Bring Me Their Hearts

Gr 9 Up—Zera has no heart…because it's being kept in a jar by the witch Nightsinger. The witch makes a deal with her: if Zera will bring her the heart of the crown prince, Nightsinger will give Zera back her own, ending her servitude. Zera must infiltrate the court as a "Spring Bride," one of the young women vying for the prince's hand in marriage in an outdated custom. Under the tutelage of a fascinating older woman named Y'Shennria, Zera must learn how to be a proper noble while also tamping down the raging hunger that consumes her as a Heartless. Prince Lucien holds some secrets of his own and most of the supporting characters are equally winsome. Zera possesses a biting wit and her internal battle between her Heartless nature and her desire to remember her former human life is intriguing, even if she does spend a lot of time dwelling on the terrible event that took away her parents. Wolf's world-building is solid and the political conflicts track easily. Some of the dialogue has a modern parlance to it, but nothing that shatters the illusion of the setting. Fans of Victoria Aveyard's "Red Queen" series and Cora Carmack's Roar will find this to be very appealing. It is a worthy YA fantasy that will leave readers hungry for the sequel.