by Melissa Marr
In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures - if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.
All Mallory knows of The City is that her father - and every other witch there - fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.
From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and Graveminder, comes a brand-new tale of lush secrets, dark love, and the struggle to forge one's own destiny.
"Starred Review. This is one novel that will be at the top of everyones to-read list." - VOYA
"Festive title notwithstanding, traversing the complicated, shallowly rendered world of this exposition-heavy fantasy is a dreary slog, like reading a gaming manual cover to cover." - Kirkus
"Marrs trademark blend of dark romance, fantasy, and action is on full display, but while Marr makes Mallory strong and independent, those qualities are undercut somewhat...by the multiple brain-wipes she receives from Adam, what amounts to a forced marriage, and an abrupt ending." Publishers Weekly
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Melissa Marr is the author of the bestselling Wicked Lovely series and of Graveminder. She is also the co-editor, with Kelley Armstrong, of Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions. She lives in the Washington, DC, area.
To win without risk is to triumph without glory
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