Grace D. Li grew up in Pearland, Texas and is a graduate of Duke University, where she studied biology and creative writing. She currently attends Stanford University School of Medicine. Portrait of a Thief is her debut novel and is also in development at Netflix.
The Manor of Dreams (2025) Christina Li "The Manor of Dreams peels back the promises of the American Dream to reveal something more painful, more heartbreaking, and ultimately, more true. An ambitious, evocative meditation on the hurts passed down across generations - and how we heal."
Julie Chan is Dead (2025) Liann Zhang "Outrageously fun. Julie Chan is Dead is both a propulsive, heart-pounding ride and a layered examination of social media, status, and obsession."
The Teller of Small Fortunes (2024) Julie Leong "Warm, welcoming, and endlessly inventive, The Teller of Small Fortunes feels like being invited in for tea with a dear friend (and expert storyteller!). An utter and complete delight to read."
Midnights With You (2024) Clare Osongco "Tender, dreamlike, and deeply moving. Reading this felt like going on a late-night road trip with your best friend - and I'll go wherever Osongco takes me next."
A Song to Drown Rivers (2024) Ann Liang "By turns searingly ambitious and heartbreakingly intimate, A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS is an incisive, intricately crafted examination of power, politics, and what we'll become for those we love. This story swept me away."
Lady Macbeth (2024) Ava Reid "Precise, unflinching, and soaringly ambitious, Lady Macbeth reimagines the story of Macbeth to perfection."
The Night Ends with Fire (2024) (Night Ends with Fire, book 1) K X Song "Exhilarating and intricately told, The Night Ends with Fire is both a breathless adventure and an unflinching portrayal of power, female ambition, and the costs that come with it."
The Stardust Grail (2024) Yume Kitasei "The Stardust Grail is a puzzle box of a book, one that invites readers into an ambitious and endlessly imaginative adventure. A strange, surreal, and startlingly tender glimpse into worlds beyond our own."
Daughter of Calamity (2024) Rosalie M Lin "Lin's Shanghai invites you in with an open hand or an offer to dance; here, every page is full of glamour, possibility, treachery. DAUGHTER OF CALAMITY will pull you in like a fever dream."
Cinema Love (2024) Jiaming Tang "Masterful... Cinema Love is a tender, deeply compassionate debut, with characters so vividly drawn they feel alive."
Women of Good Fortune (2024) Sophie Wan "A love letter to Shanghai and complicated female friendships, Women of Good Fortune is a joyous, indulgent, immensely clever debut. I loved every second."
The Last Bloodcarver (2024) (Last Bloodcarver Duology, book 1) Vanessa Le "Absolutely captivating... Le crafts a richly imagined fantasy world, filled with complex, nuanced characters and a magic system that feels brand new. This is one to be savored."
Kingdom of Without (2023) Andrea Tang "Clever, intricately plotted, and wildly fun, Kingdom of Without is the heist novel done to perfection. What a joy to step into Tang's Beijing; I never wanted to leave."
The Death I Gave Him (2023) Em X Liu "The Death I Gave Him is the Hamlet retelling of my wildest dreams, and Liu's prose cuts like a scalpel: precise, unflinching, unafraid to draw blood. Read this book, and then read it again."
Vampires of El Norte (2023) Isabel Cañas "Lush, captivating, and richly imagined. Here, monstrosity is both human and supernatural; Canas reminds us that the real horror has always been colonialism. Vampires of El Norte will sink its teeth into you."
The Moon Represents My Heart (2023) Pim Wangtechawat "A tender and transformative debut, with the Wang family as its beating heart. Wangtechawat captures love in all its many forms."
The Infinite Miles (2023) Hannah Fergesen "A clever, joyous, irresistible romp across time and space, full of characters you can't help but root for. This book is for anyone who's ever dreamed of the stars."
Natural Beauty (2023) Ling Ling Huang "A propulsive, captivating read, Natural Beauty pulled me into its world like a fever dream. A prescient look at the dirty underbelly of society's beauty standards, it also carries a moving reminder that true beauty is often found in the very things we've been taught to abandon."
Solomon's Crown (2023) Natasha Siegel "Glorious, heart-wrenching, and, above all, hopeful. Solomon's Crown is a meditative, startlingly lovely examination of love, rivalry, and what makes a legacy, and Natasha Siegel has crafted a triumph of a debut."
Lies We Sing to the Sea (2023) Sarah Underwood "Gorgeous, tragic, and timeless, Lies We Sing to the Sea makes an age-old story feel new again. This is Greek tragedy at its best: sweeping in scope yet deeply intimate in characterization. This book will break your heart and you'll be grateful for it."
On Rotation (2022) Shirlene Obuobi "Smart, funny, and utterly swoonworthy, On Rotation is a layered and deeply compassionate novel of navigating life and love in your twenties. Angie Appiah will be your new best friend."
