Magic has a price—if you're willing to pay.
The lush world building of Children of Blood and Bone meets the epic scale of Strange the Dreamer in this captivating West African–inspired YA fantasy debut.
Born into a family of powerful witchdoctors, Arrah yearns for magic of her own. But each year she fails to call forth her ancestral powers, while her ambitious mother watches with growing disapproval.
There's only one thing Arrah hasn't tried, a deadly last resort: trading years of her own life for scraps of magic. Until the Kingdom's children begin to disappear, and Arrah is desperate to find the culprit.
She uncovers something worse. The long-imprisoned Demon King is stirring. And if he rises, his hunger for souls will bring the world to its knees... unless Arrah pays the price for the magic to stop him.
Inspired by her own West African roots, Rena Barron spins a darkly magical tale perfect...
A girl with no gifts must bargain for the power to fight her own mother’s dark schemes―even if the price is her life. Crackling with dark magic, unspeakable betrayal, and daring twists you won’t see coming, this explosive YA fantasy debut is a can’t-miss, high-stakes epic perfect for fans of Strange the Dreamer and Children of Blood and Bone. ** “Magnetic and addictive. This book is black girl magic at its finest.”― ** New York Times bestselling author Dhonielle Clayton Heir to two lines of powerful witchdoctors, Arrah yearns for magic of her own. Yet she fails at bone magic, fails to call upon her ancestors, and fails to live up to her family’s legacy. Under the disapproving eye of her mother, the Kingdom’s most powerful priestess and seer, she fears she may never be good enough. But when the Kingdom’s children begin to disappear, Arrah is desperate enough to turn to a forbidden, dangerous ritual. If she has no magic of her own, she’ll have to buy it―by trading away years of her own life. Arrah’s borrowed power reveals a nightmarish betrayal, and on its heels, a rising tide of darkness that threatens to consume her and all those she loves. She must race to unravel a twisted and deadly scheme… before the fight costs more than she can afford. **Set in a richly imagined world inspired by whispered tales of voodoo and folk magic, Rena Barron’s **** captivating debut is the beginning of a thrilling saga about a girl caught between gods, monsters, and the gift and the curse of power. “Masterful.” ―SLJ (starred review) ****