From acclaimed author Makiia Lucier, a dazzling, romantic fantasy inspired by Pacific Island mythology.
In the old tales, it is written that the egg of a seadragon, dragonfruit, holds within it the power to undo a person's greatest sorrow. But as with all things that offer hope when hope had gone, the tale came with a warning.
Every wish demands a price.
Hanalei of Tamarind is the cherished daughter of an old island family. But when her father steals a seadragon egg meant for an ailing princess, she is forced into a life of exile. In the years that follow, Hanalei finds solace in studying the majestic seadragons that roam the Nominomi Sea. Until, one day, an encounter with a female dragon offers her what she desires most. A chance to return home, and to right a terrible wrong.
Samahtitamahenele, Sam, is the last remaining prince of Tamarind. But he can never inherit the throne, for Tamarind is a matriarchal society. With his mother ill and his grandmother nearing the end of her reign. Sam is left with two choices: to marry, or to find a cure for the sickness that has plagued his mother for ten long years. When a childhood companion returns from exile, she brings with her something he has not felt in a very long time--hope.
But Hanalei and Sam are not the only ones searching for the dragonfruit. And as they battle enemies both near and far, there is another danger they cannot escape...that of the dragonfruit itself.
I love the magic Lucier weaves through this dark yet hopeful tale. I devoured it in one sitting! --Kristin Cashore, author of the New York Times bestselling Graceling Realm books
A beautifully crafted novel containing everything I love in an epic fantasy: complex characters and relationships, excellent world building, and a compelling story full of twists and turns. --Juliet Marillier, author of the Blackthorn & Grim and Warrior Bards series
A rich and captivating YA standalone fantasy that's perfect for fans of Brigid Kemmerer, Rachel Hartman, and Naomi Novik, from the writer whose stories have been called brilliant (Booklist), masterful (Horn Book), and breathtaking (School Library Journal). In the aftermath of a devastating plague, a young lord is determined to discover the truth behind a mysterious attempt to assassinate the young queen.
A Sickness to kill them. A Princess to save them. And a Reaper who will stop at nothing to reveal the truth.
Young Lord Cassia was destined for death, kidnapped and imprisoned by the enemy three years ago. Now he has escaped, the sole survivor of a deadly outbreak that has ravaged the kingdoms of Oliveras and Brisa alike. His survival has won him his freedom, at a cost: Cas is now haunted by the souls of those with unfinished business left in the realm.
When Cas finally returns to his home in the mountains, he arrives just in time to celebrate the king and queen's newborn son. But when an assassin interrupts the festivities, Cas finds himself thrust into the dark underpinnings of court life. Nothing is as he remembers, and his only solace is Lena, a royal historian with a penchant for stealing his horse and keeping him anchored to the present...even as the past rises to the surface.
For the more Cas learns about the new queen-a former princess of Brisa, an old enemy-the more he is certain she harbors secrets. Secrets that threaten the one person Cas holds most dear.
Lucky for him, the past never forgets, and the secrets of the dead aren't always buried with them.
I love the magic Lucier weaves through this dark yet hopeful tale. I devoured it in one sitting! --Kristin Cashore, author of the New York Times bestselling Graceling Realm books
A beautifully crafted novel containing everything I love in an epic fantasy: complex characters and relationships, excellent world building, and a compelling story full of twists and turns. --Juliet Marillier, author of the Blackthorn & Grim and Warrior Bards series
A rich and captivating YA standalone fantasy that's perfect for fans of Brigid Kemmerer, Rachel Hartman, and Naomi Novik, from the writer whose stories have been called brilliant (Booklist), masterful (Horn Book), and breathtaking (School Library Journal). In the aftermath of a devastating plague, a young lord is determined to discover the truth behind a mysterious attempt to assassinate the young queen.
A Sickness to kill them. A Princess to save them. And a Reaper who will stop at nothing to reveal the truth.
Young Lord Cassia was destined for death, kidnapped and imprisoned by the enemy three years ago. Now he has escaped, the sole survivor of a deadly outbreak that has ravaged the kingdoms of Oliveras and Brisa alike. His survival has won him his freedom, at a cost: Cas is now haunted by the souls of those with unfinished business left in the realm.
When Cas finally returns to his home in the mountains, he arrives just in time to celebrate the king and queen's newborn son. But when an assassin interrupts the festivities, Cas finds himself thrust into the dark underpinnings of court life. Nothing is as he remembers, and his only solace is Lena, a royal historian with a penchant for stealing his horse and keeping him anchored to the present...even as the past rises to the surface.
For the more Cas learns about the new queen-a former princess of Brisa, an old enemy-the more he is certain she harbors secrets. Secrets that threaten the one person Cas holds most dear.
Lucky for him, the past never forgets, and the secrets of the dead aren't always buried with them.
For Cleo Berry, the people dying of the Spanish Influenza in cities like New York and Philadelphia may as well be in another country--that's how far away they feel from the safety of Portland, Oregon. And then cases start being reported in the Pacific Northwest. Schools, churches, and theaters shut down. The entire city is thrust into survival mode--and into a panic. Headstrong and foolish, seventeen-year-old Cleo is determined to ride out the pandemic in the comfort of her own home, rather than in her quarantined boarding school dorms. But when the Red Cross pleads for volunteers, she can't ignore the call. As Cleo struggles to navigate the world around her, she is surprised by how much she finds herself caring about near-strangers. Strangers like Edmund, a handsome medical student and war vet. Strangers who could be gone tomorrow. And as the bodies begin to pile up, Cleo can't help but wonder: when will her own luck run out?
Riveting and well-researched, A Death-Struck Year is based on the real-life pandemic considered the most devastating in recorded world history. Readers will be captured by the suspenseful storytelling and the lingering questions of: what would I do for a neighbor? At what risk to myself?
An afterword explains the Spanish flu phenomenon, placing it within the historical context of the early 20th century. Source notes are extensive and interesting.