WHERE THE BLACK FLOWERS BLOOM

Twelve-year-old orphan Asha is excited to know what her Telling Day will reveal.

On the eve of their 13th birthday, each child born on the continent of Alkebulan is divinely marked with a symbol foretelling their life’s path. When Asha’s mark proves too mysterious even for her guardian, Suna, to interpret, she worries she’ll never find her place in the world. Asha doesn’t have long to ponder her worries, however, because soon after her Telling Day, her troupe of traveling entertainers is attacked by creatures under the command of sorcerer Shrike, a feathered foe ruling from his tower of black rock in the Burned Lands. Suna’s dying advice to seek the Underground Kingdom where black flowers grow haunts Asha as she flees. Asha’s journey through this enchanted land with faeries, crows that turn into warriors, and graceful talking gazelles is expertly plotted, unfolding organically as she picks up friends and allies along the way. Through these connections, Asha’s own character begins to develop and blossom. One puzzle piece after another is masterfully presented in this well-paced adventure, clicking into place to ensure that readers have plenty of twists and turns to keep them intrigued until the very end. Even as Asha is wonderfully written, it’s the shining cast of characters around her who give her space to grow and who keep the action moving. Asha and her community read Black; there is racial diversity in other parts of Alkebulan.

A captivating quest for family, magic, and belonging.