VIOLET MADE OF THORNS
☆ New York Times & Indie Bestseller
☆ Barnes & Noble Book Club pick
Violet is a prophet and a liar, influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased—and not always true—divinations. Honesty is for suckers, like the oh-so-not charming Prince Cyrus, who plans to strip Violet of her official role once he's crowned at the end of the summer—unless Violet does something about it.
But when the king asks her to falsely prophesy Cyrus's love story for an upcoming ball, Violet awakens a dreaded curse, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom—all depending on the prince’s choice of future bride . . .
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“Beautifully vicious. . . . Perfect for the fairytale reader who has always wanted the heroine to grow sharp teeth and bite Prince Charming.”
— Chloe Gong, #1 NYT bestselling author of These Violent Delights
“An enchanting dark fantasy that turns tropes upside down while making us fall in love with the titular Violet, whose droll opinions and cunning self-protectiveness offer us a beautifully layered and endlessly fascinating narrator.”
— Sabaa Tahir, #1 NYT bestselling author of the Ember in the Ashes series
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Short Stories
“Like Mother” - The House Where Death Lives (2024)
3950 words / Horror, Contemporary, Young Adult
Evelin wasn’t a perfect daughter by nature. Aunties misunderstood her when they stroked her hair and praised her for being guai.
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☆ Junior Library Guild selection
“Themes of love, loss, and transition are woven throughout simmering romances and expansive adventures, which come together to build a collection of Haunting of Hill House–inspired tales that is cohesive, reflective, and satisfying.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“Fools” - Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing YA (2019)
4600 words / Fantasy, Young Adult
Also available to read online at Foreshadow YA.
Ahma says my parents were a pair of fools. Runaways, who bartered the promise of my mother's womb to a witch to escape a kingdom that would sooner see them dead than in love.
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☆ School Library Journal starred review
“With 'Fools,' Gina Chen has written a lush, compelling fantasy that transports the reader to a very unusual island. The main character Fanny is instantly lovable (despite her apparent lack of a heart) and the moment I hit the last page of this jewel of a story, I was desperate for more.”
— Sabaa Tahir, #1 NYT bestselling author of the Ember in the Ashes series
“Standout stories are rich with fresh perspective and nuance: . . . charming, clear-eyed "Fools" introduces an unconventional demon to an island full of fairy tales' leftover girls.”
— Publishers Weekly
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