THE WITCH KING

A fugitive witch from an oppressive fae kingdom plots to free himself from his past when his unwanted fiance, heir to the throne, forces him to return home under the threat of a life-or-death blood contract.

The fae of Asalin abuse and abandon witches, children born with no wings or horns and fewer limitations on their magic, like 17-year-old White transgender boy Wyatt Croft. Before he escaped the flames of his traumatic past and found a new life for himself in the human world, Wyatt’s family only valued him for his potential to produce heirs with the prince, who is bound to him by an inherent magical connection and a contract of marriage. When Prince Emyr, a Black fae with healing powers, demands Wyatt return so they can ascend the throne and stop an insurgency, all Wyatt wants at first is to escape again, but he’s swept up in unresolved feelings and a revolution. This romantically charged, anti-fascist fantasy presents a diverse cast of queer characters, including Wyatt’s best friend, who is bi, asexual, Seminole, and Diné. Fat characters are presented with no less power and beauty than those with chiseled muscles. Although Wyatt’s relationship with Emyr is fraught with tension, consent remains a central theme, resisting the romanticization of co-dependence and Stockholm syndrome. The page-turning resolution promises an irresistible duology closer to come.

A fire starter.