Lynn D. Jung is a speculative fiction writer from southern California. She has since dwelled in France, Costa Rica, and Thailand and is currently based in Wisconsin. Her short fiction, which has appeared in Apparition Lit and The Icarus Writing Collective, has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She loves writing about complex worlds and the messy characters that inhabit them, and she spends her free time identifying native flora and making YouTube videos about writing.

"Sinister, sexy, and in utter command over its own allure. Mothsblood carves to the innards of dark academia, landing every strike amid questions of knowledge, prestige, and belonging. A triumph of a debut." --Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of IMMORTAL LONGINGS

"An absolutely captivating and lusciously vicious tale, Jung's debut is a must-read for lovers of complex protagonists and dark academia fantasy." --Kiersten White, #1 New York Times bestselling author of LUCY UNDYING

"Mothsblood is pure alchemy. With beautiful and incisive prose, a complex, ambitious protagonist, and a darkly seductive world where opulent façades hide grotesque truths, Lynn D. Jung creates a truly haunting debut. This is dark academia at its finest." --Pascale Lacelle, New York Times bestselling author of CURIOUS TIDES

"Mothsblood drew me into its dangerous world of dark academia, featuring a compelling heroine who is as fierce as she is cunning. Vivid and visceral, Jung's transformative debut will keep you guessing until the last page." --Axie Oh, New York Times bestselling author of THE FLOATING WORLD

"Mothsblood: a dark alchemy mingling The Secret History and Frankenstein. Jung writes with the precision of an entomology pin, achieving here a masterclass in sharp prose, tight plotting, and a low, slow horror that will seep into your bones. This book is an intoxicating addition to the dark academia canon. In a word, extraordinary." --Brigitte Knightley, New York Times bestselling author of THE IRRESISTIBLE URGE TO FALL FOR YOUR ENEMY

"Jung's outstanding debut creates a dark, lush and fully realized world filled with characters you will never forget. The prose was hypnotic. This is a writer to watch!" --T.L. Huchu, USA Today bestselling author of the Edinburgh Nights series

"Mothsblood brings readers into a viciously cruel version of dark academia, where privilege and desire clash with ambition and desperation. Deliciously dark, provokingly heartwrenching, with teeth that cut like glass." --V.L. Bovalino, author of THE SECOND DEATH OF LOCKE

"Mothsblood is dark academia in its truest sense-a world balanced on the knife-edge between magical old-world opulence and the grime, rot, and actual bones hidden beneath it . . . With prose so beautiful I wanted to underline every single line, Lynn D. Jung crafts a world that feels vividly, tangibly real . . . A gorgeous, haunting debut, perfect for readers who loved Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House." --Bar Fridman-Tell, USA Today bestselling author of HONEYSUCKLE

"Mothsblood is literary alchemy-by turns a piercing interrogation of academia, a riveting mystery, and an intimate portrayal of the diasporic identity. In her brilliant debut, Jung claws off the varnish of prestigious institutions, laying bare the monstrous truths within, and the nuances of trauma, achievement, and survival. This is dark academia examined through its most illuminating and necessary lens. Jung is carving out a league of her own." --K. M. Fajardo, author of LOCAL HEAVENS

"Mesmerizing, lyrical, and perfectly paced, Mothsblood is a profound meditation on power, and the terrifying lengths one might go to possess it. Lynn D. Jung's brilliant dark academia debut is not to be missed." --Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Pub date: 2026-10-13

Length: 352 pages