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by Bori Cser
Del has two rules. One: Stay away from royalty. Two: Don't fall in love.
The first is because Del is secretly Adeleine Ventris, runaway princess. After the death of her sister at the hand of her lover, Del has fled her family, home, and all the responsibilities that come with being the queendom's new daughter-heir―but not before faking her death and magically constructing a new, mirrorwoven face. No longer recognizable as Adeleine, she's now just Del, a simple musician who knows nothing of court life and can disappear to the faraway opaline lagoon-city of Salato.
The second is because the enchantment hiding Del's identity can only be unraveled by true love's kiss. But that's just fine―Del's had enough of love.
When Del breaks Rule One and becomes court bard to the new First of Salato, she is resolved to at least keep her head down and stay well out of politics―until she realizes sweet, gentle Clara, the young figurehead who trusts too easily and loves too much, may be the one person less prepared to govern than Del herself. And if Clara loses her throne, Del loses the tenuous new job and life she's found in Salato.
As Del's deceptions grow ever larger and more precarious―and as she grows closer to both Clara and Nasca, Clara's brilliant, dangerous sister―it will take only the slightest push to bring Del's house of cards tumbling down.
Like, for example, breaking Rule Two.
"A runaway princess, a city of glass and canals, and a Sapphic love triangle with teeth…. Cser's worldbuilding is lush and layered, with vividly described, Venetian-inspired Salato brought to life through details like gondolas and floating markets…Witty, warm, and wickedly plotted." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A standout comfort read for queer audiences ... Recommended for fans of Margaret Owen or Adrienne Tooley's Sofi and the Bone Song" ―School Library Journal
"A gorgeously imagined fantasy, Mirrorwoven lures you in like lute music in a floating city, and fulfills every promise of fraught romance and forbidden magic with both gravity and delight. I was instantly hooked." ―Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Strange the Dreamer
"Witty, vibrant and gloriously fresh, Mirrorwoven captivates readers with its political intrigue and fiercely passionate protagonist. A sparkling debut that marks Cser as a stand-out new voice in YA." ―Kiera Azar, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Thorn Season
This information about Mirrorwoven was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Bori Cser is a Hungarian-Australian author of young adult fantasy. At various times she has identified as a classically-trained clarinettist, a biology PhD dropout and a dinosaur puppeteer, but these days mostly describes herself as in need of a nap. She lives on Dharug and Gundungurra country in Australia's Blue Mountains with her partner and three high-maintenance cats.
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