21 upcoming YA book releases we can’t wait to read in 2021
By Lacy Baugher
Red Tigress – Amelie Wen Zhao
The highly anticipated sequel to Amelie Wen Zhao’s controversial debut Blood Heir is finally headed our way this spring and promises higher stakes, bigger twists, and more danger than ever before.
Entitled Red Tigress, the novel continues the story of Ana Mikhailov, the Crown Princess of the Cyrillian Empire and a Blood Affinite whose magical abilities allow her to control human blood. Falsely accused of murdering her father the king, Ana has been on the run from a murderous empress and searching for a way to reclaim her throne.
In the sequel, Ana will be faced with more difficult tasks, as well as a key question: Is her return to her throne really what’s best for her kingdom?
“I wanted to take the princess-regaining-the-throne trope from Blood Heir and flip it on its head, really examining: is taking back the throne truly the right thing for the Cyrilian Empire?” author Wen Zhao said in an interview with Tor.com. “Ana is confronted with this question from the very first page, so it was really interesting to throw her entire worldview into turmoil and explore what path she chooses to take in the fight for justice.”
The official synopsis offers more details about the sequel.
"Ana Mikhailov is the only surviving member of the royal family of Cyrilia. She has no army, no title, and no allies, and now she must find a way to take back the throne or risk the brutal retribution of the empress. Morganya is determined to establish a new world order on the spilled blood of non-Affinites. Ana is certain that Morganya won’t stop until she kills them all. Ana’s only chance at navigating the dangerous world of her homeland means partnering with Ramson Quicktongue again. But the cunning crime lord has schemes of his own. For Ana to find an army, they must cross the Whitewaves to the impenetrable stone forts of Bregon. Only, no one can be certain what they will find there. A dark power has risen. Will revolution bring peace–or will it only paint the streets in more blood."
Red Tigress is available on March 2.