The Righteous

Arjun knew something was amiss the instant before his hand came to rest on the door handle of his flat.

The metal was warm.

Which meant ­someone ­or ­something ­had wandered too close to it. Once, not long ago, he d found the shriveled carcass of a fly on the floor beside the threshold, its wings burnt to a crisp, the metal still pulsing from the spell warded within it.

If an intruder tried the handle, they would soon bear a burn mark on their palm and a muddled mind, meant to distort their memories. Meant to confound any manner of creature that tried to gain entry to the flat without an invitation.

Mrs. Buncombe, the elderly widow who resided in the flat below them, had sported such a mark just before the turn of the year. Thankfully she believed it to be the result of touching a hot frying pan unawares, for this particular woman was known to be the neighborhood gossip. Not to mention the fact that she suspected both Arjun and Jae of deeds befitting their foreign origins. Befitting their strange statues and stinking spices and unmistakable otherness.

Mrs. Buncombe s trust in those who did not kneel before the Christian God was as nonexistent as her so ­called Christian morals. Strange, that. From what Arjun knew of Jesus Christ, he had been the kind of man to hold out his hand to those in need of refuge. To offer the least among them the most of his love.

Alas, the God of Jesus Christ was not the God Mrs. Buncombe worshipped in truth. To her, the best foreigners were the ones sent back to their shores, regardless of whatever fate awaited them there. If they or their children died of hunger, warfare, sickness, or injustice, it was indeed a shame, but none of her affair.

It still gave Arjun perverse joy to hear her complain about the fragrant herbs he grew along his balcony. The ones that brought him back to his childhood, though Bombay existed half a world away. But he d had his own revenge. The

Renée Ahdieh

Praise for The Righteous:

Darkly delicious. Buzzfeed

Ahdieh s writing is lush. . . . The romance is delightful, as is the sex positivity, intersectional feminism, and discussions of colonialism. . . The vicious fey court makes this an easy recommendation to fans of Holly Black s The Cruel Prince. School Library Journal

Pippa and Arjun s compatibility allows for a quickly building romance. . . [and] the worldbuilding further expands with deceptions and dangerous fey schemes coming to fruition just in time for the sequel. Racism, colorism, and colonialism are confronted. Kirkus Reviews

The best part of the book remains Adhieh s writing. Its lyrical quality brings the world to life once again . . . [and] gave Ahdieh s story a fairy-tale feel. Bookstacked

[A] romantic and adventurous story of vampires, fey, and magical worlds. PopSugar

Praise for The Damned:
A Seventeen.com's Most Anticipated Pick for Summer 2020

"Forbidden romance and harsh consequences set up this highly anticipated sequel that will leave you wanting so much more." Seventeen.com

"Expansive worldbuilding...romantic...steamy...Decadent escapism.   Kirkus Reviews

Forbidden love, sultry romance, and clashing immortal factions fill this sequel . . . [and] will keep readers engaged...For fans of vampire love stories. School Library Journal

I loved this book. Beautiful, tortured Bastien The stellar worldbuilding/the lurking presence of the Otherworld and V A M P I R E S. A clear win. Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves
 
A worthy sequel that builds upon the world set up in book one and takes our characters to far darker places than before. Culturess

The Damned continues the thematic elegance and glamour found in The Beautiful and