IT’S ONLY A GAME
Kelsea’s debut novel, a young adult thriller published through Bloomsbury, is AVAILABLE NOW!! Learn more about the book here or see below for links to order the book and add it on Goodreads!
In this twisty, fast-paced YA thriller, a dangerous game becomes all too real when Marina and her friends are framed for murder.
When Marina Chan ran from her old life, she brought nothing with her-not even her real name. Now she lives in fear of her past being discovered. But when her online gaming team is offered a tour of their favorite game company, Marina can't resist accepting, even though she knows it might put her fake identity at risk.
Then the creator of the game is murdered during their tour. The killer plans to frame Marina and her friends for the murder unless they win four rounds of a dangerous game. A game that requires them to lie, trespass, and steal. A game that could destroy everything Marina's worked so hard to build…. A game that she might not survive.
This pulse-pounding YA thriller is perfect for fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Slay.
Order It’s Only a Game:
POWELL’S | ALWAYS HERE | Third Place Books | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon (US) | TARGET | Bloomsbury | Books-a-Million | WALMART | Indigo | LIBRO FM | AUDIBLE
Praise for It’s Only a Game:
"A twisty, heart-pounding story of betrayal, buried secrets and a hidden past unraveling as a high-stakes and deadly game seeps into reality. Kelsea Yu deftly weaves in the exploration of found family, love, and the Asian diaspora experience between layers of action, suspense, and revelations in this propulsive thriller.”
—Amélie Wen Zhao, New York Times bestselling author of the Song of the Last Kingdom duology
“Kelsea Yu's gripping debut combines pulse-pounding, life or death stakes with fully-realized characters, an immersive setting, and the sweet, life-sustaining bonds of found family. Not to be missed!”
—Kit Frick, author of I Killed Zoe Spanos and The Reunion
“Heaps of fun and with breakneck pacing, It’s Only a Game is an exhilarating read that teens will inhale—especially the gamers!”
—Diana Urban, award-winning author of All Your Twisted Secrets
"A twisty high-stakes mystery where an online game turns deadly, It’s Only a Game expertly reveals secrets that blur the line between the game and reality to rivet the reader from start to finish. A fabulous new addition to the young adult thriller canon!"
—Katie Zhao, author of How We Fall Apart and The Lies We Tell
"An absolute thrill ride from start to finish, Kelsea Yu's debut marks the arrival of one of my favorite new Young Adult authors. Between the twists you don't see coming and the characters you want to hug, it's not just a story about games and murder... but about facing your past and fighting for the people you love. Unputdownable."
—Eric Smith, Author of Don't Read the Comments
"With a protagonist you can’t help but root for, It’s Only a Game keeps the twists coming! Yu keeps you guessing in the best of ways, with likable characters, fully-realized settings, and surprises behind surprises. The perfect read for anyone who likes psychological games..."
—Wendy Heard, author of She's Too Pretty to Burn
"Absolutely gripping - like the very best video game, I found this impossible to put down!
—Katrina Leno, author of You Must Not Miss and Horrid
“Kelsea Yu’s gripping YA debut is full of unexpected twists and features monsters lurking in every corner, from on-screen to real life. It’s Only a Game carefully balances fast-paced action and heartfelt, blossoming relationships for a thrilling ride that starts from page one and never lets up.”
—Catherine Yu, author of Direwood
“Yu anchors this whirlwind debut with a smart, courageous, loyal, and caring heroine who easily earns the trust of friends and readers alike.”
—Publisher’s Weekly
“More than a by-the-numbers thriller, this layered debut has propulsive momentum with effective cliffhangers and twists threaded throughout.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Flashbacks from Marina's secluded past with her mother provide clues to the present situation, although any such clues are no match in complexity for Yu's plot twists and turns.”
—Booklist
“A page-turning thrill ride…Verdict: Unputdownable.”
—School Library Journal
“…in what I’m finding to be classic Kelsea Yu fashion, I thought I had the mystery figured, but she absolutely got me.”
—Apex Magazine
“A wickedly, twisted YA thriller! I was blown away by the mental games and intricate plotting of this entire story…This should be the next most anticipated summer 2024 YA thriller!”
—Shannon, bookseller at Serendipity Books
“A fun, twisty, mystery with a FMC who one can't help but root for…This one will keep readers on their toes.”
—Audrey Huang, bookseller at Belmont Books
BOUND FEET
Kelsea’s Shirley Jackson Award-Nominated novella is published as part of Sadie Hartmann’s My Dark Library series through Cemetery Gates Media. AVAILABLE NOW!! Learn more about the book here or or see below for links to order the book and add it on Goodreads!
On the night of the Hungry Ghost Moon, when spirits can briefly return to the living world, Jodi Wu and her best friend sneak into Portland’s Chinese Garden and Ghost Museum. Kneeling before the pond where Jodi’s toddler drowned one year before, they leave food offerings and burn joss paper—and Jodi prays that Ella’s ghost will return for the night.
To distract Jodi from her grief, the two friends tell each other ghost stories as they explore the museum. They stop at the main display, a centuries-old pair of lotus slippers belonging to a woman whose toes were broken and bound during childhood. While reading the woman’s story, Jodi hears her daughter’s voice.
As Jodi desperately searches the garden, it becomes apparent that Ella isn’t the only ghost they’ve awakened. Something ancient with a slow, shuffling step lurks in the shadows…
This haunting, modern gothic novella is perfect for fans of Nothing But Blackened Teeth and Crossroads.
Order Bound Feet:
BOOKSHOP | AMAZON US | AMAZON INTL | POWELL’S | LITTLE GHOSTS | CEMETERY GATES MEDIA (bundle)
Praise for Bound Feet:
“Taking us on a thrilling, haunted ride filled with ancient ghosts and startling revelations, Bound Feet unveils what must be broken and twisted in order to don the lotus slipper.”
—K.P. Kulski, author of Fairest Flesh and House of Pungsu
“Kelsea Yu’s Bound Feet about a mother’s fearlessness, where she reaches into darkness in hopes of grasping light, is a novella carefully plotted and executed without losing realism, heart, or voice of the story. Yu juxtaposes the ancient with the modern, an eerie and jarring inter-section of the past and present that makes everything more uncanny. Yu shows us how loss, grief, and the act of mourning might change you and drive you, taking your mind and body to places you would overwise refuse to enter. A beautiful piece about haunting ghosts who only want their stories told, rather than hidden away, un-finished, untruthful—of friendship, betrayal, lies, and a sisterhood between the living and the dead.”
—Ai Jiang, author of Linghun
“Grief and folklore intertwine beautifully in this stunning tale. I look forward to reading more from Kelsea Yu!”
—doungjai gam, author of glass slipper dreams, shattered, and watch the whole goddamned thing burn
“Utilizing graceful twists and turns, Bound Feet tackles grief and rage passed down through generations. Yu reminds us that the need for not only justice but truth outlives the body.”
—J.A.W. McCarthy, author of Sometimes We’re Cruel and Other Stories
“Haunted by the specters of unimaginable loss, Kelsea Yu’s Bound Feet unearths the ways in which past and present can be bound together by the hungry ghosts of violence and betrayal. A story that demands to be heard in more ways than one, the rich reversals and revelations will keep readers on their toes until the very end of this exciting debut.”
—Gordon B. White, author of As Summer’s Mask Slips and Rookfield
DEMON SONG
Kelsea’s second horror novella will be published by Titan Books in September 2025! Learn more about the book, read the article on The Bookseller, or add it on Goodreads!
An eerie and unsettling gothic horror about the heady and hungry price of fame, drawing on Chinese mythology. Perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Cassandra Khaw.
Places like this have a history. Desires. And this one is famished.
Megan and her mom have escaped the clutches of an abusive man, who dragged them halfway across the world from Portland to Beijing. On the run and with few options, her mom turns to Wei, an old friend of hers and takes a job cleaning the Huihuang Opera house, a lavish theater in which she used to perform.
Rusty with her Mandarin, and feeling like an outsider in the country, Megan soon finds a group of friends in a young troupe of performers, and especially in Kristy, who takes an immediate shine to her. Torn between a battered copy of Journey to the West and an awkward friendship, Megan begins spending more and more time with Kristy. Her love of singing brings out a whole new side of Megan, who finds a new purpose unlocking within the walls of the ancient building
But the Huihuang Opera house has secrets. There are passages within the walls that shouldn't be there, and the more Megan delves into that old book, the more the myths begin to bleed into real life. As reality and folklore start to merge, and Megan finds it increasingly difficult to tell the two apart, she must uncover a decades-old mystery, and discover the true, horrifying secret of the Huihuang Opera house before it casts its hungry eyes on her.
©Katy Weaver Photography
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SHORT STORIES
Kelsea has short stories published or forthcoming in various anthologies and magazines.
NONFICTION
Kelsea has nonfiction pieces forthcoming or published in various magazines and newsletters.
Follow @anovelescape for A peek into Kelsea’s world…
Feel free to reach out to Kelsea through the contact page.