Today is the day Jo Monarch has been wishing on the moon about her entire life. It's the day of the Lineup, when she could be selected to leave her life in the Ashes behind. The day she could move across the mountains to a glittering, rich future.
Once Jo is plucked from the Lineup, the real test begins. She still needs to impress the New Georgia Reps at tonight's Gala, and her path forward leads straight to Cove Wells. The damaged stepson of one of the Reps, Cove has been groomed as an emotional weapon, taught that love is a tool -- and he's set on breaking Jo's heart next.
When a riot breaks out back in the Ashes the night of the Gala, Jo's dreams might all go up in smoke. Can she really have everything she's ever wished for… when it means leaving all her loved ones behind in the fire?
Harper Glenn's debut is as gripping as it is prescient, an unflinching meditation on whether love can save us from ourselves, and what it takes to be born anew.
"This gripping novel deftly weaves together love in the time of civil unrest, forcing Jo and Cove to make hard choices and face situations where there is no right answer. A darker Hunger Games for today's teens who know that trauma cannot be erased with a kiss, and generations of abuse -- both personal and cultural -- cannot be fixed with scrappy resolve." -- Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of Give the Dark My Love
"Harper Glenn tackles themes of class and poverty, policing and protest, with nuance and empathy. A chilling glimpse at our future, Monarch Rising asks what we owe to the places that raise us -- and insists that the answer must always be based in hope." -- Kass Morgan, New York Times bestselling author of The 100
"Monarch Rising is both a heartbreaking reminder of our past and a chest-thumping rallying cry for the future, set in an impeccably built world populated by characters you'll ache for and root for and never want to let go. Harper Glenn has created something special with their debut. A story that demands to be read, a story that demands we not look away, a story that is engrossing, intriguing, and utterly irrepressible." -- Shaun David Hutchinson, critically acclaimed author of We Are the Ants and Howl
"Haunting and evocative, Monarch Rising is a gripping new vision of the future and a heart-racing, at times heartbreaking, story of the complicated choices we make for who or what we love." -- Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of What's Not To Love
"Gritty and poetic, this nod to Great Expectations is a powerful reminder of the razor-sharp line between hero and villain and our capacity for both." -- Kelly Coon, author of the Gravemaidens duology
"Monarch Rising creates a world that destabilizes the reader with glimpses of the familiar amidst utterly unique characters and settings. This story defied my predictions and surprised me with twists and turns up to the very last page." -- Kim Van Alkemade, New York Times bestselling author of Orphan #8
“Glenn’s impressive character-building presents a highly motivated, dynamically layered cast, driven by their respective trauma and desire for change.” --Publishers Weekly
