A Wicked Thing

Thomas%E2%80%99s debut opens with the end of a familiar fairy-tale%E2%80%94the %E2%80%9Csleeping beauty%E2%80%9D awakened by a kiss. The conclusion of one story marks the beginning of another as 18-year-old Aurora learns that she has been asleep for more than 100 years and is perceived as a potential savior for her unstable, violent homeland. She is manipulated and controlled by her future in-laws, the king and queen; treated as a puppet rather than as someone with thoughts of her own, she quickly comes to resent her situation. Though Iris, the cold and fearsome queen whose mask of authority hides her dissatisfaction with her own powerlessness, is an original creation, other characters, such as the cruel king and the morally dubious rebel Aurora unwittingly befriends, remain generic. The conflict between the rebels and the king, in which innocents (discounted by both sides) suffer most, is thinly constructed, and the kingdom of Alyssinia has little to distinguish it from other fantasy lands. But Thomas%E2%80%99s novel leaves enough enticing unanswered questions to pave the way for a sequel. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. Agent: Kristen Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency. (Feb.)