by Zilla Novikov

The Audacity Gambit by B. Zedan is a gentle fairy tale, though the underlying themes are as uncompromising as any Fae could demand. Emily is the Chosen One, the one who can restore her people to the Fae Kingdom–but this is no accident of fate. Her life has been manipulated since the moment of her birth to fulfil the esoteric needs of prophecy, and the trusted adults of her life have been concerned only with preparing the way. But, while the world can put a person in a box long enough that she assumes its shape, she can still choose who she becomes when she steps outside.

The fantastical world is a character in its own right, full of whimsy in the style of Frank L Baum or Cat Valente, where Polaroid cameras reveal hidden mysteries and trees may–or may not–be trustworthy. While I never feared for Emily’s life, I wondered what she would hold onto when everything changed.