serpent demon Skybright enters the underworld with the mysterious immortal being known as Stone. He expects her to become what her mother was: a supernatural vigilante who seduces and murders wicked men. But they soon learn that the deadly breach between hell and earth has inexplicably reopened, unleashing more bloodthirsty demons and undead into the mortal world. As punishment for letting this occur, the Goddess of Accord strips Stone of his immortality and condemns him to close the breach or die.

Meanwhile, for her family’s sake, Zhen Ni reluctantly marries the wealthy yet aloof and forbidding Master Bei. Reluctance turns to sheer horror when she discovers a subterranean chamber hidden beneath her new home… and mutilated, half-eaten corpses inside it! At the same time, Kai Sen searches for his beloved Skybright, hoping to free her from Stone’s otherworldly clutches. What will happen when they all meet again? And when they do, will they be able to stop the terrible demonic threat that looms over them?

Critical Evaluation:

The heartbreaking ending of Serpentine leaves the reader almost desperate for a sequel. Thankfully, Cindy Pon quickly delivered one, and Sacrifice is everything we could have hoped for. Once again we’re transported to the ancient Chinese-inspired Kingdom of Xia, exploring its divine and demonic realms more deeply than ever, and once again we follow Skybright, Stone, Zhen Ni and Kai Sen, first in their individual struggles following Skybright’s self-sacrifice, and then as their paths gradually converge in a battle against new and deadly demonic forces. The external conflict, with its array of horrors, echoes of “Bluebeard” and race against time, excites and chills from beginning to end. But just as important, and effortlessly woven into the former, are the character’s internal conflicts, as they complete the coming-of-age journeys that Serpentine began and redefine their lives’ purposes and relationships with each other.

Having spent the first book learning to accept her demonic nature, Skybright now determines how she wants to use it for all eternity, and how to balance her feelings for her loved ones with the knowledge that she can never fully belong to their world again. Meanwhile, Zhen Ni and, to a lesser extent, Kai Sen struggle between their love for Skybright and fear of the demon she’s become, while Stone is forced to change from a powerful, unfeeling immortal into a vulnerable, sympathetic human being.

These four characters’ struggles lead to a bittersweet ending. One with a degree of even greater loss than Serpentine’s, but which in some ways is thankfully happier too. Like its predecessor, this book also shines in its feminist themes, its lovingly depicted non-Western setting, and its LGBT+ representation: Zhen Ni’s attraction to other girls is less of a plot-point here than in Serpentine, but not forgotten. Both as a “diverse” book and as simply a good one, Sacrifice excels.

Curriculum Ties:

•Chinese mythology

•Fantasy worlds

Challenge Issues:

•Mild profanity

•Violence

•Disturbing imagery

•Bodily function references

•Sexual references

•LGBT+ themes

•A forced kiss

Why This Book?

With its lush, dark fantasy atmosphere, engaging characters, diversity representation, and expertly woven, equally compelling threads of internal and external drama, Sacrifice is every inch the beautiful final chapter for which Serpentine cried out.