Marie Rutkoski is a master storyteller whose novels delve into complex ethical dilemmas and moral gray areas. She is known for her ability to craft compelling narratives that explore the intricacies of human nature and societal pressures. Rutkoski's writing is characterized by its rich world-building and psychologically complex characters. Readers are drawn to the depth and emotional resonance of her work.
Exploring themes of desire, friendship, and redemption, this sweeping love story delves into the complexities of relationships and the impact of past mistakes. It captures the essence of second chances, offering a heartfelt narrative that resonates with readers who appreciate emotional depth and character-driven plots. Fans of similar works will find a compelling journey through love's challenges and the hope for renewal.
"It's 1999, and Samantha has danced for years at the Lovely Lady strip club. She's not used to taking anyone under her wing - after all, between her disapproving boyfriend and his daughter, who may as well be her own child, she has enough to worry about. But when Samantha overrides her better judgment to drive a new dancer home, they are run off the road. The police arrive at the scene of the accident - but find only one body. Georgia, another dancer, is drawn into the investigation as she tries to assist Holly, a Harvard-educated detective with a complicated story of her own. As the point of view shifts from dancers and detectives to club patrons and children, the women round up a list of suspects, all the while grappling with their understandings of loss and love. Drawing on her personal experiences as well as interviews with police, Rutkoski immerses us in a subculture that is all too often reduced to cliché. Gripping, deeply feminist, and character-driven, Real Easy spellbinds us and gets to the heart of this timeless question: How do women live out their lives knowing that men can hurt them?"--Publisher.
Intrigue, romance, and magic abound in the heart-stopping conclusion to Marie Rutkoski's Forgotten Gods duology.
'Utterly immersive' Roshani Chokshi, bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves Set in the world of the Winner's Trilogy, The Midnight Lie is an epic LGBTQ+ fantasy about learning to free ourselves from the lies others tell us - and the lies we tell ourselves. Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society's pleasures are reserved for the High Kith. Life in the Ward is grim and punishing. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colours. You either follow the rules, or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences. Nirrim keeps her head down, and a dangerous secret close to her chest. But then she encounters is, a rakish traveller from far away, who whispers rumours that the High Kith possess magic. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic for herself. But to do that, Nirrim must surrender her old life. She must place her trust in this sly stranger who asks, above all, not to be trusted.
THE FINAL BOOK IN THE HEART-STOPPING WINNER'S TRILOGY: an irresistible story of forbidden romance and class warfare'Every line in The Winner's Curse is beautifully written. The story is masterfully plotted. The characters' dilemmas fascinated me and tore at my heart... I loved it. I want more' Kristin Cashore, author of the Graceling Realm booksWar has begun.Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn't forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people--and certainly more than she did for him.At least, that's what he thinks. In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they've done to her. But no one gets what they want just by wishing.As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?
Lady Kestrel's engagement to Valoria's crown prince calls for great celebration: balls and performances, fireworks and revelry. But to Kestrel it means a cage of her own making. Embedded in the imperial court as a spy, she lives and breathes deceit and cannot confide in the one person she really longs to trust ... While Arin fights to keep his country's freedom from the hands of his enemy, he suspects that Kestrel knows more than she shows. As Kestrel comes closer to uncovering a shocking secret, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. Lies will come undone, and Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them in this second book in the breathtaking Winner's trilogy.
Winning what you want may cost you everything you love. The first book in the breathtaking Winner's Trilogy is an irresistible story of forbidden romance and class warfare.
Amidst a backdrop of adventure, Petra Kronos finds herself in London after an attack by Prince Rodolfo's monsters. As she navigates her escape, her friends Neel and Tomik embark on a perilous journey across the seas to rescue her. The story weaves together themes of friendship, danger, and mystery, featuring man-made monsters and a gripping murder investigation. The trio's quest also centers around the coveted Celestial Globe, pursued relentlessly by the power-hungry prince of Bohemia.
Darcy Jones, abandoned as a child, discovers she hails from an alternate world plagued by deadly creatures called Shades. As she navigates confusing feelings for a new boy, Conn, betrayal leads her to infiltrate the Shadow Society to uncover a terrorist plot, changing her life forever. A gripping tale by Marie Rutkoski.
Upon arriving in the Romany homeland to deliver the Mercator Globes, Petra Kronos, Tomik, and Neel formulate a plan to save Petra's father, who has been transformed into a Gray Man. But when a long-held secret is revealed, Neel finds himself bound to his country. The friends are quickly swept up in an epic battle for power. Thrones are at stake. Spies are afoot. Murder is common. Worst of all, Prince Rodolfo is close to becoming emperor, and ruling half of Europe. How much is Petra willing to sacrifice to defend the people she loves? In Marie Rutkoski's The Jewel of the Kalderash, her search for answers will take her to castles and cities, through mountains, and even underwater as she tests her strength and gambles her life.