A girl with no gifts must bargain for the power to fight her own mother's dark schemes--even if the price is her life. 
Crackling with dark magic, unspeakable betrayal, and daring twists you won't see coming, this explosive YA fantasy debut is a can't-miss, high-stakes epic perfect for fans of Strange the Dreamer and Children of Blood and Bone.
"Magnetic and addictive. This book is black girl magic at its finest."--New York Times bestselling author Dhonielle Clayton
Heir to two lines of powerful witchdoctors, Arrah yearns for magic of her own. Yet she fails at bone magic, fails to call upon her ancestors, and fails to live up to her family's legacy. Under the disapproving eye of her mother, the Kingdom's most powerful priestess and seer, she fears she may never be good enough.
 
But when the Kingdom's children begin to disappear, Arrah is desperate enough to turn to a forbidden, dangerous ritual. If she has no magic of her own, she'll have to buy it--by trading away years of her own life.
Arrah's borrowed power reveals a nightmarish betrayal, and on its heels, a rising tide of darkness that threatens to consume her and all those she loves. She must race to unravel a twisted and deadly scheme... before the fight costs more than she can afford.
Set in a richly imagined world inspired by whispered tales of voodoo and folk magic, Rena Barron's captivating debut is the beginning of a thrilling saga about a girl caught between gods, monsters, and the gift and the curse of power.
"Masterful."--SLJ (starred review)
Now of age where the gangs start to take notice, Jacob and his best friend Kenny have a brief run-in with Ja'heve. He is a brazen individual and second in command to a vicious gang known as "The Circle." During the encounter, Ja'heve feels disrespected by Jacob's refusal to join; he becomes furious and jealous of him and his intellect. He knows Jacob has the smarts to make it out of their hell hole of a neighborhood and vows not to let that happen. 
One morning while taking the train, Kenny finds a folded-up form and hands it over to Jacob to read, being somewhat illiterate. It turns out to be an entry form for a writing contest with a handsome cash prize and book deal. Suddenly a light of hope pierces through Jacob like never before. No longer feeling abject, and with encouragement from Kenny, he believes that he can win the contest and move he and his mother out of the ghetto and start a new life. 
Being continuously pursued and harassed by Ja'heve, Jacob's daily survival becomes a deadly game of cat and mouse. He fears it's just a matter of time before his picture ends up on the nightly news like so many other slain black kids before him. Jacob knows his time is short, but a chance is all he needs, and his will to survive is all he has.