The Sisters Grimm

Van Praag (The Patron Saint of Lost Souls) braids mystery, magic, and a vicious hunt for power into a dark, delicious story of four estranged, supernatural sisters. As children, half-sisters Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea meet and play together in Everwhere, an otherworldly plane accessed through their dreams. In Everwhere, they possess elemental magic inherited from their demonic father who delights in bearing half-mortal daughters and forcing them to fight his army of celestial soldiers at the age of 18 to prove their worth. At 13, the sisters are cut off from Everwhere, lose their powers and memories of each other, and turn their focus instead to school, work, and dating. But as their 18th birthdays approach, they feel a mysterious pull toward one another. As they uncover the dark secret of their births, they prepare to fight for their lives. Through entrancing prose, van Praag spins a tale of sisterhood and female empowerment, though her message is slightly undermined by the inexplicable ease with which the sisters are duped by the deceitful men in their lives, from their father to their manipulative boyfriends. Still, readers will be drawn to these well-developed characters and their lush world. Agent: Ginger Clark, Curtis Brown, Ltd. (Mar.)