Reign of the Fallen

Marsh (Fear the Drowning Deep) takes readers on a journey through a grim world where magic is commonplace, the dead are regularly resurrected, and change has been outlawed by an undead king. Necromancers such as Odessa are beloved for their ability to reunite the living with dead loved ones, but the emergence of a powerful Shade—one of the undead turned feral and bloodthirsty—changes that. As more Shades manifest, necromancers are blamed, and it’s up to Odessa to determine who is responsible. However, she is incapacitated by grief over the recent death of Evander, her love and fellow necromancer, as well as an addiction to a calming tonic that those close to her don’t fully address until a virtual stranger intervenes. Between Odessa’s rapid attraction to a female childhood friend who resurfaces and the murky reasons for change being outlawed, the pieces of Marsh’s story don’t entirely come together. But with a sexually fluid society, an intriguing land in which the living and the dead coexist, and an underworld reminiscent of Greek myths, Marsh’s world is one readers will enjoy exploring. Ages 12–up. Agent: Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis. (Jan.)