Pangu’s Shadow

Queer teens find love while trying to clear themselves of suspicions of murder in this far-future mystery from Bao (the Dove Chronicles series). Though dancer Aryl Fielding was born on G-Moon One, the crown jewel of the Pangu Star System, she faces discrimination for being the daughter of immigrants from agricultural hub G-Moon Two. Things are even harder for Ver Yun, who hails from manufacturing center G-Moon Three and, like many Three-ers, lives with a degenerative disease. To please her parents, Aryl is completing a research apprenticeship at the Institute for Natural Exploration—something she’d enjoy more if not for demanding boss Cal Eppi and brilliant, brownnosing fellow apprentice Ver. Meanwhile, Ver resents Aryl’s physical strength and grace. The trio is working late one night when the power fails, and someone kills Cal. Police charge Aryl and Ver, largely out of prejudice, so the duo joins forces to solve the murder. Secondary characters lack depth, and the denouement is too pat. Bao nevertheless writes incisively and empathetically about Ver’s physical impairments, and Aryl and Ver’s alternating narration capably ferry a spirited plot, during which tender romance sparks. The cast is intersectionally diverse. Ages 12–up. Agent: Veronica Park, Fuse Literary. (Feb.)