DESTINY OF THE DIAMOND PRINCESS

An adoptee from Washington, D.C., makes a birthday wish to know who she is and where she’s from—but the truth is beyond her wildest dreams.

Zahara-Grace Jones, a Black girl with attention-grabbing blue eyes, lives with her Black adoptive mom and grandfather, G-Pop. On her 12th birthday, G-Pop gives Zahara-Grace a DNA test, and Mom reveals that she’s finally allowed to talk about her birth mother, Yala St. Claire, who was killed in an accident along with Zahara-Grace’s birth father. Yala also left a letter and gifts for her daughter. Soon another surprise arrives: Zahara-Grace’s biological maternal grandfather, King Zumari Babatunde of Maliwanda, has found her through the DNA test and reveals that she’s a princess and heir to the throne. An overwhelmed Zahara-Grace gets caught up in her friend Persephone’s obsession with a curse stretching back to ancient Egypt that’s purported to haunt the women in Zahara-Grace’s lineage—one that must be broken before it claims Zahara-Grace’s life. The strength and love of Zahara-Grace’s family and friends form the center of this novel. The curse storyline is entertaining, but where the novel really shines is in its depiction of the nuances of Zahara-Grace’s experience as an adoptee and her journey to coming to terms with her love for both her adoptive and biological families. The depiction of the intensity and complexity of tween friendships is also strong and will resonate with readers.

A delightful story that combines creative fantasy elements with rich character development.