In a garden burning gold

Bestselling YA author Power makes her adult debut (after Burn Our Bodies Down) with this sprawling, tragic fantasy about the intergenerational legacy of familial abuse told through the eyes of twin siblings Rhea and Alexandros "Lexos" Argyros. Their father, Vasilis, seized power in a bloody coup to become the Stratagiozi--or absolute dictator--of Thyzakos. He rules his family with the same despotic ferocity with which he rules his country, and Rhea and Lexos dutifully but reluctantly serve him. Rhea's magic brings about the change of the seasons, but to do so she must murder a consort each year. News of an uprising leads Lexos to urge Rhea to choose its figurehead, Michali Laskaris, as her consort, believing Michali's death will quash the rebellion. Meanwhile, Lexos travels to drum up support for his father amongst other Stratagiozi. The twins' separate quests lead both to question their loyalties as the threats to their family increase. Power creates a distinctive magic system and has a steady hand with the complex geopolitical intrigue, building a fascinating, lived-in world, but the almost Shakespearean tragedy of the blood-soaked plot paints the characters as frustratingly passive. Still, there's plenty to appreciate here. Agent: Kim Witherspoon, InkWell Management. (Apr.)

The kingdom of Thyzakos has been under the rule of the near immortal Argyros family for a long time, not only controlling the people but the stars, the tides, and the seasons. Eldest twins Rhea and Lexos take their positions seriously, while protecting their younger siblings and themselves as their father--an absolute dictator called the Stratagiozi--grows increasingly temperamental. As other nations across the continent begin to circle, and a growing number of people clamor for independence, both Rhea and Lexos know they must make their own decisions to protect their family and the world they know. As both discover truths about their father, their allies, and their own desires for love and power, the choices the twins make may secure their futures, but destroy the bond they have held for the last century. Alternating points of view between Rhea and Lexos highlight the emotional arcs of children wanting to both secure their parent's love and remove themselves from his control. Immersive prose, Greek-inspired worldbuilding, and political machinations balance against sometimes flat secondary characters and slow pacing. VERDICT Power (Wilder Girls) constructs a world of magical families with layered secrets.--Kristi Chadwick