Serpentine

Inspired by the rich history of Chinese mythology, this fantasy is set in the ancient Kingdom of Xia and tells the coming-of-age story of Skybright, a young girl who worries about her growing otherness. As she turns 16, Skybright notices troubling changes. By day, she's a companion and handmaid to the youngest daughter of a very wealthy family. But nighttime brings with it a darkness that not even daybreak can quell. When her plight can no longer be denied, Skybright learns that despite a dark destiny, she must struggle to retain her sense of self--even as she falls in love for the first time.

Cindy Pon is a writer and a longtime student of Chinese brush painting. She is the author of Fury and the Phoenix and Silver Phoenix, which was named one of Booklist's Top Ten Fantasy and Science Fiction Books for Youth, and one of 2009's best Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror by VOYA. She lives in Southern California.