REBEL OF FIRE AND FLIGHT

Despite choosing flight, a 16-year-old girl must fight for her freedom in Marufu’s South Asian–inspired fantasy debut.

Khadija, a brown-skinned Ghadaean girl, escapes her Abba’s latest arranged marriage prospect for her by jumping into a stolen hot air balloon. Her unexpected adventure leads her to Jacob, a hāri boy who is a glassmaker’s apprentice. He constantly lives in fear because of the lightness of his skin and hair; the ruling Ghadaeans are brutally oppressive toward the hāri, who descend from attempted foreign colonizers. Despite their differences, Khadija and Jacob form an unlikely kinship; they both long for freedom and have experienced great losses that have shaped their biased preconceptions of one another. But they soon encounter two very different revolutionary groups: the violent Hāreef, who are determined to overthrow the Ghadaeans, and the sympathetic Wāzeem, who want equality for all. Jacob’s and Khadija’s friendship and beliefs are painfully tested as they are thrust into a war involving forbidden magic, flesh-eating jinn, and powerful shaitan, or demonic spirits. Alternating between Khadija’s and Jacob’s close third-person point of view, the book allows readers to witness their individual challenges and growth as they explore who they are and what they truly want in this world. This thrilling first installment justifies a sequel that may shed light on worldbuilding elements that are left unanswered.

Magical and insurgent high adventure.