Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai

The quick cut: A priestess paid to bring the dead home takes on a high paying job that becomes unexpectedly chaotic when the body comes back to life. 

A real review: 

 Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing the arc for an honest review.

  Every culture has its mythology and stories about death or the afterlife. Some say we are reborn while others say we move on to somewhere new. For priestess Kang, that question of what happens is relevant when her dead body instead comes back to life. 

 Kang learned how to corpse-drive from her father. While he has grown ill, she has taken the time to get additional jobs in the hopes of being able to afford a better doctor. So when a high paying offer comes along, she takes the risk for the payment. The unexpected happens though when she uses the reanimation talisman on him: he comes back to life. Will she bring him back home ready to resume his life? Or instead bring back a dead body? 

 This story has a number of twists and turns, so the ending is satisfying without being predictable. Kang is trying to do what's best for her family, unwilling to lose her father like she lost her mother. In the process, she learns that the country she lives in has more issues than it appears. 

 The other main character beyond Kang is the prince. He's not the heir to the throne, but someone with a good relationship to the King, who is currently dying. In the process of coming back to life and trying to get back home, he sees the reality of his family's reign close up and it's not a good one. Seeing him transform from a prince with little life experience to someone worthy of leading is a great one. He truly comes into his own and learns how to stand for the people. 

An interesting fantasy story based on Chinese folklore. 

My rating: 4 out of 5