Stolen Midnights (Stolen Midnights #1)

An orphaned thief and a sheltered debutante’s destinies entwine, uncovering treacherous conspiracy—and an even more perilous passion—in this lushly rendered romantasy from Quinn (To Shatter the Night). In the city of Andalay, the Fates bless citizens with magical gifts on their 18th birth- days. Only rich, powerful northerners receive this boon, while powerless southerners grow more destitute. When Wren Hayes, the teenage daughter of a northern lord who influences politics with his bewitched pen, is shunned by the Fates, she contracts Damien, a morally gray southerner with the gift of invisibility, to learn why. Damien secretly already knows part of the reason: he was hired by an anonymous patron to steal Wren’s gift, a charmed locket that mysteriously contains a photograph of Damien. Sparks of forbidden love ignite as Wren and Damien slowly untangle the truth. Sweeping dual-perspective narration tantalizingly twists and turns toward a cliffhanger conclusion. Excerpts from fictional history texts complement evocative worldbuilding in a beguiling story that centers star-crossed lovers as they wrestle with seedy politics and dark magic. Wren reads as white; Damien has “bronze skin.” Includes a map. Ages 14–up. Agent: Cole Lanahan, Seymour Agency. (Feb.)