Exclusive Cover Reveal + Q&A: Brighter Than Nine By June CL Tan

Would you walk through Hell to get your loved ones back? 

The characters in June CL Tan’s Darker By Four duology would. Readers are first introduced to the chaotic, powerful, and dynamic Rui, Zizi, and Yiran in the #1 Sunday Times bestseller Darker By Four. Published last April, the contemporary fantasy novel is a whirlwind of Chinese mythology — specifically the underworld and the Ten Courts of Hell — a death god’s disappearance, and stolen magic. As pitched by Tan’s publisher, the Darker By Four duology is “The Shadowhunter Chronicles meets the Chinese underworld, for fans of Legendborn, and anime like Jujutsu Kaisen and Noragami.”

Now, Rui, Zizi, and Yiran are back in the duology finale, Brighter Than Nine. Rui will reclaim her power again; Yiran will lose his newfound magic; and Zizi will fight the death god, who now inhabits his body in the underworld. The trio must reckon with the events of Darker By Four and experience just how powerful fate is — before all Hell breaks loose. 

EnVi is thrilled to share the cover for Brighter Than Nine by June CL Tan! The novel is set to be published on March 10, 2026. Read on to learn more about the stunning cover in an exclusive Q&A with Tan. 

The Shadowhunter Chronicles meets the Chinese underworld, drawing inspiration from diaspora folklore, in this epic, sweeping contemporary fantasy duology from Jade Fire Gold author June CL Tan.

The world has moved on. With the missing death god restored to the underworld, it appears that equilibrium has been regained. But the Nothing continues to threaten the underworld – and the mortal realm.

Trapped in Hell, Zizi fights the takeover of his soul by Four’s. As he begins to access Four’s memories, he discovers a tragic love story that could be the key to keeping the mortal realm safe. Now, Zizi must defy his fate and escape Hell once more.

On the surface, Rui’s life has changed as she is hailed a hero by the Exorcist Guild. But she soon discovers the spell Zizi was forced to create is transforming innocent humans into vicious Hybrid Revenants. With the help of the other cadets, she vows to stop them.

Now magicless, Yiran watches, hungrier than ever, until he begins a dangerous dalliance with Yuki, hoping the Hybrid will recover Yiran’s magic. And when he discovers a dark family secret, he must decide what he stands for – before it’s too late.

EnVi Media: What was the vibe you wanted to convey through this cover, as the second book in your Darker By Four duology? 

June CL Tan: First off, I’m so thrilled to reveal the cover for Brighter Then Nine here on EnVi – a massive thank you to the team for this feature! Since the cover of Book 1 in the Darker duology was redesigned to reflect the urban setting and aesthetic of the story, giving it a darker (no pun intended haha) vibe, it made sense to follow through thematically with the cover for the sequel, Brighter Than Nine. Both reference the spiritual weapons of two main characters and the ominous-looking red sky with black smoke of Book 1 versus the blue-indigo night sky with fire sparks of Book 2 mirror the tone and setting of the duology. 

Throughout the duology, the realm of the dead bleeds into the realm of the living in many ways, with reapers coming into the human world to collect souls, gods walking the rain-slicked city streets, and Exorcists hunting Revenants (infected souls that are unable to cross into the afterlife). The sequel’s cover reflects that fusion as we see the temples and ancient/traditional Chinese architecture merging with the modern cityscape. 

Moreover, the myth of the Ten Courts of Hell and their Kings from Chinese culture and folk religion was a big initial inspiration for the duology, so it felt apt to feature a glimpse of the underworld on the sequel’s cover. The characters — and readers — also get to experience the underworld for a larger portion of the story compared to Book 1. It’ll be a fun and exciting ride, and the cover is a prelude to that.

EnVi: Walk us through the process that went into creating this cover! Did you provide any notes or inspiration boards for your publisher to consider? 

Tan: Authors don’t always get to provide creative input or have the final say for their covers, as a lot of work and consideration is done internally through publishing-expert teams such as design, sales and marketing, and so on. However, I was fortunate to be able to provide feedback and participate in the process for the cover redesigns. 

Darker By Four’s paperback redesign was actually done by my UK publisher, Hodderscape/Hachette (shout out to Natalie Chen from the design team who created the cover!). When it was presented to me, I was won over immediately by the dual swords with the Chinese emblems as they represent one of the main characters, Rui, whose journey we follow closely in Book 1 as she fights to regain her magic and find a mysterious — and missing — underworld immortal. All this while navigating old and new friendships, potentially romantic relationships, as well as her personal vengeance. 

It was Darker By Four’s paperback cover that inspired me to suggest the concept for Brighter Than Nine when my US publisher took the reins for it. When I first saw the dual sword cover, an image popped in my mind right away of a matching cover — also with a sword and against a background that would both reflect and hint at what the second book is about. Since Book 1’s tagline was changing to showcase the linchpin character, Rui, I wanted the tagline of Book 2 to correspond to another important character in the duology whose spiritual weapon is shown on the cover. It also highlights the main romantic “ship,” which I really love. Honestly, everything felt very organic in conceptualization, which is very cool.

I was super grateful that my publishing team also loved and agreed with the concept. My editor requested moodboards and reference images for everything from the sword to the architecture of the buildings in the backdrop to the red ribbon (alluding to the red thread of fate) to get the vibes right, and it was so fun to compile all of that for the team. Big kudos to Shane Rebenschied who illustrated and brought my vision to life so vividly!

EnVi: With this cover reveal, you and your publisher are also announcing a cover change for DARKER BY FOUR. Why was this decision ultimately made?  

Tan: Cover redesigns are made for many different reasons, and it’s pretty common I think. My UK publisher intended to redesign the covers for the paperback editions, moving from the amazing character illustrations of the hardcovers to the just-as-amazing “sword covers,” as I like to call them. My US publisher, Storytide/HarperCollins was on board for the change, and they decided to switch it out for the sequel’s hardcover too. I think the redesigns reflect the crossover appeal of the fantasy duology and the new matching taglines allude to the romance that runs through both books, which had been less obvious in the original cover.

EnVi: Can you share with us the story behind the title, BRIGHTER THAN NINE? (If you’re able to say without giving too much away!) 

Tan: I really enjoy adding “title drops” in the stories I write. I did it for Jade Fire Gold, my debut YA fantasy about a girl who can steal souls reluctantly allying with an exiled prince bent on revenge. I did it for Darker By Four, and I’m sure eagle-eyed readers will also spot the title drop in Brighter Than Nine. I won’t say too much about the sequel title except for two things:

• There’s a little legend mentioned in the book that ties to the title. Also, I wanted a number in the title to mirror Darker By Four, as there’s a thread in the duology where I kind of play with homonyms in Chinese languages. Four (四) sounds like death or die (死); nine (九) sounds like to save (救), which Rui alludes to in Book 1. Thematically, death, grief, and the underworld features in both books, but I’d like to think that in the sequel, we complete the arcs of the three main characters where they each realize in different ways how to save not only others, but themselves. To me, it’s kind of a journey to self acceptance.

• I actually revealed it over a year ago in Singapore when I traveled there for Darker By Four’s launch event, and I’m absolutely impressed and thankful that none of the readers who attended have said a word to spoil it! 

EnVi: Do you have a favorite part of this cover? Why is it your favorite? 

Tan: It’s hard to choose because I really love the cover as a complete concept, especially the merging of the mortal city and underworld in the background. But I think the broken sword is my favorite because of what — or shall I say who — it represents. Readers of Book 1 will hopefully recognize the owner of the broken sword and the significance of having it on the cover of the sequel! 

In the magic system of the Darker By Four world, practitioners have spiritual weapons, and each weapon is said to reflect something about the wielder, be it personality or fighting style or both. When this character’s weapon appears in Book 1, it comes across as a surprise — why would they have a broken sword? Why would it be unfinished? So many questions…maybe they’ll be answered in Brighter Than Nine? haha…I don’t want to give away too much, but this reader-favorite character also gets a POV in this book, and I hope people will enjoy reading through this character’s lens as much as I did writing it!

Keep up with Brighter Than Nine updates on June’s Instagram, X, and TikTok. Find more information and purchase links for the duology on June’s website. 

Want to learn more about your favorite books and authors? Check out EnVi’s interview with bestselling author Ann Liang here!