The Sisters Mederos

Sarath’s enjoyable picaresque fantasy novel follows the adventures of sisters Tesara and Yvienne Mederos, born into a family that was once the cream of Port Saint Frey’s high society and has now fallen into penury. The young women, newly returned from boarding school to a fantasy version of a preindustrial European port city, are determined to restore their family’s fortune and revenge themselves on the corrupt Merchant’s Guild, whose machinations lie behind House Mederos’s downfall. Yvienne, “the smartest girl in Port Saint Frey,” provokes through newspaper editorials, takes a governess job as an entrée into the houses of the powerful, and eventually discovers the excitement of committing armed robbery. Tesara, who conceals supernatural powers that she blames for the shipwreck that ruined her family, ingratiates herself with the upper classes at gambling tables. There are few surprises in Sarath’s plot, but her heroines are entertaining company, and the dynamic between the two sisters—occasionally contentious, often secretive, always loving—is the most enjoyable part of this effervescent tale. Agent: Jennie Goloby, Donald Maass Literary. (Apr.)