After spending time in treatment with other young women like her-who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves-Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she 'like-likes' but who had pined for Ellis instead. Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. All the principal characters in this pseudo-Nordic ice kingdom are white, with one secondary character, Ekata’s supportive teacher Farhod, having dark skin.Īfter surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself. She and Inkar begin to fall in love after their abrupt marriage, yet their romance is gentle and believable. The story of the princess who would rather read books than marry a prince is standard fare by now, yet Bartlett ( We Rule the Night, 2019) makes her version feel largely fresh and filled with magic and personality as Ekata learns to be a strong leader by doing what must be done. In response, Sigis decides to take the duchy by force, adding yet another headache for Ekata as she confronts internal and external threats to the duchy. Ekata begins her reign as a puppet of the prime minister but shocks everyone by marrying the foreign princess Inkar instead of the arrogant king Sigis.

The intrigue begins unfolding immediately and draws readers through to the last page, as they and Ekata both try to figure out who can be trusted. Someone has put the grand duke and all his heirs, except for her, into a deathlike sleep. When a magical curse leaves Ekata’s family as good as dead, she is forced to take up the mantle of Grand Duke of Kylma Above.Įkata is days from leaving her violent, scheming family for university when disaster strikes.

Eliza by Jean Anne Bartlett