<Circe< goes YA in this unapologetically feminist retelling of the Medusa myth steeped in Indian mythology, a YA epic fantasy addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.

<All monsters and heroes have beginnings. This is mine.<

Sixteen-year-old Manisha is no stranger to monsters&mdash;she&rsquo;s been running from them for years, from beasts who roam the jungle to the King&rsquo;s army, who forced her people, the naga, to scatter to the ends of the earth. You might think that the kingdom&rsquo;s famed holy temples atop the floating mountains, where Manisha is now a priestess, would be safe&mdash;but you would be wrong.

Seventeen-year-old Pratyush is a famed slayer of monsters, one of the King&rsquo;s most prized warriors and a frequent visitor to the floating temples. For every monster the slayer kills, years are added to his life. You might think such a powerful warrior could do whatever he wants, but true power lies with the King. Tired after years of fighting, Pratyush wants nothing more than a peaceful, respectable life.

When Pratyush and Manisha meet, each sees in the other the possibility to chart a new path. Unfortunately, the kingdom&rsquo;s powerful have other plans. A temple visitor sexually assaults Manisha and pushes her off the mountain into a pit of vipers. A month later, the King sends Pratyush off to kill one last monster (a powerful nagin who has been turning men to stone) before he&rsquo;ll consider granting the slayer his freedom.

Except Manisha doesn&rsquo;t die, despite the hundreds of snake bites covering her body and the venom running through her veins. She rises from the pit more powerful than ever before, with heightened senses, armor-like skin, and blood that can turn people to stone. And Pratyush doesn&rsquo;t know it, but the &ldquo;monster&rdquo; he&rsquo;s been sent to kill is none other than the girl he wants to marry.

Alternating between Manisha&rsquo;s and Pratyush&rsquo;s perspectives, Sajni Patel weaves together lush language, high stakes, and page-turning suspense, demanding an answer to the question &ldquo;What does it truly mean to be a monster?&rdquo;

Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, now a hit series on Disney+....

Autorentext

Sajni Patel