In April 1992, Valentine Strasser, a young military officer, seized the Sierra Leonean government, becoming the youngest head of state in the world. Afterwards, everything unravelled. First, my mother left, off to America to continue her legal education. Then, there was a curfew – no leaving the house after 6pm. And then there were the disappearances. My father was in politics, so when the war started, the people I knew were some of the first to go. I don’t remember how many, or even whom. My memory is generally not the best when it comes to this time, a common effect of childhood trauma. By the time my mother sent tickets for my middle sister and I to join her in America, I had grown skilled at ignoring anything I couldn’t comprehend.
Camille Durbonne gambled everything she had to keep herself and her sister safe. But as the people of Paris starve and mobs riot, safety may no longer be possible… Not when Camille lives for the rebellion. In the pamphlets she prints, she tells the stories of girls living at society’s margins. But as her writings captivate the public, she begins to suspect a dark magic she can’t control lies at the heart of her success. Then Louis XVI declares magic a crime and all magicians traitors to France. As bonfires incinerate enchanted books and special police prowl the city, the time for magic and those who work it is running out. In this new Paris where allegiances shift and violence erupts, the answers Camille seeks set her on a perilous path, one that may cost her the boy she loves even her life. If she can discover who she truly is before vengeful forces unmask her, she may still win this deadly game of revolution.
Release date: Feb 02, 2021
The start of a bold and immersive fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther.
In this world, girls are outcasts by blood The start of a bold and immersive fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther.
In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice. Get ready for battle.
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.
Young adult books roundup – review Fiona Noble
Angie Thomas returns to the world of her award-winning debut
The Hate U Give in one of the most awaited books of 2021. Set 17 years earlier,
Concrete Rose (Walker) is the story of Maverick Carter, father of protagonist Starr and pillar of the community in the first book, here the son of a drug lord battling pressure to join a gang and the shock of teen parenthood. Thomas smashes stereotypes at every turn in the lives of her raw, complex and unforgettable characters, her writing underpinned by immense humanity. A powerful and important novel.