Blood Rose Rebellion

January 16, 2017
Eves’s captivating debut opens in London in 1847. Highborn magicians known as Luminates rule Europe, and a spell dubbed the Binding precludes proletarian insurrection by restricting the use of magic to those with noble blood. Enter Anna Arden, a 16-year-old of noble birth who can’t cast spells, and will therefore never be accepted into Luminate society. When an unfortunate incident reveals that Anna has a singular talent for breaking spells, she is beset by requests from rebels to undo the Binding. Anna is sympathetic to their cause but knows that Luminate officials would kill to maintain the status quo, so she decamps to Hungary. A class war is brewing there, too, forcing Anna to decide between playing it safe but remaining a nobody and risking everything for the chance to transform the world. This richly imagined historical fantasy enchants while contemplating sexism, classism, and how best to effect social change. Intrigue, action, and star-crossed romance abound, propelling this trilogy opener toward a heartbreaking yet hopeful conclusion. Ages 12–up. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary.

June 26, 2017
In this new Regency fantasy series set in 19th-century London, 16-year-old Anna is a member of the Luminate, the British nobility whose magic powers solidify their place as the ruling class. But Anna has no magic of her own, only the ability to break others’ spells, which makes her the black sheep of the family. After ruining her sister’s debutante spell, she is sent to Hungary to live with her exiled grandmother. But once there, she discovers that the Luminate are artificially keeping magic for themselves and that there is a resistance movement dedicated to freeing magic for all to use—and Anna’s special gift may be the key, if she is willing to join them. Voice actor Hardingam emphasizes Anna’s yearning and conflicted emotions, and she is especially gifted at creating unique character voices with an endless array of authentic accents: the upper-class British nobility, cockney servants, a Scottish revolutionary, Anna’s Hungarian cousins and elderly grandmother, and Austrian officials, as well as ghoulish supernatural creatures with unearthly voices. Her dazzling narration creates a dark and intriguing world that fans of both Jane Austen–style drawing room novels and the supernatural will enjoy. Ages 12–up. A Knopf hardcover.

With keen attention to emotional details and deft control of pacing, narrator Fiona Hardingham makes this fantasy-adventure something to savor. The disgrace of her elite magical family, the apparently non-magical Anna Arden is exiled to her grandmother in Hungary. But as revolution begins to foment, Anna realizes her true talents are not only precious but also fearsomely powerful. Hardingham's elegant tones don't prevent her from conveying Anna's initial turmoil or her developing self-assurance as she takes on the emotional weight she is eventually forced to bear. Navigating the numerous accents, genders, and ages of the varied characters with apparent ease, Hardingham also makes each of Anna's exchanges, particularly those with her enigmatic ally, Romani G�bor, tense and memorable. Her skill ensures that listeners will be rapt throughout this romantic and action-packed trilogy opening. B.E.K. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine