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King of Dead Things by Nevin Holness

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King of Dead Things

Nevin Holness

Atheneum Books for Young Readers · Hardcover · April 16, 2024

Reading lane: Dark YA Fantasy

For fans of Legendborn , Neil Gaiman, and Leigh Bardugo, this “electrifying” ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review) urban young adult fantasy steeped in Afro-Carribbean folklore follows two Black teens searching for a powerful artifact in the hidden magical side of London.

At a Glance

Why This Clicks

Why This Clicks

Come here for

  • dark fantasy mood
  • family-rooted folklore textures

Expect

  • African-leaning fairy-tale signals
  • teen-friendly dark fantasy

Book Details

Authors
Nevin Holness
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published
April 16, 2024
Format
Hardcover
Theme
Dark YA Fantasy · Urban Fantasy
Reading lane
Dark YA Fantasy

Affinity

Publisher Categories

  • Contemporary YA Fantasy

  • Myths & Legends for Teens

  • Caribbean & Latin America for Teens

About This Book

For fans of Legendborn , Neil Gaiman, and Leigh Bardugo, this “electrifying” ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review) urban young adult fantasy steeped in Afro-Carribbean folklore follows two Black teens searching for a powerful artifact in the hidden magical side of London. Raising the dead is easy. Living is harder. Eli doesn’t know who he is or who he came from. Three years ago, he was found by his now-best friends, Sunny and Max, who gave him a home in a magical sanctuary doub...

Read full description

For fans of Legendborn , Neil Gaiman, and Leigh Bardugo, this “electrifying” ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review) urban young adult fantasy steeped in Afro-Carribbean folklore follows two Black teens searching for a powerful artifact in the hidden magical side of London. Raising the dead is easy. Living is harder. Eli doesn’t know who he is or who he came from. Three years ago, he was found by his now-best friends, Sunny and Max, who gave him a home in a magical sanctuary doubling as a Caribbean restaurant. What Eli does know is that he can heal a wound with just a touch and pluck magic from a soul like a petal from a flower—and there is nothing he wouldn’t do to survive and keep his new family together. Malcolm would do anything to forget where he comes from. Desperate to escape his estranged father’s shadow and plagued with an inherited death magic he doesn’t fully understand, Malcolm has just one priority: save his mother, no matter the cost. Malcolm and Eli’s paths collide when Eli and his friends are sent to track down the fang of the leopard god Osebo, a deadly weapon that can eat magic. In a job filled with enigmatic nine nights and Caribbean legends, the teens must face their own demons as they race through the magical underbelly of London to retrieve the fang…before an ancient and malevolent power comes back to life.

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