Divining the Leaves
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- 13,99 €
Publisher Description
"Filled with beautiful and dangerous magic, this book swirls around you like irresistible perfume." —Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop
Perfect for fans of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and A Drop of Venom, this beautifully-imagined contemporary fantasy standalone will transport readers to an enchanted forest world drawn from Hindu and Buddhist folklore.
Plant-loving Ridhi Kapadia and popular Nilesh Batra were friends once.
Now, seventeen and alone, Ridhi blends natural perfumes, wears flower crowns, and wanders her local woods, listening for the leafy whispers of her beloved trees. Pleading for the yakshas—spirits who protect the environment—to admit her into their forest kingdom, where she knows she truly belongs.
After learning his parents’ perfect marriage is a sham and getting suspended from school, a heartsick Nilesh lands at Ridhi’s doorstep—the last thing either of them wants. So when a pretty yakshini--nature spirit--offers him the distraction of magic, the same magic he mocked Ridhi for believing in, he jumps at it.
Furious, Ridhi strikes a bargain with a noblewoman of the yaksha court. In exchange for helping restore her reputation, Lady Sulochana will turn Ridhi into the yakshini she yearns to be—and teach her to divine the trees’ murmurs.
But when Nilesh ends up trapped in the yakshas’ realm, Ridhi realizes the leaves might be telling a disturbing story about the forest her heart is rooted in—one that, even if the two of them band together, threatens to shred the future like so many thorns.
From Andre Norton Nebula Award finalist and Ursula K. Le Guin Prize nominee Shveta Thakrar comes a captivating addition to the cozy fantasy space, where two teens—one a believer of magic who yearns to belong, the other a skeptic searching for an escape—find home in a world beyond their own.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Disillusioned Atlanta teens enter a realm from Hindu and Buddhist folklore in this underdeveloped contemporary fantasy from Thakrar (The Dream Runners). Seventeen-year-old Ridhi Kapadia despairs upon learning that former friend Nilesh Batra will be staying with her family while his parents hash out their separation. Ridhi and Nilesh may have been close as kids, but now rich, popular Nilesh mocks "freaks" like Ridhi, who makes her own botanical perfumes, prefers trees to people, and believes in magic. Seeking refuge, Ridhi performs a complex ritual that transports her to a kingdom of yakshas, the mythical keepers of nature. She's elated—until she encounters Nilesh, who has entered the enchanted land with a pretty yakshini he met at the grocery store. Happy to escape their respective realities, both teens strike deals that will allow them to remain. Neither bargain comes without consequences, however, prompting the duo to join forces and fight for the fates they desire. Scattershot plotting, two-dimensional characters, and haphazardly incorporated mythology hamper a promising premise. Nevertheless, readers fond of immersive storytelling will appreciate the sensate prose and worldbuilding. The cast is intersectionally diverse. Ages 13–up.
