Tidespeaker (Tidespeaker #1)

In this tense and atmospheric fantasy novel, humans gifted with elemental abilities, called Orha, are subjugated and forced to use their powers in service of nobility. As a Floodmouth, 18-year-old Corith Fraine can communicate with and control water. After graduating from the grueling Arbenhaw institution, a school for Orha, Corith is employed by the noble House Shearwater, replacing Zennia, the Shearwaters’ previous Floodmouth and Corith’s former roommate, who died in a mysterious accident. Upon arriving at the Shearwaters’ remote island estate, Corith is thrust into an unfamiliar world of treacherous political maneuvering, luxurious decadence, and dark secrets. As she investigates Zennia’s death, Corith becomes involved with a pro-Orha activist group, collecting blackmail material about the Shearwaters and sabotaging their defenses against Orha magic on the group’s behalf. The deeper she dives into her inquiry, covert rebellion, and Floodmouth duties, the more strained her competing loyalties become, especially as she finds herself falling for one of her employers. In a debut that tackles themes of exploitation and privilege, Turner conjures a world of vivid elemental magic and shadowy intrigue with simmering romantic undertones, culminating in an attention-grabbing duology opener. The protagonists cue as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Stuti Telidevara, Park, Fine & Brower Literary. (Jan.)