From the author of Three Souls and
Dragon
Springs Road comes a captivating historical novel in which a convoy of student refugees travel across
China, fleeing the hostilities of a brutal war with Japan

“Myths
are the darkest and brightest incarnations of who we are . . .”

China, 1937. When Japanese bombs begin falling
on the city of Nanking, nineteen-year-old Hu Lian and her classmates at Minghua
University are ordered to flee. Lian and a convoy of students, faculty and
staff must walk 1,000 miles to the safety of China’s western provinces, a
journey marred by the constant threat of aerial attack. And it is not just the
refugees who are at risk; Lian and her classmates have been entrusted
with a priceless treasure: a 500-year-old collection of myths and folklore
known as the Library of Legends.

The students’ common duty to safeguard the
Library of Legends creates unexpected bonds. Lian becomes friends and forms a
cautious romance with the handsome and wealthy Liu Shaoming. But after one
classmate is arrested and another one is murdered, Lian realizes she must
escape before a family secret puts her in danger too. Accompanied by Shao and
his enigmatic maidservant, Sparrow, Lian makes her way to Shanghai in the hopes
of reuniting with her mother.

During the journey, Lian learns of the
connection between her two companions and a tale from the Library of Legends, The
Willow Star and the Prince. This revelation
comes with profound consequences, for as the ancient books travel across China,
they awaken immortals and guardian spirits who embark on an exodus of their
own, one that will change the country’s fate forever.