Girl with a Thousand Faces

Sunyi Dean

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Book cover for Girl with a Thousand Faces
Image for variant 9781250810212
Book cover for Girl with a Thousand Faces
Image for variant 9781250810212

Girl with a Thousand Faces

Girl with a Thousand Faces

Sunyi Dean

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Description

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Book Eaters comes The Girl with a Thousand Faces, a stunning Gothic tale set in a historical Hong Kong that meshes ancient myths and local legends into a haunting story of ghosts, grief, and women who will not forgive.

When Mercy Chan washed up on the shores of Hong Kong with no family, no money, and no memories, the only place she could find refuge was in the infamous, ghost-infested slum of Kowloon Walled City. Since then, she has rebuilt her life working for the local triad as a ghost-talker and dealing with the angry and bitter spirits who haunt the district. The filthy gutters and cramped alleyways of Kowloon now feel like home.

But the past Mercy can't remember won't let her go. An unusually powerful ghost has infested Kowloon's waterways, drowning innocents and threatening the district. It claims to know Mercy--and secrets from her past that are best left forgotten.

As Mercy is drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with this malignant spirit, she begins to realize that the monster she fights within these walls may well be one of her own making.

"The Girl With a Thousand Faces confirms Sunyi Dean as one of the most interesting voices in genre fiction."--Gareth Brown, USA Today bestselling author of The Book of Doors

About the Author

Sunyi Dean is a biracial fantasy author who was born in Texas, grew up in Hong Kong, and now resides in North England. She writes speculative fiction with a weird slant, and her debut novel, The Book Eaters, was a USA Today bestseller. Back in the day, her high school was a former mission house built on the edge of the original Walled City, and her grandparents lived in Hong Kong through both World Wars. In her spare time, she likes buying whisky, picking up dumbbells, and dying in jiu-jitsu.

Critical Reviews

"Sunyi Dean's storytelling is gripping and sure, her characters complex and cathartically vengeful, her worlds richly imagined and transportive. The Girl with a Thousand Faces contends with all manner of ghosts, and beautifully examines the nature of grief, rage, and all that must be put to rest in order to truly live."--Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six

"Gripped me from the start and refused to let go. It is a mystery, a war story, a tragedy, but more than anything, it is a haunting story of loneliness, love, and loss. The Girl With a Thousand Faces confirms Sunyi Dean as one of the most interesting voices in genre fiction."--Gareth Brown, USA Today bestselling author of The Book of Doors

"The fantastical and historical come together in a skillfully woven narrative filled with vengeful ghosts, grief, and intergenerational trauma. Dean's atmospheric writing takes you deep into the shadows of the walled city, daring you to find a way out."--Monika Kim, author of The Eyes Are the Best Part

"Dark and compulsive, and liable to break your heart and steal the pieces. If you like tales of horror and hidden pasts, this one is for you. Sunyi Dean is a master of the art of storytelling, and this book is bound to be an immediate classic."--Hannah Kaner, author of Godkiller

"A heart-rending ghost story that masterfully examines the brutalities of trauma and war. This story held me in its spectral thrall and I can't recommend it enough. An absolute must-read!"--Alexis Henderson, author of An Academy for Liars

"A visceral, haunting tale of rage, revenge, and forgiveness, set in an irresistibly vivid and mesmerising alternative Hong Kong. I ate it up!"--Hildur Knútsdóttir, author of The Night Guest

"Astonishing and clever, unfolding in layers that cross time and space and identities. Dean has crafted a tale that explores--with wisdom and empathy--the devastating effects of conflict and the ghosts it leaves behind."--Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter

"A complex, time-twisting, and intensely vivid tale of grief and redemption in historical Hong Kong--with ghosts! I loved it."--Nicholas Binge, author of Ascension

"Creepy and compelling--a masterfully crafted nesting doll of a story, embedding intergenerational trauma and the ghosts of war into an atmospheric and absorbing slice of Hong Kong Gothic."--Catriona Silvey, author of Meet Me in Another Life

"Will tear out your heart and heal it in the same breath. Sunyi Dean's hauntingly unique ghost story refuses to be pinned down. Combining the very real horrors of Hong Kong's occupation with one family's female rage and trauma, the story twists and turns with as many faces as the eponymous girl herself."--Eliza Chan, author of Fathomfolk

"In this beautiful and enthrallingly dark fantasy, Sunyi Dean expertly weaves horror, history, and just the perfect amount of whimsy into one of the most original tales I've ever read."--Liz Kerin, author of Night's Edge

"Part ghostly mystery and part meditation on the traumas of war, The Girl with a Thousand Faces is a haunting exploration of identity, loss, and what it means to forgive."--Amber A. Logan, author of The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn

"A twisting supernatural mystery hardened by the haunts of war. With alluringly monstrous women and a deep dive into memory, Sunyi Dean digs vividly into the unstable nature of a mid-century Hong Kong caught between ghostly and colonial powers alike."--Wen-yi Lee, author of When They Burned the Butterfly

"In a masterful blend of entertaining and tragic, Dean weaves a gripping tale of war-torn families, aggrieved ghosts, and intergenerational trauma through her signature dual timelines and twists."--Essa Hansen, author of Nophek Gloss

"The Girl with a Thousand Faces is haunting and tense in the very best way. Sunyi Dean has flawlessly blended a vivid historical fantasy with enveloping horror."--Scott Drakeford, author of Rise of the Mages

"A beautiful and haunting tale about the weight of memory."--Maithree Wijesekara, author of The Prince Without Sorrow

"With beautiful prose that haunts you well past its conclusion, The Girl with a Thousand Faces breathes new life into the Ghost Story, and this ghost story is not one you soon forget."--Ryan Rose, author of Seven Recipes for Revolution

Publishing Information

Publisher: Tor Books
Pub date: 2026-05-05
Length: 320 pages

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