Deadly Ever After

In Johnson’s complex and insightful romantasy debut, two dead teens seek the reviving power of true love’s kiss. When 18-year-old Princess Amala of Rosewyn is murdered shortly after her marriage to Prince Vincent of Iman, she wakes up in an otherworldly forest realm called the Garden. There, the Elders of the Garden inform her that she’s been afforded a second chance at life, which she resolves to use to both learn who killed her and reunite with Vincent. She soon encounters prickly warrior girl Kha’dasia, similarly granted a reprieve from death, who takes an instant dislike to Amala. The Elders then set both teens on a quest: if they can survive the Garden’s many dangers, they may return to the mortal world. As the pair venture, however, they must also seek true love’s kiss, told that “the right kiss will save you. The wrong kiss will kill you.” Throughout their journey, the unlikely companions divulge their darkest secrets, hidden traumas, and deepest wishes, and rely on each other to survive. Amala and Kha’dasia’s percolating chemistry—portrayed via the duo’s distinctly rendered alternating first-person perspectives—is magnetic, and the novel’s traditional fantasy setting teems with timeless-feeling dreamlike elements as the Garden manifests challenges to test their fears. Characters cue as Black. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jamie Vankirk, Rainbow Nerds Literary. (Nov.)