The Kosa empire roils in tension, on the verge of being torn apart by a proletarian revolution between magic-endowed elites and the superstitious lower-class, but seventeen-year-old Toma lives blissfully disconnected from the conflict in the empire with her adoptive family of benevolent undead.
When she crosses paths with Vanya, a charming commoner with awe-inspiring powers, and the usurped Tsar Mikhail himself, the unlikely trio bonds over trying to restore Mikhail's magic and protect the empire from the revolutionary leader, Koschei, whose forces have stolen the castle. Vanya has his magic, and Mikhail has his title, but if Toma can't dig deep and find her power in time, all of their lives will be at Koschei's mercy.
Praise for The City Beautiful
"An achingly rendered exploration of queer desire, grief, and the inexorable scars of the past."
--Katy Rose Pool, author of There Will Come A Darkness
"Chillingly sinister, warmly familiar, and breathtakingly transportive, The City Beautiful is the haunting, queer Jewish historical thriller of my darkest dreams." --Dahlia Adler, creator of LGBTQreads and editor of That Way Madness Lies
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