The Brides of Maracoor

There must always be exactly seven brides in exile on the island of Maracoor Spot—but in the complex, enticing fantasy that launches bestseller Maguire’s latest trilogy, a spin-off of his Wicked Years series, the balance is upset when the green-skinned Rain crash-lands offshore with a talking goose in tow. She has no memory of where she’s from or how she got there, and her arrival upends the brides’ status quo, which is further shaken by the death of one of their own. When overseer Lucikles arrives from the mainland of Maracoor Abiding for his annual check-in, he’s left reeling in the face of these changes—and doubly so when he returns home to discover that Maracoor Abiding has been attacked by an enemy navy. Blame for the attack falls on Rain due to the suspicious timing of her arrival. Meanwhile, one of the brides is accused of murder, and Maracoor itself begins to unravel. Maguire cleverly teases out the characters’ motivations and desires, turning what at first appears to be a straightforward tale into a gripping page-turner. Fans will revel in this triumphant return to the world of Wicked. Agent: Moses Cardona, John Hawkins & Assoc. (Oct.)