Book Summary and Reviews of Road to Ruin by Hana Lee

Road to Ruin by Hana Lee

Road to Ruin

Magebike Courier #1

by Hana Lee

  • Critics' Consensus (5):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • Published:
  • May 2024, 368 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

An electrifying, gritty fantasy from debut author Hana Lee that takes a royal messenger on a high-speed chase across a climate-ravaged wasteland, featuring motorcycles, monsters, and magic.

Jin-Lu has the most dangerous job in the wasteland. She's a magebike courier, one of the few who venture outside the domed cities on motorcycles powered by magic. Every day, she braves the wasteland's dangers—deadly storms, roving marauders, and territorial beasts—to deliver her wares.

Her most valuable cargo? A prince's love letters addressed to Yi-Nereen, a princess desperate to escape the clutches of her abusive family and soon-to-be husband. Jin, desperately in love with both her and the prince, can't refuse Yi-Nereen's plea for help. The two of them flee across the wastes, pursued by Yi-Nereen's furious father, her scheming betrothed, and a bounty hunter with mysterious powers.

A storm to end all storms is brewing and dark secrets about the heritability of magic are coming to light. Jin's heart has led her into peril before, but this time she may not find her way back.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Savage, sexy, and deliciously screwed up, Lee's apocalyptic fantasy debut is sure to draw comparisons to Mad Max but sets itself apart through an inventive magic system and a thorny bisexual love triangle." ―Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

"Lee's action-packed, Mad Max: Fury Road–inspired fantasy is a breathless, polyamorous adventure that will delight fans of well-built, fast-paced, queer sf/fantasy." ―Booklist (starred review)

"Road to Ruin is an absolute thrill ride, and the most fun I've had reading all year. Messy yet soulful characters, an atmospheric Mad Max world, cool creatures, and imaginative worldbuilding make this book a top-tier experience—one that will have you lining up for the next one!" ―Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter

This information about Road to Ruin was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Roonie

I love this book!!
Road to Ruin has great queer/poly romance and the fast-paced action is really engaging. It's a fun combination of post-apocalypse survival mentality and sci-fi/fantasy world building with magic-powered motorbikes and dinosaur-like creatures. In terms of tone, it's a good balance of storm clouds and rainbows. There's a lot of witty lines I shared with my friends and some of the underlying themes really hit home with me. Can't wait for the next book in the series!

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Author Information

Hana Lee

Hana Lee is a biracial Korean American writer who also builds software for a living. She has an undying love for fantastical stories in all their forms, especially video games, and a habit of writing to moody indie rock playlists. Her short writing has appeared in Fantasy Magazine and Uncanny Magazine. She lives in California with her partner and two beloved cats.

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