A twisty, dark-royalcore YA fantasy that takes the courtly intrigue of Hamlet and infuses it with the vicious ambition of the Boleyn family. For fans of House of the Dragon and readers who love The Cruel Prince, Red Queen, and Sara J. Maas.
Marry the Prince, then kill him…
Princess Madalina and her twin sister Inessa were born attached at the hand and separated right after. That's the only time the sisters ever held hands. The girls' personalities have been shaped in the Sinet family's drive to make their kingdom more than it is: unrespectable and loathsome, a damp place where deceit fills the palace walls like mold.
Madalina is different from her family. She's considered the weak one and only finds peace in the garden, tending the flowers, which are pejoratively called grave flowers because they are ideal for tortures and torments. Secretly, she dreams of escape and a new life.
Then Inessa, who was betrothed to Prince Hadrian, the heir of a wealthy kingdom, appears to Madalina as a ghost. She decries her murder and begs Madalina to free her from Bide, a terrifying place where souls get caught. Now Madelina must take her sister's place and carry out her secret mission: Inessa wasn't just sent to marry Prince Hadrien, but to kill him, too, and solidify a pact with his uncle.
On behalf of her family, Madelina must finish the job, knowing that whoever wanted Inessa dead is sure to wish her dead as well.
Step into the deadly and decedent world of Grave Flowers, a seductive, royalcore romantic fantasy from acclaimed author Autumn Krause that will enthrall readers at every turn.
Part dark gothic fantasy, part journey into the bizarre, this delicious blending of tall tales and Latin American surrealism will haunt you as you devour it!
'Highly imaginative and powerfully affecting.'-Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
1836, Wisconsin. Catalina lives with her pa and brother in a ramshackle cabin on the edge of the wilderness. Harsh winters have brought the family to the brink of starvation, and Catalina has replaced her poet's soul with an unyielding determination to keep Pa and her brother alive.
When a sudden illness claims Pa, a strange man appears-a man covered in bark, leaves growing from his head, and sap dripping from his eyes. He scoops up her brother and disappears, leaving behind a bird with crimson wings. Catalina can't let this man-if that's what he is-have her brother. So, she grabs Pa's knife and follows the bird.
Along the way, she finds help from a young lumberjack, who has his own reasons for hunting the Man of Sap. As their journey takes them deeper into the woods, they encounter strange beasts and tormented spirits. The more they uncover about the Man of Sap, the more they learn how deeply Catalina's fate is entwined with his, planted long ago in cursed seeds.
An enchanting mixture of American tall tales and Faustian elements, Before the Devil Knows You're Here centers a fierce Mexican American poet on a quest to save her brother. Autumn Krause's vivid, haunting prose and rich symbolism make this a must-read for fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Erin Craig.
