The Maid and the Crocodile
A Novel in the World of Raybearer
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A romantic standalone fantasy set in the world of Raybearer, from New York Times bestselling author Jordan Ifueko
The smallest spark can bind two hearts . . . or start a revolution.
In the magic-soaked capital city of Oluwan, Small Sade needs a job—preferably as a maid, with employers who don’t mind her unique appearance and unlucky foot. But before she can be hired, she accidentally binds herself to a powerful being known only as the Crocodile, a god rumored to devour pretty girls. Small Sade entrances the Crocodile with her secret: she is a Curse Eater, gifted with the ability to alter people’s fates by cleaning their houses.
The handsome god warns that their fates are bound, but Small Sade evades him, launching herself into a new career as the Curse Eater of a swanky inn. She is determined to impress the wealthy inhabitants and earn her place in Oluwan City . . . assuming her secret-filled past—and the revolutionary ambitions of the Crocodile God—don’t catch up with her.
But maybe there is more to Small Sade. And maybe everyone in Oluwan City deserves more, too, from the maids all the way to the Anointed Ones.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Beauty and the Beast meets Howl's Moving Castle in this exquisitely crafted standalone romance set some time after the events of Ifueko's Raybearer series. Orphaned 17-year-old Sade, who has vitiligo and walks with a cane, is a Curse-Eater—someone born with the rare ability to not only see the mysterious "spirit silt" that coats everything like "cotton lining their throats," but also cleanse its lingering effects. When an offering to an enchanted gecko accidentally bonds her to the strikingly handsome Crocodile God, she attempts to heal him from the curse slowly transforming him into his namesake. Despite the Crocodile God's informing her of their connected fates, Sade leaves to work as the official Curse-Eater at an inn located in one of the city's affluent districts. But the more Sade uses her abilities, the greater the cost, forcing her to choose between the security that being employed offers and the threat of becoming once again unhoused. Via Sade's first-person POV, Ifueko delivers a complex and nuanced exploration of intersections between disability, economic inequity, and abuse of power. Sade's relationship with the Crocodile God presents a thoughtful examination of power and consent without sacrificing tenderness or chemistry. Ages 12–up.
