Zoraida Córdova meets Silvia Moreno-Garcia in this bold fantasy rooted in Puerto Rican history and culture that examines colonial power, faith, and resistance through monsters and sisterhood.
**DELUXE EDITION with stenciled edges, endpapers, and more.**
A living source of magic. A marriage of enemies.
And a truth powerful enough to shatter nations.
On the sultry, rain-swept, tropical island of San Cristóbal, Marcela Montenegro is ready to leave behind her life as a Vessel-a life where her personal aura is used to power the magic of a wealthy Santo in accordance with the strict rule of the Church. Marcela finds a friend in her Santa, Sulema Castillo, but it's still a life sentence. Her only escape is the fiery trysts she has with fellow Vessels.
While Marcela dreams of her freedom, Sulema is betrothed to the handsome and stoic Comandante from the rival island of Basca. Now, both their futures are locked to Basca. Sulema is less than willing to be married, and Bascans are rumored to be nothing more than ruthless heathens. Yet the Bascans' secretive animal-handling powers are deemed necessary to eliminate the mysterious monstruos destroying San Cristóbal's towns far and wide. Willing to do anything to stop this political marriage, Marcela is recruited as a spy to reveal the root of Bascan magic in exchange for her and Sulema's freedom.
As further attacks across San Cristóbal rock the island toward civil unrest, Marcela must fight to save her friend and herself. Even if it means pushing against her growing connection to the Comandante and her rising distrust of the Church. Allegiances are tested, beliefs are questioned, and the island's very destiny falls into her hands.
