Uprooted weaves a tale that is both elegantly grand and earthily humble, echoing the rhythm of a Grimm fairy tale yet creating a fresh, original, and totally irresistible narrative.
Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests, and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.
The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn't, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her. But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.
Cruel Beauty is a dazzling fantasy novel that intertwines the romance of Beauty and the Beast with the adventure of Graceling, creating a story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny. This gorgeously written debut is perfect for fans of An Ember in the Ashes and A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom, Nyx has always known her fate was to marry him, kill him, and free her people from his tyranny. But on her seventeenth birthday, when she moves into his castle high on the kingdom's mountaintop, nothing is as she expected—particularly her charming and beguiling new husband. As Nyx tries to save her homeland, she must contend with her feelings for her sworn enemy, who has complicated her mission by stealing her heart.