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Som Phin is a Cambodian-American author who writes emotionally rich fantasy, historical fiction, literary fiction, and romantasy centered on Khmer identity, history, mythology, memory, and love across time.
Her stories often explore Cambodian-American characters navigating the space between past and present, whether through time travel, reincarnation, ancestral memory, or the enduring influence of family history. Blending romance, history, spiritual traditions, and Cambodian folklore, her work explores themes of belonging, generational inheritance, healing, identity, and cultural connection.
Som is the author of more than 35 novels, including The Dancer’s Shadow, an isekai romantasy about a queer Cambodian-American transported to 1960s Cambodia. Kirkus Reviews called the novel “a beautiful and thought-provoking addition to the growing canon of diaspora literature.”
Her catalog also includes After Cambodia, There Was Us, a mother-daughter story spanning generations of survival and love, as well as multiple Cambodian-inspired fantasy and historical series, including The Naga Sisters Chronicles, The Lotus Between Worlds, and Threads of Jasmine.
Som was featured on Moments with Marianne on KMET 1490 AM & 98.1 FM, an ABC Talk News Radio affiliate, where she discussed The Dancer’s Shadow, Cambodian-American identity, and preserving Khmer history, folklore, and cultural heritage through fiction. Her writing and cultural storytelling have also been highlighted in national media, including a press release published on AP News.
Through her writing, Som seeks to honor Khmer voices—past and present—while creating compelling stories that introduce readers to the richness of Cambodian history, mythology, culture, and the diaspora experience.
Reviewed by Delene Vrey for Readers' Favorite
Songs of Yeak and Kinnari Book 1 by Som Phin is the first installment in the Khmer Legend of Love and Destiny series. At the dawn of the world, a Kinnari and a Yeak warrior joined forces to stabilize chaos and bring order. Thus, the three Realms were formed: earth, water, and sky. For centuries, conflict raged between the Kinnari and the Yeak, but when the Kinnari god-king killed the Yeak Queen and stole a jade necklace, no one realized the consequences to come. For fifty years, Roth, the Yeak King, has fought the Withering—a curse turning his mountain realm to stone. Legend says only the stone that once hung around his mother’s neck can halt the petrification. In his attempt to retrieve it, Roth is sealed in a cavern between realms with Soma, a low-ranking Kinnari. Neither anticipates how their lives will change. Soon, they discover they must work together to break the seal and escape. Complicating matters, Soma and Roth are magically bonded, sharing each other’s emotions and pain. Realizing that one's death will doom the other, they must cooperate. When they finally unite their magic, they escape from the cavern—still bonded. Soma returns home, but soon realizes Roth is nearby. When Roth is cornered, Soma tries to help and is instead “kidnapped” by him, realizing she is no longer safe in her own realm. What follows is a tender love story that focuses on the characters and their actions toward each other and Soma's reaction to being in Roth's world.
Som Phin has written a beautiful and tender fantasy romance. She immediately engages readers with detailed, colorful descriptions of Soma, her friends, and the world she calls home. The worldbuilding is exceptional and adds to the contrast between the living Celestial Realm and the petrifying Mountain Realm. The story is character-driven, with Roth and Soma as the two leading characters with the potential to change their world. The tender love story between Roth and Soma is the golden thread of the plot and forms the core around which the story is built. What makes Som Phin’s Songs of Yeak and Kinnari Book 1 different from other romantasy novels is that the two characters come to know each other on a personal level, showing how their differences complement one another. The most endearing moment is when Soma realizes Roth is kind of OCD about keeping his world in order, while Roth accepts that Soma is an emotional eater, not a tidy one. The book shows that what really lies behind love, whether bonded, fated, or chosen, is knowing each other so deeply that you realize what they do is their way of loving you. Roth shares his living tree with Soma, and together they make it bloom, a pivotal moment in their relationship. Beyond the romance, the story also explores themes of dishonesty, coherence, and jealousy. I loved it because it is deeply emotional, and the little bit of steaminess seems just enough. A wonderful fantasy based on Khmer legends, introducing a totally new world and traditions. Well done; any fantasy romance reader will love this story and those yet to come.
