The Lotus Between Worlds: Book Two: The Divided Heart

By Som Phin

She died once in ancient Angkor. Now she's been pulled back again-to a Cambodia caught between tradition and colonial rule, where loving the wrong person could cost her everything.

After dying in 12th century Cambodia, nineteen-year-old Phalla thought the impossible transmigration was over. But when she touches the mysterious lotus pendant again, she's thrust into 1925 French Colonial Phnom Penh as Jorani-a Cambodian student at a French lyc e, caught between two worlds. Speaking French in the classroom while Khmer whispers of resistance echo in the streets, she's neither traditional enough for her grandmother nor French enough for her colonizers. Then she meets Kheang, a translator working for the French administration by day while secretly passing information to Cambodian resistance networks by night. He sees through her careful performance, understands her division, and makes her feel whole for the first time in either lifetime.

But in occupied Cambodia, being seen is dangerous. Being understood is worse. As Phalla and Kheang's partnership deepens into something neither can name, the French tighten their grip on suspected seditionists. Every meeting risks discovery. Every stolen moment could be their last. And when the crackdown comes, Phalla must choose between the safety of invisibility and the courage to be fully herself-even if it costs her this lifetime too. A sweeping historical fantasy about identity, belonging, and the impossible weight of being caught between worlds.

Book 2 of The Lotus Between Worlds series - Each book is a complete story that can be read standalone.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GJSKKDMQ
• ISBN13: 9798245649528
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"