by Rae Carson
Part of Girl of Fire and Thorns
First published 2012
Princess Alodia knows she should rule her kingdom, but destiny chose her younger sister instead. Every century, one person receives the mark of greatness. Alodia was passed over. She refuses to accept this fate. Alodia journeys to the distant borderlands with her marked sister, determined to win supporters for her claim to the throne. The region suffers under a terrible curse. Crops wither in the fields. Spring never comes. A deadly jaguar prowls the shadows, leaving blood-soaked homes and vanished families in its wake. Alodia believes that breaking this curse will prove her strength to her people. No one will question her right to rule if she can save them. But the truth behind the curse runs deeper than she imagined. Her discovery will reshape everything she knows about her kingdom and the wider world. Most surprising of all, it will transform how she sees her naive younger sister.
Genres: adventure, fantasy, young-adult, dark-fantasy, historical-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotionally-complex, mysterious, suspenseful
Tropes: chosen-one-rejected, curse-breaking-quest, self-discovery, sisters-at-odds
Setting: kingdom, borderlands
54 pages · Kindle Edition · Greenwillow Books
Content warnings: death, violence