The shortlist for the 2024 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction has been announced! We’re excited to share that three of our DMLA authors have been listed for their following works!
Shelf Awareness: Heiress Takes All is an exciting heist novel filled with “ruthlessness, danger, and indulgence” that has sky-high stakes and captivating family dynamics.
Olivia, whose multimillionaire father cheated on her mom and cut them both off financially, plans a heist to steal from her dad “the way the past few years have [been] stolen from her.” The green-eyed, no-longer-spray-tanned 17-year-old “ex-heiress” meticulously assembles a ragtag crew and crafts “The Plan”: attend her father’s “highest-of-high-society” third wedding, steal the passcode to his offshore accounts, and unload millions into her and her associates’ bank accounts. What Olivia doesn’t plan for is a cheating ex-boyfriend trying to prove he’s trustworthy, a “lapdog-like” guest who wants to be “part of stuff,” and a cunning second wife out for revenge. As Olivia’s house-of-cards plan teeters on the edge of collapse, she must be resourceful to overcome the obstacles and enact her retribution.
This rousing high-stakes revenge plot from Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (If I’m Being Honest) goes beyond the typical heist story to incorporate complex parent-child relationships and discussions of wealth and poverty. Included in this novel are unexpected twists, betrayals, and distractions, but what gives depth to the story is Olivia wrestling with her “daughterly loyalty” to her father. The authors deftly show Olivia’s conflicting feelings about her privilege and how her relationship with her father has affected her relationship with others and herself. This rousing vengeful story about seeking justice will delight and entice.
Congratulations to C.L. Polk whose work, EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END, made #77 on the USA Today Bestseller list!
School Library Journal: Hubbard’s debut is a clever, funny, coming-of-age romance where teens who are being silenced for who they are learn to fight for what they believe in, and in the process revolutionize a whole freedom movement. Ezra and his best friends Finley and Lucas are out for revenge against their ex-boyfriends for the way they were humiliated during their relationships. Their plans for revenge are full of the antics reminiscent of 1990s teen comedies. But these antics are set in today’s Alabama where a school district is enforcing their campaign of “Watch What You Say” to silence LGBTQIA+ students and maintain the old “family traditions.” As each boy enacts his revenge, they learn more about themselves and the idea of forgiveness, but they get the notice of the school board who want them silenced. When Ezra decides to run for Winter Formal King against his ex-boyfriend things begin to get serious as some adults take to harassing him to stop. Witty dialogue abounds; Hubbard’s ability to add humor amidst serious moments is truly a wonderful gift. The friendship between the boys is written so well, readers will want to hang out with them. And Ezra’s dad couldn’t be a more perfect single dad. VERDICT This book is already getting social media buzz, so students are going to gravitate to it. The messages within this lovely, powerful novel will give courage to teens to believe in themselves no matter what path in life they follow.–Maria Ramusevic
Shelf Awareness: Eden Robins (When Franny Stands Up) has written a smashingly good second novel, an utterly imaginative, genre-defying masterpiece: Remember You Will Die. Her blunt title is an accurate barometer that the end is nigh. In fact, the dead populate most of these pages. Their stories are revealed predominantly through obituaries that range from deeply soulful to delightfully guffaw-inducing. In between are occasional newspaper articles, lists, notes, word etymologies, and other ephemera that highlight death. Loosely, cleverly bound together, the narrative that emerges spotlights a singular mother/daughter relationship that will require 300 years of background to understand… (full review)
Publishers Weekly: This swashbuckling, planet-hopping riff on The Count of Monte Cristo from Palumbo (Skin Thief) follows Virika Sameroo, who, having emigrated as a child from the Exterran Antilles to Invicta, the capital planet of the Æerbot Empire, is determined to break through the poverty and prejudice that centuries of colonization have inflicted on her people. She becomes the first Exterran Antillean commissioned to an Æerbot spaceship, the Oestra—but as a woman and an Exterran, Virika is not trusted by her crew, and one officer in particular, Lieutenant Lyric, despises her for refusing his sexual advances. When Oestra’s captain falls ill and puts Virika in command, she brings the ship home to visit her mother and her lover. Their reunion is cut short when the captain dies—and Virika is arrested for his murder. Wrongfully sentenced to life in prison, she plots revenge against the empire. After escaping, briefly joining a band of pirates, and taking on the sobriquet the Countess, she leads the Antilleans into a rebellion against Invicta. Palumbo’s post-colonial space opera take on Dumas’s novel moves at a whiplash-inducing pace. Evocative descriptions, especially of food, add texture, though a late twist disappoints. It’s not perfect, but fans of speculative revamps of classics will find plenty to enjoy.
Audio rights to Robert McCammon’s LEVIATHAN to Louise Quayle at Audible, by Katie Shea Boutillier, for Cameron McClure.
Abridged/dramatic audio rights to New York Times bestseller Jim Butcher’s STORM FRONT and three additional titles in the Dresden Files series, to Anji Cornette at Graphic Audio by Jennifer Jackson and Michael Curry.
German rights to Ronald Malfi’s SMALL TOWN HORROR, for a limited special edition, to Buchheim Verlag, by Sarah Knofius at Thomas Schlueck Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.
Polish rights to LJ Andrews’s THE EVER KING and THE EVER QUEEN, to Artbooks, in a two-book deal, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.
Ukrainian rights to Robert Jackson Bennett’s THE DIVINE CITIES SERIES, to Apriori, in a three-book deal, by Nada Popovic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.
Ukrainian rights to Nommo Award finalist Kerstin Hall’s ASUNDER, to Zhorzh, by Milena Kaplarević at Prava i Prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.
Many congratulations to DMLA authors, Martha Wells and Vajra Chandrasekera, on their 2024 Locus Awards!
SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL
FANTASY NOVEL
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Join us in congratulating DMLA authors, Tananarive Due and Cassandra Khaw, for being nominated for the 2023 Shirley Jackson Award!
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