Marie Lu is an author who is able to continually perform. Have I loved everything she's written? No, not everything. Have I seen an audience for everything she has written, Yes assuredly yes.
I'm not sure she will ever surpass the magic I felt in my soul when I delved into the Legend Series which came at just the right time in my life for me, but, I'm always going to check out what she's doing.
So with that said, when I saw Macmillan had Mortal Things on Audio- with an interesting dual narration of Eunice Wong and JiaLing Pan, I hit the request button and was thrilled to have the copy hit my in-box. I had been looking for the audio for Silver Elite, so I wasn't even aware that Mortal Things was cooking!
Frankly I was hoping the UK cover would be different but it looks like it's going to be this gold foil looking thing. Do I like it? I don't dislike it.
This novel is somewhat similar to Red City. Similar themes include our protagonists sacrificing themselves and their dreams for another's safety/well being, Magic used to control/manipulate characters and the world, power imbalances. Like Red City , it is set in the real world- with "something extra" added in. In Red City it is a spark of magic and in Mortal Things it is the involvement of a pantheon of gods that appear to be kind of generic for this book. (Gods of knowledge, love, death, lies and music etc).
Without any spoilers- our protagonist has been recruited as a harbinger of death. At some point, she is elevated as a regent candidate and must pass trials- she's challenged by a very cheeky, quite sexy regent of lies and their entanglement is a major plot point of the story. However, mid story- readers will get quite a few surprises, the world will seem topsy turvy. Rose, our protagonist is finding out she's in much much deeper than she thought. While some readers may not have liked this, I loved that sensation of "What is even going on!" This rush to find out what happens kept me listening for 2 hours into the night to finish up.
Dare I say it- I think this is BETTER than Red City. It captures the yearning of Legend, and the Magic of Red City- as well as that gritty quality that Red City especially had- without overwhelming the reader with either. If I have a criticism it might be that the pacing was very slow and could have been a bit more propulsive in the beginning and then very fast in the final chapters- which made the ending feel rushed.
Eunice Wong and JiaLing Pan did a good job with the Narration. In the beginning I could tell the two narrators apart well, but by the end, I was not sure who was narrating and like all good narration, I sort of "forgot" that they were there!
I believe this will be marketed as Young Adult. It is appropriate for young adults, though I would likely not purchase it for kids younger than 15. There is no inappropriate activities specifically, but there are some themes that may not work for the 11-14 yr old set. I may also be underestimating the 11-14 yr olds of the world, but...maybe not.
STATS
First Published: 10/27/2026
Pages: 368
Available as an Audio Book : YES 11 hrs
Trigger Warnings: Death, death of parents, death of children, lies, deceptions, adoption, alcohol and drug use, monsters, orphans, capricious gods.
(this is not a full list, read responsibly)
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