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    Fishbone Cinderella

    A Novel

    Author Elizabeth Lim
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    Audio | Random House Audio
    On sale Jul 28, 2026 | 12 Hours and 0 Minutes | 9798217343492
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    A mother and daughter must break their family’s curse through trials of war and immigration, love, loss, and redemption in this riveting multi-generational saga with a shimmer of magic, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Forgery of Fate.

    “Lim dazzles in her dark and deftly woven adult debut. . . . Blending the historically grounded and complex mother-daughter narratives of Amy Tan with the rich fantasy of Yangsze Choo, this stunning tale will delight. . . . This is a gem.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    1940s Hong Kong
    When Japanese soldiers invade her hometown, Ha Yut Ying makes an unlikely escape—by turning invisible. But her miraculous survival is only the beginning. After the war is over, she’s sent to Hong Kong to live with her distant father and glamorous stepmother, who end her dreams of becoming a singer and turn her into the family’s servant. As the years pass, Yut Ying learns the hard truths of betrayal and ambition, of forbidden love and devastating loss, and discovers that sometimes the only way to endure is to disappear.

    1960s San Francisco
    Marigold has always had a knack for uncovering secrets, but nothing prepares her for the day she accidentally witnesses her mother vanish before her eyes. The moment fractures their bond, leaving questions that shadow her entire childhood. But when her mother’s condition suddenly deteriorates, Marigold is convinced she’s the only person who can save her. To do so, she must journey into the secrets her mother never shared and uncover the tragic, fairytale-tinged history their family has fought to forget.

    A story of mothers and daughters, the scars they inherit and the magic that binds them, Fishbone Cinderella is a tender and enchanting exploration of what it means, at last, to be seen.
    © Adrian Ow
    ELIZABETH LIM grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she was raised on a hearty diet of fairy tales, myths, and songs. Before becoming an author, Elizabeth was a professional film and video game composer, and she still tends to come up with her best book ideas when writing near a piano. An alumna of Harvard College and the Juilliard School, she now lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

    Elizabeth's internationally bestselling novels include Spin the Dawn, Unravel the Dusk, and Six Crimson Cranes. She is also a contributor to Disney’s "A Twisted Tale” series. View titles by Elizabeth Lim
    “A vividly realized, heartbreakingly evocative exploration of love in all its forms—from the destructive to the transformative—Elizabeth Lim’s adult debut cements her as one of the brightest voices in fiction. Don’t miss this masterpiece.”—Kiersten White, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fox and the Devil

    “A gorgeous, haunting story of magic, memory and loss. Fishbone Cinderella is an aching exploration of the lengths we go to to protect the ones we love, and the bonds between mothers and daughters in all their forms. Lim’s story has all the hallmarks of a new fable: elegant, atmospheric, and resonant across time and space.”—Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi

    “Elizabeth Lim’s dazzling Fishbone Cinderella is an enthralling fairy tale with a Chinese twist. A family curse dooms the women in Helen and Marigold's family, entwining their fates through a dark ability. Their secrets are traced against the richly evocative and lusciously detailed backdrop of Hong Kong and Berkeley in the 1940s and ’60s, where uncertainty and love bloom. Thought-provoking and heartfelt, Fishbone Cinderella is a must-read for historical fiction fans.”—Yangsze Choo, New York Times bestselling author of The Fox Wife

    “Everything you want in a book—mothers and daughters bound by love and fracture; an aching, fate-twined romance; women carrying the weight of inherited magic; and a sweeping history that crosses borders and generations—Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim is utterly
    unforgettable.”—Stacey Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl

    “Lim dazzles in her dark and deftly woven adult debut. . . . Blending the historically grounded and complex mother-daughter narratives of Amy Tan with the rich fantasy of Yangsze Choo, this stunning tale will delight. . . . This is a gem.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

    About

    A mother and daughter must break their family’s curse through trials of war and immigration, love, loss, and redemption in this riveting multi-generational saga with a shimmer of magic, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Forgery of Fate.

    “Lim dazzles in her dark and deftly woven adult debut. . . . Blending the historically grounded and complex mother-daughter narratives of Amy Tan with the rich fantasy of Yangsze Choo, this stunning tale will delight. . . . This is a gem.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    1940s Hong Kong
    When Japanese soldiers invade her hometown, Ha Yut Ying makes an unlikely escape—by turning invisible. But her miraculous survival is only the beginning. After the war is over, she’s sent to Hong Kong to live with her distant father and glamorous stepmother, who end her dreams of becoming a singer and turn her into the family’s servant. As the years pass, Yut Ying learns the hard truths of betrayal and ambition, of forbidden love and devastating loss, and discovers that sometimes the only way to endure is to disappear.

    1960s San Francisco
    Marigold has always had a knack for uncovering secrets, but nothing prepares her for the day she accidentally witnesses her mother vanish before her eyes. The moment fractures their bond, leaving questions that shadow her entire childhood. But when her mother’s condition suddenly deteriorates, Marigold is convinced she’s the only person who can save her. To do so, she must journey into the secrets her mother never shared and uncover the tragic, fairytale-tinged history their family has fought to forget.

    A story of mothers and daughters, the scars they inherit and the magic that binds them, Fishbone Cinderella is a tender and enchanting exploration of what it means, at last, to be seen.

    Author

    © Adrian Ow
    ELIZABETH LIM grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she was raised on a hearty diet of fairy tales, myths, and songs. Before becoming an author, Elizabeth was a professional film and video game composer, and she still tends to come up with her best book ideas when writing near a piano. An alumna of Harvard College and the Juilliard School, she now lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

    Elizabeth's internationally bestselling novels include Spin the Dawn, Unravel the Dusk, and Six Crimson Cranes. She is also a contributor to Disney’s "A Twisted Tale” series. View titles by Elizabeth Lim

    Praise

    “A vividly realized, heartbreakingly evocative exploration of love in all its forms—from the destructive to the transformative—Elizabeth Lim’s adult debut cements her as one of the brightest voices in fiction. Don’t miss this masterpiece.”—Kiersten White, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fox and the Devil

    “A gorgeous, haunting story of magic, memory and loss. Fishbone Cinderella is an aching exploration of the lengths we go to to protect the ones we love, and the bonds between mothers and daughters in all their forms. Lim’s story has all the hallmarks of a new fable: elegant, atmospheric, and resonant across time and space.”—Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi

    “Elizabeth Lim’s dazzling Fishbone Cinderella is an enthralling fairy tale with a Chinese twist. A family curse dooms the women in Helen and Marigold's family, entwining their fates through a dark ability. Their secrets are traced against the richly evocative and lusciously detailed backdrop of Hong Kong and Berkeley in the 1940s and ’60s, where uncertainty and love bloom. Thought-provoking and heartfelt, Fishbone Cinderella is a must-read for historical fiction fans.”—Yangsze Choo, New York Times bestselling author of The Fox Wife

    “Everything you want in a book—mothers and daughters bound by love and fracture; an aching, fate-twined romance; women carrying the weight of inherited magic; and a sweeping history that crosses borders and generations—Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim is utterly
    unforgettable.”—Stacey Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl

    “Lim dazzles in her dark and deftly woven adult debut. . . . Blending the historically grounded and complex mother-daughter narratives of Amy Tan with the rich fantasy of Yangsze Choo, this stunning tale will delight. . . . This is a gem.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

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