2023-03-22
In this debut YA epic fantasy from Filipina Canadian author Barbosa, a cursed girl must rescue her mother while competing to become the ruler of Tigang.
Seventeen-year-old Narra Jal has been searching for her mother, Shora Jal, since she went missing eight months ago. One month ago, Narra and her sister, Kuran, received word that Shora had been arrested. As the book opens, Narra returns to her birthplace, Bato-Ko—the capital city of Tigang—hoping to find a record of Shora’s arrest. Narra is successful, but Manong Alen, the Archivist who points her to Shora’s arrest record, becomes suspicious of her motives and follows her out of the city. Narra, who hides nearby, sees a magic-wielding Tigangi woman in royal garb intercept the clearly intimidated Archivist. Manong Alen calls the woman Arisa moments before she murders him. We learn that Arisa is the Astar, “a ceremonial position in the government,” though Narra isn’t yet aware of Arisa’s position or the role she will play in her future. Arisa calls a Guardian to move the body, and Narra is struck by intense déjà vu: She somehow knows the Guardian, who is named Teloh. The author depicts an intriguing romance between Narra and Teloh as Narra attempts to untangle her fragments of memory surrounding him. Narra devises a risky plan to rescue Shora: Enter the Sundo, a deadly competition in the glass fortress where, “once a decade, people from all over our country gather to select a new ruler,” learn her mother’s exact location within the fortress, and free her. Barbosa’s characters are vivid on the page. Narra, for example, is guarded but still compassionate. The author also excels at building suspense: “In a little over two weeks, the country of Tigang will crown its new ruler. This means in three days’ time, people will start dying.” The mysteries of Narra’s curse, Shora’s fate, and the hauntingly familiar Teloh will keep readers invested even before the Sundo begins.
A page-turning fantasy with a daring protagonist, thrilling mysteries, and romance.
