The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.
For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.
But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.
When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?
Review
This debut totally lived up to what i was expecting. Karina is the daughter of the Sultana and basically feels like she worth nothing since the death of her farther and sister in a horrible fire that she takes all the blame for, so much so that their a huge gulf of loneliness between herself and her mother. Malik and his sisters are outsiders who due to unforeseen magic are swallowed into a competition that grips you by the teeth with it imagery. The author does a fabulous job of describing this land, painting pictures of what transpires during the competition and never once forgets about the debilitating panic that plagues the characters. Their a lot of character growth throughout the story and the pages fly by as your immersed in the intertwining tale of Karina and Malik. The anguish i feel for both characters as in their own ways they are fighting for family and are pushed into what transpires by unseen forces. This is truly what i enjoy in YA fantasy traveling to new lands, battling unimaginable horrors and maybe learning a lesson or two along the way. I can’t wait to read the sequel.
