Celestial | A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing
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A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing
Alice Evelyn Yang
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A dark, magical realist debut family saga that moves through the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, the Cultural Revolution, and the present day to explore the effects of intergenerational trauma, the legacy of colonialism, and the inescapability of fate.
Qianze has not seen her father in eleven years, since he walked out of her life the night of her fourteenth birthday and disappeared without a trace. But then she gets a call—there is a man on the porch of her childhood home, and he’s asking for her. This man isn’t the Ba Qianze remembers: he is much older, more fragile, and worst of all, haunted by a half-forgotten prophecy.
While Qianze wrestles with what she owes this near-stranger, Ba begins telling stories of his past. From his bloody days as a Red Guard during the Cultural Revolution to his mother’s youth under Japanese occupation, he circles around the prophecy he came to deliver. Qianze has always longed to know more about her family history, but as Ba reveals a past far darker than she could have imagined, she finds herself plagued by strange visions—fox spirits trail her on her evening commute, a terrifying jackalope stalks her nightmares, and the looming prophecy slinks ever closer.
Spanning decades and continents, A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing employs a combination of stunningly rendered folklore and atmospheric prose to examine the legacy of colonialism through the eyes of three generations. Alice Evelyn Yang’s debut novel is a story of family and forgiveness, of folklore and fate, that will leave you unsettled and undone.
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Posts about this title from Celestial
what could be more fun than pairing some book covers with outfits? 💕
what could be more fun than pairing some book covers with outfits? 💕 here are some books and looks!
📚 books mentioned: - The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo - Beasts of Carnaval by Rosália Rodrigo - Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White - Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino - Warm-Blooded by J Greene - The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez - Canon by Paige Lewis - A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang
#fantasybooks #horrorbooks #scifibooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @henryholtbooks @readmirabooks @htp_hive @peachtreeteen @fsgbooks @ingramsparkbooks @delreybooks @vikingbooks @williammorrowbooks
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 10
🥒 don’t worry, i’ll never stop recommending pickle books …
(pickle books are books that leave you with a sour aftertaste in a positive way. yes, this is a concept i made up. no, i’ll never stop trying to make pickle books a ‘thing’.)
📚 books mentioned: - A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang - Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan - Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
👗💄: - pickle hat was gifted from Out of Print! #outofprintpartner #gifted - eyeshadow is The Lord of the Rings Middle Earth Palette from Glamlite - eyeliner is Epiphany Glow Melt-On (Limelight) from Kaleidos - mascara is Liquid Lash Extensions Tubing Mascara (Ivy) from Thrive Causemetics - lip combo is Lippie Pencil (Twisted) from Colourpop and PhD Hybrid Lip Glaze (Cocoa) from Haus Labs - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)
thank you to Little Brown, and Company, William Morrow, and Pantheon for the gifted copies!
#picklebooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @littlebrown @williammorrowbooks @pantheonbooks @doubledaybooks @outofprint @glamlite @kaleidosmakeup
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 19
💭 do you love exploring tough topics through speculative fiction?
give me ALL the magical generational trauma books, please and thank you!
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👗💄: - dress is from Amy Jane London (rented from Nuuly) - eyeshadow is The Lord of the Rings Middle Earth Palette from Glamlite and The Spring Symphony Palette from Dandy Lion Cosmetics - eyeliner is Vegan Longwear Eyeliner (Lilac) from Pacifica Beauty - lip combo is Staining Lip Liner (La La La) from Kulfi Beauty and Gloss Up Sheer Finish Lip Gloss (Quiet Luxury) from The Lip Bar - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)
thank you to Atria Books, William Morrow and Knopf Doubleday for the gifted copies!
#fantasybooks #magicalrealism #fantasybookrecs #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @atriabooks @williammorrowbooks @aaknopf @amyjanelondon @glamlite @dandylionsco @pacificabeauty @kulfi.beauty @thelipbar
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a beast slinks towards beijing review!
this was SUCH a beautiful book and i also can’t believe it was a debut!!!
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 26
💭 do you like giving yourself reading challenges?
💭 do you like giving yourself reading challenges?
the full video with all of my thoughts and reactions in-the-moment is now live on YT! reading a book a day is always a blast.
📚 books mentioned: - On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah-Yah Scholfield - A Curse of Tooth and Claw by Nicolette Elzie - The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson - Undrowned by G.M. DiDesidero - A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang - Fawn’s Blood by Hal Schrieve - These Memories Do Not Belong to Us by Yiming Ma
thank you to Saga Press, Ingram Sparks, Quill Tree Books, Leaning Pole Press, William Morrow, Triangle Square, and Mariner Books for the gifted copies!
#readingchallenge #bookreviews #bookrecs #readingvlog #nycinfluencer bookstagram @sagapressbooks @ingramsparkbooks @quilltreebooks @chickasawpress @williammorrowbooks @trianglesquarebooks @marinerbooks @harpercollins
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 25
doing this challenge once wasn’t enough for me, so I’m back at it with an attempt to read one book every single day for seven days!
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Dec 10 2025
💭 which review do you want to see first?
💭 which review do you want to see first? (the animal narrator is calling to me …)
my TBR of 2026 book releases is STACKED! so much goodness being published next year.
📚 books mentioned: - A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang - Queen of Faces by Petra Lord - Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories by Amal El-Mohtar - When I Was Death by Alexis Henderson - Cabaret in Flames by Hache Pueyo - At Sea by Y.M. Abdel-Magied - Seek the Traitor’s Son by Veronica Roth - Cat Love: A Novel by Tomás Q. Morín
👗💄: - dress is from Farm Rio, rented from Nuuly - eyeshadow is ?? i don’t know. i was in flow state. a lot of the shades are from the In A Trance palette from Colourpop - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)
thank you to William Morrow, Fierce Reads, Tordotcom, Penguin Teen, Pegasus Books, Tor Books, and Pantheon for the gifted copies!
#fantasybooks #horrorbooks #scifibooks #2026books #anticipatedreads #tbrlist #advancereadercopies #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #williammorrowpartner #fiercereadspartner #torpartner #pegasusbookspartner #pantheonbookspartner @williammorrowbooks @fiercereads @tordotcompub @penguinteen @pegasusbooks @torbooks @pantheonbooks @nuuly @farmrio @colourpopcosmetics
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Posts about this book from across Bindery
what could be more fun than pairing some book covers with outfits? 💕
what could be more fun than pairing some book covers with outfits? 💕 here are some books and looks!
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Basement Books\ \ Kaitlyn\ \ • May 5
Join for free
I had so much fun reading in April! I found myself being drawn weirdly to sci-fi novellas, poetry (to celebrate National Poetry Month, and investigative non-fiction.
#aprilwrapup #aprilfavorites #bookrecommendations #nonfiction
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Books Right Now\ \ Rashi Dembi\ \ • Apr 30
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Children of Diaspora\ \ Rae the Reviewer\ \ • Apr 14
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What should the Children of Diaspora read in May?
What should the Children of Diaspora read in May?
(The poll is only letting me put four choices so if you want Sunshine Nails, just comment the 💅🏾 emoji or 5)
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Children of Diaspora\ \ Rae the Reviewer\ \ • Apr 12
Join for free
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 10
🥒 don’t worry, i’ll never stop recommending pickle books …
📚 books mentioned: - A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang - Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan - Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
thank you to Little Brown, and Company, William Morrow, and Pantheon for the gifted copies!
#picklebooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @littlebrown @williammorrowbooks @pantheonbooks @doubledaybooks @outofprint @glamlite @kaleidosmakeup
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 19
💭 do you love exploring tough topics through speculative fiction?
give me ALL the magical generational trauma books, please and thank you!
thank you to Atria Books, William Morrow and Knopf Doubleday for the gifted copies!
.
fantasy books • books exploring generational trauma • magical family trauma books • fantasy book recommendations • magical realism books • diverse books
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2
a beast slinks towards beijing review!
this was SUCH a beautiful book and i also can’t believe it was a debut!!!
1 book
💭 what was your favorite January read?
ft. Kyle!
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 26
💭 do you like giving yourself reading challenges?
💭 do you like giving yourself reading challenges?
the full video with all of my thoughts and reactions in-the-moment is now live on YT! reading a book a day is always a blast.
thank you to Saga Press, Ingram Sparks, Quill Tree Books, Leaning Pole Press, William Morrow, Triangle Square, and Mariner Books for the gifted copies!
.
6 books
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 25
doing this challenge once wasn’t enough for me, so I’m back at it with an attempt to read one book every single day for seven days!
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Boneyard Picnic\ \ Natalie Meagan\ \ • Dec 16 2025
Join for free
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Start the new year off right by expanding your TBR with these fun, spooky and weird titles publishing in January!
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Dec 10 2025
💭 which review do you want to see first?
💭 which review do you want to see first? (the animal narrator is calling to me …)
my TBR of 2026 book releases is STACKED! so much goodness being published next year.
thank you to William Morrow, Fierce Reads, Tordotcom, Penguin Teen, Pegasus Books, Tor Books, and Pantheon for the gifted copies!
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