The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta
For Teodora DiSangro, a mafia don’s daughter, family is fate.
All her life, Teodora has hidden the fact that she secretly turns her family’s enemies into music boxes, mirrors, and other decorative objects. After all, everyone in Vinalia knows that stregas—wielders of magic—are figures out of fairytales. Nobody believes they’re real.
Then the Capo, the land’s new ruler, sends poisoned letters to the heads of the Five Families that have long controlled Vinalia. Four lie dead and Teo’s beloved father is gravely ill. To save him, Teo must travel to the capital as a DiSangro son—not merely disguised as a boy, but transformed into one.
Enter Cielo, a strega who can switch back and forth between male and female as effortlessly as turning a page in a book. Teo and Cielo journey together to the capital, and Teo struggles to master her powers and to keep her growing feelings for Cielo locked in her heart. As she falls in love with witty, irascible Cielo, Teo realizes how much of life she’s missed by hiding her true nature. But she can’t forget her mission, and the closer they get to the palace, the more sinister secrets they uncover about what’s really going on in their beloved country—and the more determined Teo becomes to save her family at any cost.
Representation Includes
- Genderqueer protagonist
- Genderfluid love interest
- See this interview with the author where she discusses it being ownvoices
Content Warnings
Abuse, torture, forced marriage, murder/death, assassination, slavery, sexism, anti-queer remarks, child abandonment, organized crime, gore, domestic abuse, implied animal abuse and death, loss of a loved one, suicide, nudityReviews
- Avery’s review
- The Bookish Actress’s review
- Jessie’s review
- Chaima’s review
- Liz Bourke’s review
- Lambda Literary’s review
Where to Find
Details
- Published October 30th 2018 by Viking
- Hardcover isbn13: 9780451478443
- Paperback isbn13: 9780451478467