By Samantha Pak
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
One & Only
By Maurene Goo
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2026
Cassia Park believes in soulmates and fated love stories. When your family business, for centuries, has been peering into people’s past lives to find their one true love—their fated—it’s no surprise. That’s the secret behind One & Only Matchmaking and its 100% guarantee. Except when it comes to Cass herself.
For 10 years, Cass has been searching for her fated, a man named Daniel Nam. But for a decade, he’s eluded her. So on her 40th birthday, she decides to have a fling with Ellis, the indecently handsome 28-year-old guy who helps her after a biking accident, only to find out that his boss is none other than Daniel Nam.
So now, it’s a battle between fate and chance and head and heart for Cass, as she has to decide whether to follow her fate, or make her own.
As a romance trope, love triangles are not my favorite, unless it’s done well. And in “One & Only,” Goo does a great job of balancing out Cass’ options. While many stories make it fairly obvious who the protagonist is going to end up with, here, both guys are great, and are a good match for Cass. So it could have gone either way.
In addition to the love story, as someone who is the same age as Cass, I related to many aspects of her life—from her figuring out whether or not she wants children, to the importance of her female friendships. So many romances are about couples in their 20s, so I appreciated an older protagonist who was in the same stage of life as me.
I also really enjoyed Cass’ relationships with her family. As nosy and intrusive as they are, Cass still loves them (partly because she’s just as nosy and intrusive with them as well). They have their differences and disagreements, but they still love each other deeply. And as someone who reads a lot of Asian American stories featuring intergenerational relationships, it’s always nice when there’s not too much trauma involved.
Katabasis
By R.F. Kuang
Harper Voyager, 2025
Alice Law’s only goal in life is to become one of the brightest minds in Magick. She’s sacrificed her pride, health, love life, and even her sanity to make it happen—all to work with professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world.
But then Grimes dies in a magical accident that may have been her fault, and now he’s in Hell. So Alice goes after him. Not to save him, but because his recommendation could determine the future of her career. And not even death will stop her ambitions, nor her rival Peter Murdoch, who decides to join her on the trip. Now the pair must work together to find their professor—a man they don’t even like—and figure out how to bring him back to the land of the living in order to make all of their academic trauma mean anything.
Needless to say, this proves to be easier said than done, because after all, this is Hell. And there are more than a few parties who will make it their mission to keep Alice and Peter where they are.
I’ll admit it took me a while to relate to Alice and Peter. As someone who never went beyond a bachelor’s degree, their academic intensity wasn’t something I understood at first. But as the story unfolds, Kuang does a great job revealing their backstories and motivations. Even those who aren’t academically inclined will begin to understand why bringing Grimes back is so important to them.
I also enjoyed the worldbuilding in “Katabasis,” and how readers discover Hell and all of its intricacies alongside Alice and Peter. If something happens that we don’t understand, it’s likely Alice and Peter won’t either, which is always a fun experience as a reader. Despite having read up all they could about Hell, there are still so many things they don’t know about the afterlife, and it’s fun to see their hypotheses and theories get proven wrong—or right.
The Amberglow Candy Store
By Hiyoko Kurisu, translated by Matt Treyvaud
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2025
Welcome to the Amberglow Candy Store. Located on Gloaming Lane, hidden in an alley and only open between the full moon and the new moon, only yokai and the vulnerable can find this very special store through a gap in the trees. Full of wagashi, or confections, each candy contains a cure for whatever may be ailing one’s heart or mind. These sweet treats will give a person what they most desire—but not always in the way they expect.
From a teenage girl who desires more quality time with her boyfriend, to a trio of friends dealing with long-buried resentments, to a wife and new mother who just wants to be appreciated, each customer who enters the store learns a valuable lesson.
But they’re not the only ones to learn lessons as Kogetsu, the store’s mysterious proprietor—who may or may not have a pair of fox ears and bushy tail, and may or may not be a half-fox spirit—uses each meeting with his new customers as an opportunity to observe and learn more about the human race.
“The Amberglow Candy Store” is a collection of vignettes, featuring characters in need of a little nudge in the right direction. Things have gotten off track for them, one way or another, and that is how they find themselves at Kogetsu’s store. It was entertaining to see how the candies the characters purchased helped change their lives. But their stories are also a reminder to readers to do things like listen to others, believe in yourself, and don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself—something we can all use from time to time.
This book is the definition of a cozy fantasy. It’s pretty low stakes and the magic throughout the stories is pretty subtle. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need. A book that feels like a hot cup of tea and a warm hug.
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