Two rivals from opposing gangs grow dangerously close in this dazzling YA debut set in 1940s San Francisco Chinatown.
Beneath the neon glare of postwar San Francisco, Chinatown is ruled by two rival crime families. East Phoenix deals in secrets and stealth, West Dragon in fists and fear. But both empires are bleeding money, and the fragile truce between them frays by the day.
As the daughter of Chinatown’s most powerful crime boss, Alexis Sung can do almost anything, except join the family business. When her first job for East Phoenix goes wrong, her father shuts her out for good. Across town, Zachary Ren—a brilliant orphan raised by West Dragon—is desperate to escape a life he never chose. Their paths were never meant to cross again, not after he destroyed Alexis’s one shot to prove herself.
That changes when a daring heist surfaces—one with a bounty big enough to save both families from ruin. Defying her father’s orders, Alexis seizes the chance to redeem herself by striking an uneasy alliance with Zachary. As old wounds reopen and new sparks catch, survival means trusting the last person she thought she would.
After graduating from Stanford University in 2021, Kyla Zhao is a Silicon Valley techie by day and an author by night. Her books have been featured by CBS, NBC, Good Morning America, Vogue, Elle, Buzzfeed, South China Morning Post, and more. Kyla was also selected as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, a Tatler Leader of Tomorrow, and awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the California State Assembly for her contributions to Asian media representation. While she writes for various age groups and in various genres, her books all star women and girls of color challenging stereotypes in traditionally male-dominated spaces.
View titles by Kyla Zhao
Two rivals from opposing gangs grow dangerously close in this dazzling YA debut set in 1940s San Francisco Chinatown.
Beneath the neon glare of postwar San Francisco, Chinatown is ruled by two rival crime families. East Phoenix deals in secrets and stealth, West Dragon in fists and fear. But both empires are bleeding money, and the fragile truce between them frays by the day.
As the daughter of Chinatown’s most powerful crime boss, Alexis Sung can do almost anything, except join the family business. When her first job for East Phoenix goes wrong, her father shuts her out for good. Across town, Zachary Ren—a brilliant orphan raised by West Dragon—is desperate to escape a life he never chose. Their paths were never meant to cross again, not after he destroyed Alexis’s one shot to prove herself.
That changes when a daring heist surfaces—one with a bounty big enough to save both families from ruin. Defying her father’s orders, Alexis seizes the chance to redeem herself by striking an uneasy alliance with Zachary. As old wounds reopen and new sparks catch, survival means trusting the last person she thought she would.
After graduating from Stanford University in 2021, Kyla Zhao is a Silicon Valley techie by day and an author by night. Her books have been featured by CBS, NBC, Good Morning America, Vogue, Elle, Buzzfeed, South China Morning Post, and more. Kyla was also selected as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, a Tatler Leader of Tomorrow, and awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the California State Assembly for her contributions to Asian media representation. While she writes for various age groups and in various genres, her books all star women and girls of color challenging stereotypes in traditionally male-dominated spaces.
View titles by Kyla Zhao
