BREAKING THE SCROLL

In this high-stakes epic, a princess who was pushed from the throne by her power-hungry husband must escape his control.

Lamare Amark was born the daughter and heir of Northsam, emperor of Akea. Every citizen of Akea is born with a special power—invisibility, charisma, speed, even the ability to remove “bad” parts of foods. Lamare’s gift is that whatever she writes down will come true. Once she marries the ruthless weather-manipulator McWindStorm “Wind” Arren, however, she finds herself growing increasingly helpless. Wind suffered trauma that changed him into a hardened, ambitious character who can only be tamed by Sol Dugress, a woman whose power, conveniently, is calmness. After eliminating Lamare’s father and his allies, Wind pushes her aside and claims the rule of Akea. When Lamare finds solace with another man and gives birth to his baby, Wind punishes her by binding her power to his: every 14 days she must write a scroll filled with events to help Wind maintain control over Akea, or Wind will destroy her and her son, Kino. Any words she writes in the future will not come true unless Wind burns them with lightning. As the years pass, Lamare grows tired of being controlled by Wind and begins to plot her escape. In Vergara’s debut novel, various players narrate chapters; unfortunately, the numerous clamoring voices become overwhelming. The best narrators are Lamare, a complex character who evolves from privileged princess to beaten-down scribe to bold woman, and Dogan Ronda, whose working-class ramblings, littered with slang, make his the most distinctive of the novel’s many voices. Adolescent Kino and his friends, including loyal Mayo and the spunky Pyper, are given pages to tell their own stories, but the adults are far more compelling. The cliffhanger ending leaves multiple plot points to be resolved in future installments.

A fantasy world overpopulated with colorful—and powerful—characters.