Jester

Lisette Schopfer makes a living as a disgraced, knife-throwing street performer in Porter’s intriguing fantasy debut. Before he can pass his magic on to her, Lisette’s father is executed for killing the King. Left alone to fend for herself, Lisette, using the stage name Mirage, employs a mixture of chicanery and showmanship to compete with magic-wielder Luc, her infuriatingly attractive adversary, for audiences and acclaim on the gaudy streets of Oasis. When the kingdom announces a competition for the chance to become the Queen’s Jester—the world’s highest-ranking magician—Lisette endeavors to learn real magic and stay out of danger as she attempts to claw her way to the top while concealing her true parentage. As shocking revelations and reversals of fortune strike, she must fight not only to survive, but to claim the magic that is her birthright. Though plot beats fall back on well-trod fantasy tropes, Porter’s immersive rendering of Oasis’s grimy grandeur, unique worldbuilding and mythology, and snappy banter between the story’s cast of courtiers and criminals, make for a starry-eyed tale. Ages 13–up. Agent: Colleen Oefelein, MacGregor Literary. (Aug.)