The Queen's Choice

Kluver's Heirs of Chrior trilogy builds an early headwind for itself: dark, violent, and inhuman, whether the characters are technically human or not. An entire generation of royal heirs has been orphaned, the queen is about to die, and her chosen successor is brutally mutilated. Anya, a 16-year-old Fae who likes to wander in the human world, is robbed of her dignity and optimism when humans sever her wings (the violation reads much like a rape). With her spirit dampened, there is little more than gritty perseverance to buoy her. A power struggle is underway among three young cousins who are eligible to inherit the throne of the Fae. Anya is one, and she doesn't want it, but she doesn't want her younger cousin Illumina to inherit it, either. Both girls are seeking their runaway half-human cousin, Zabriel, and their quest takes them back into the destructive and prejudiced human realm. With no plot closure in this first volume and many crescendos of verbal and physical abuse, it's a fantasy world with little to leaven its somber plot. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (Feb.)