The Rose Bargain

Gr 8 Up–Kiera Cass’s The Selection meets Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince in the Regency era, where every debutante’s presentation to the fae Queen of England is a chance to make a magic bargain—if they’re willing to pay the price. Ivy has been desperate to unmake her sister’s bargain since Lydia returned with bloody feet and no memory of where she’d been. When the queen informs Ivy that bargains can’t be undone, she leaves without one. The queen announces that Prince Bram must choose a wife this season and all the debutantes of the year are invited to compete for his hand. Ivy signs up in a heartbeat, certain a season of guaranteed invitations can help pull her family back into society. The debutantes soon find that competing to marry a fae is far more vicious than they imagined, binding them together despite the competition. Ivy accepts help from Bram’s younger brother Emmett to get closer to him, only to find herself falling for the wrong prince. She is thrown from the frying pan into the fire when she discovers a coup in the palace—and that she is at the heart of it. Smith crafts an alternate history that is at turns magical and violent, where a magic wish nearly always ruins its receiver. The five competitors are offered brief point-of-view scenes, highlighting the nuances in their characters and fleshing out ever-rising stakes. Main protagonists are white, with diversity in race and sexual orientation among the secondary cast.