Inspired by the Scheherazade story, Johnston (Prairie Fire) introduces a nameless 17-year-old heroine who takes her sister's place as wife to a murderous king. Thanks to her sister's prayers—channeled through an original magic system by which revered ancestors become "smallgods" through the worship of their descendants—she acquires godlike powers while still living. As she struggles to survive her marriage and adapt to city life, she discovers that the king, Lo-Melkhiin, is possessed by a demon fascinated by her newfound powers. Johnston creates a memorable world populated by craft-obsessed demons who prey on humans by forcing them to create art even as it destroys them. The power of sisterhood, both literal and figurative, gives the protagonist the strength to stand between her people and total destruction. Though the ending is slightly rushed, the focus on female solidarity and worth in a male-dominated world, along with the ethical questions raised as the heroine's magic alters the course of her sister's life, make this a powerful read. Ages 14–up. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary. (Oct.)

Johnston takes the outline of One Thousand and One Nights and weaves a more feminist version of the story. The narrator is the king's 301st wife. The king is inhabited by a demon, and the good man inside screams as the demon kills each bride. The new bride has powers of her own and learns many things through the women of the household. It all comes to a climax in the desert as the bride's father gathers men for a rebellion and the demon calls his kin to battle. Johnston maintains the folktale tone and rhythms of the story while adding her own twist. Readers will want to keep coming back for more of the story. This would be a good book to use in a study of alternate versions of fairytales, or for fans of Tamora Pierce or Joseph Delaney.

Gr 9 Up—This work explores the setting and central characters from the classic Arabian Nights: Tales from One Thousand and One Nights, adding a mystical backstory for why the Prince kills his 300 wives but spares the Storyteller. In this retelling, the unnamed heroine sacrifices herself for her sister, the most beautiful girl in her village, when the Prince comes to claim a new bride. When her sister builds a shrine to make her a small god, the protagonist finds that she can weave more than just stories, and as her time in the Prince's court grows longer, she finds her powers growing unexpectedly strong. The protagonist continues to survive thanks to the tales she spins every night and begins to discover the true nature of her husband's "possession." She uses this knowledge and her burgeoning abilities to overthrow the demon and his kin when they converge on her village to stop the growing rebellion led by her family. The author creates a mystical fantasy world set under a hot desert sun using an elegant, traditional storytelling style. However, the characters are not as well drawn as the landscape, and readers may not find themselves invested in their individual story lines. The plot draws to a very abrupt, predictable end. Teens who love the fantasy genre will be drawn into the world created here but may be disappointed by the story that takes place in it. VERDICT Not as strong an offering as Renée Ahdieh's The Wrath and the Dawn (Putnam, 2015).—Sunnie Scarpa, Wallingford Public Library, CT