“Revenge is coming for his throne, and he will be crowned in shadows.”

 

Eighteen-year-old Meenakshi lives a double life—by day, she’s the princess of Kushan, hardened from her mother’s death, and by night, she’s secretly the vengeful Tigress, famed leader of a rebellion poised to dethrone her foolish, domineering father. But when the sultan hosts suitors to win her hand, and ethereal hooded figures try to kidnap her and sabotage her schemes, Meena must unearth her true enemy and seize the throne soon, or all the power and liberation she wants, she needs, is lost.

 

Naveen is an infamous thief providing for his sister—he’s the Black Swan, the clever menace to the sultan’s draining coffers. When a dark creature kidnaps his sister and leaves behind a legendary lamp home to a magical servant in his clutches, Naveen finds himself at the crux of paths. Armed with three wishes, he sets off as a prince to win the princess’s hand, hoping that as the future sultan, he will have the power to find his sister and make Kushan a better place for others like him.

 

At the palace, Meena and Naveen collide, unknowing of the other’s true identity. Both threatened by the same strange enemy, they join hands with unlikely allies, growing closer as they investigate. But soon, they realize they are all entangled in a conflict of spirits and magic—and a millennia-old war is looming on the horizon once more. Together, they must stop an primordial creature lurking in the shadows who has reawakened for revenge—or chaos will reign the world.

At 106K words, Aladdin meets Avatar: The Last Airbender in CROWNED IN SHADOWS, a YA Fantasy planned as part of a series. It draws inspiration from the lush culture and history of Asia, and has LGBTQ+ representation. Fans of Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes and S.A. Chakraborty’s Daevabad Trilogy would enjoy this novel.​​