From the New York Times bestselling author of SIX CRIMSON CRANES comes a tale of two sisters—one as beautiful as the other is monstrous—who must fight to save each other when a betrothal contest gone wrong unleashes an evil that could sever their bond forever.
One sister must fall for the other to rise.
Channi was not born a monster. But when her own father offers her in sacrifice to the Demon Witch, she is forever changed. Cursed with a serpent’s face, Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna—the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn’t see a monster. The only person she loves and trusts.
Now seventeen, Vanna is to be married off in a vulgar contest that will enrich the coffers of the village leaders. Only Channi, who’s had to rely on her strength and cunning all these years, can defend her sister against the cruelest of the suitors. But in doing so, she becomes the target of his wrath—launching a grisly battle royale, a quest over land and sea, a romance between sworn enemies, and a choice that will strain Channi’s heart to its breaking point.
Weaving together elements of The Selection and Ember in the Ashes with classic tales like Beauty and the Beast, Helen of Troy, and Asian folklore, Elizabeth Lim is at the absolute top of her game in this thrilling yet heart-wrenching fantasy that explores the dark side of beauty and the deepest bonds of sisterhood.---from the publisher
432 pages 978-0593300992 Ages 13-17
Keywords: fantasy, fairy tales, sisters, romance, 13 year old, 14 year old, 15 year old
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Elizabeth Lim showcases her mastery of combining the cultural influences of her childhood with popular myths and fairy tales in this atmospheric fantasy that fuses the legend of the Princess of Mount Ophir and the Chinese folktale Madame White Snake with the power of Helen of Troy and the legendary love of Beauty and the Beast. Enter a fantasy world inspired by Southeast Asian culture, from architecture to fashion to food--like Channi’s special colorful bite-sized cakes based on the Malaysian nyonya kuih that will make your stomach rumble while reading.
Channi was not born a monster. But when her own father offered her in sacrifice to the tiger witch, she was forever changed. Cursed with a serpent's face, Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister Vanna—the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn’t see a monster. When Channi defends her sister against the cruelest of suitors in a vulgar betrothal contest meant to fill the village coffers, she becomes the target of his wrath—launching a series of vicious gladiatorial fights, a quest over land and sea, romance between sworn enemies, and a choice that will strain Channi's heart to its breaking point.---from the publisher
