League of Liars

The use of edem—a shadowy magic that seeps from an extradimensional tear, allowing one to “manipulate time and change your reality”—is forbidden in Telene, its practitioners hunted down by the secretive government agency Regency and imprisoned in the prison Vardean. Against this backdrop, 17-year-old Cayder Broduck knows precisely where he wants to end up in life: as a public prosecutor for the Crown Court, putting away magic users like the one who killed his mother. Meanwhile, his 16-year-old sister Leta spirals into an obsession with edem. Cayder believes his apprenticeship with a leading public defender will help accelerate his nascent legal career, until he encounters his first client: charming, allegedly patricidal 18-year-old Jey. Reserved 17-year-old Elenora soon joins his caseload, and, to his horror, so does Leta, having been accused of a terrible offense. As he delves into the events leading up to their crimes, Cayder realizes that there is much more to edem, and even to the Regency, than he has always thought. Scholte (The Vanishing Deep) blends legal thriller and action novel in an exploration of morality’s gray areas. Though the plot occasionally lacks tension, a mix of first- and third-person perspectives lend depth to the cast, which includes biracial, brown-skinned, white, and queer characters. Ages 12–up. Agent: Hillary Jacobson, ICM Partners. (Feb.)