Of Cages and Crowns

For centuries, the Kingdom of Erydia has chosen their queen via the Culling, a brutal tournament in which 10 teenage girls, each blessed with a different goddess-touched power, battle to the death. The survivor then marries the prince and becomes the next queen. Seventeen-year-old Monroe Benson, who can control fire but wants no part of the spectacle, has spent much of her life hiding on her family farm. But when the Culling is announced and Monroe attempts to flee, she’s captured and brought to Erydia’s palace, where she’s forced to train and fight. After unexpectedly falling for Prince Cohen, Monroe must conceal her romantic feelings while navigating royal politics, the Culling’s deadly demands, a growing rebellion within the kingdom, and a war brewing at Erydia’s borders. The tight focus on Monroe and Cohen’s burgeoning romance leaves supporting characters, especially Monroe’s competitors, underdeveloped, and slow pacing saps the Culling of tension. Using a richly detailed near-contemporary setting and blending well-trod fantasy tropes with romance, intrigue, and action, Crump capably delivers an opulent tale of defiance and resilience in this absorbing debut. Characters read as white. Ages 12–up.(Nov.)