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THE 48 by Donna Hosie

THE 48

by Donna Hosie

Pub Date: Sept. 4th, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3856-3
Publisher: Holiday House

Those who don’t learn history are doomed to repeat it, but what about those who learn history for the sake of changing it?

The court of Henry VIII is a dangerous place to be. Between the king’s outbursts, the queen’s nervousness, and Cromwell’s conniving, it’s a hard place to relax. But redhead Charlie and his identical twin brother, Alex, who is gay, aren’t there to relax. They are there to prevent Henry VIII from marrying Lady Jane Seymour, thus preventing the swell of Catholicism that follows her subsequent death. The twins are actually from the future, where they work for The 48 as Assets, people who are sent to different periods in history to alter timelines according to the wishes of the Termination Order Directorate. The assignment is risky, but Alex and Charlie feel up to the task—until they realize that deception and disloyalty have followed them from their own time period. Hosie (The Devil’s Banshee, 2016, etc.) paints a picture of Tudor England with a carefully detailed brush, bringing the sights and sounds to the forefront while juggling a complex plot and several subplots filled with twists, turns, and torture. The characters, who all present as white and are of varying social classes, fully embody the language and spirit of their times.

A fast-paced, well-researched, clever tale of loyalty, torture, and the power of persistence.

(author’s note) (Science fiction. 14-18)