Fledgling (The Keeper’s Records of Revolution #1)

Hoping to forge a lasting alliance between their peoples, 19-year-old Raisa Freelund, daughter of the Guardian of Upper Earth, prepares to enter a political marriage with Lower Earth’s Crown Prince Lein Verg. Simultaneously, 19-year-old Nada Verg, a political prisoner and former princess, sets off on behalf of Lower Earth rebel factions to block the alliance, seeking to prevent Lower Earth’s citizenry from being enslaved by colonialist, technologically advanced Upper Earth. Nada’s mission is complicated by the involvement of her childhood love Musaid Habib, who is entrusted by Lein to make sure that his wedding goes off without a hitch. As they become embroiled in decades of Upper and Lower Earth plotting, the characters find that nothing is as it seems. Ali (Love from Mecca to Medina) immerses readers in a postapocalyptic dystopia that raises questions about the meaning of freedom and the politics of revolution through a sprawling cast, numerous perspectives, and detailed worldbuilding. Though occasionally didactic in tone, this fiery duology opener leaves plenty of tantalizing hooks to whet the appetite for a sequel. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Sara Crowe Literary. (Oct.)