This Dark Paradise

September 1, 2024
A magic-wielding girl tricks her way onto enchanted Estaralla but discovers that the island--and its magic--are more likely to kill her than to save her. Lucia Arduini must get to the exclusive island of Estaralla and steal its source of magic in order to pay off the gangs to which her family is indebted. With craftiness and the use of insider information from her Estarallan ex-boyfriend, Antony, Lucia makes it onto the island as part of a luxury tour for the wealthy Rubellian family. Even as she lies to everyone about her motives for visiting Estaralla, Lucia firmly believes that finding and stealing its source of magic is her only path to freedom. Once on the island, however, she discovers that the enchanting illusions aren't the only things that aren't quite what they seem. Unsure if she can trust intriguing host Calista, moody Oriana Rubellian, or Antony, who claims to still love her despite his multiple betrayals, Lucia must uncover the island's secret before she becomes another one of its mysterious and violent casualties. The bisexual love triangle offers a fun diversion from the confusing plot's twists. The Italian-influenced world of the novel is built on excessive, minute detail and sprawling worldbuilding that can be difficult to track. The main characters are diverse in sexual orientation and read Mediterranean. An appealing queer romance that buckles under the weight of the fantasy world's intricacies.(Fantasy. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 15, 2024
Grades 9-12 Illusion magic has a cost in Luken's suspenseful fantasy, which follows a magically gifted teen desperate to steal an enchanted island's magic to save her brother. Lucia works for the Silverhands gang as a glamorist to pay off her father's debts. When they come for her brother, too, she makes a deal: for her family's safety, she'll travel to Estaralla, the island where magic originates, and steal its source. Visits to Estaralla are strictly regulated, but Lucia gets herself hired as a tour guide, accompanying the Rubellian matriarch and her daughter, Oriana. Estaralla has gorgeous vistas, opulent homes, and powerful magic, but Lucia is uneasy with the strange rules they must follow; meanwhile, Antony, her Estarallan ex-boyfriend, warns her not to trust anyone. As she looks for the island's magical source while avoiding the watchful eyes of their host's attractive daughter, she discovers the rot at the heart of Estaralla's beautiful lie. Luken blends a heist story, a murder mystery, and a bisexual love triangle with immersive world building and deadly stakes in this spellbinding dark fantasy.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2024

Gr 9 Up-For dark fantasy fans of Stephanie Garber's Caraval and Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows comes a new romantic heist novel. Glamorist Lucia has five days to steal the source of Estaralla's magic and finally settle her father's debts, or her brother's life is forfeit to the Silverhands gang. Using her magic and a series of clever cons, she gets herself assigned to a wealthy family as a tour guide for their trip to Estaralla-only to discover the magical island doesn't live up to the stories everyone tells. The magic everyone covets comes with serious consequences that Lucia must grapple with. An insta-love romance with her client's daughter gets complicated when her romantic past with island local Anthony reignites, creating a fun bisexual love triangle where Lucia is torn between a girl with secrets and the boy who already broke her heart. Luken's Italian-coded fantasy world is rife with themes about power and secrets and the way they're wielded for and against people. Heavy introspection makes for some lengthy exposition and slower pacing, but the well-developed characters lead to a satisfying ending. Ultimately, the heist takes a backseat to the mysteries of the island, but lush worldbuilding makes the tried-and-true fantasy elements feel unique, and the love triangle is well resolved. VERDICT An additional purchase for fantasy collections seeking dark but fun stories.-Emmy Neal

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 19, 2024
Teen Lucia Arduini wants one thing:
to be out from under the control of the
Silverhands, a criminal group to whom her now-absent father is indebted. Forced to work for the Silverhands to repay the debt, she hides her magical glamoturas ability (“Better I be a simple thief than a glamorist”) and concludes that the solution to freeing herself and her family is located on the island of Estaralla, the source of all magic. Through a clever series of cons, Lucia makes her way to the hallowed island disguised as a tour guide assigned to the wife and daughter of a wealthy admiral—only to discover that Estaralla is not the paradise she’d been promised. Her former relationship with Estralla local Antony, and her attraction to her island host’s daughter Calista, complicates matters further. Luken’s debut paints a dark portrait of the consequences of unchecked magic and desire. Blending a healthy dose of introspection surrounding the metaphorical masks people wear with evocative storytelling, Luken presents an Italian-inspired, Fantasy Island–esque tale with an insidiously evil twist. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sarah Fisk, Tobias Literary.