Longlisted for the National Book Award
From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a fantasy
perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli. When a girl who's never longed for
adventure is hit with a curse that begins to transform her into a demon,
she embarks on a quest to reverse the curse and return to her normal
life, but along the way is forced to confront her true power within.
In the realm of Awara, where gods, monsters, and humans exist side by
side, Miuko is an ordinary girl resigned to a safe, if uneventful,
existence as an innkeeper's daughter.
But when Miuko is cursed and begins to transform into a demon with a
deadly touch, she embarks on a quest to reverse the curse and return to
her normal life. Aided by a thieving magpie spirit and continuously
thwarted by a demon prince, Miuko must outfox tricksters, escape demon
hunters, and negotiate with feral gods if she wants to make it home
again.
With her transformation comes power and freedom she never even dreamed
of, and she'll have to decide if saving her soul is worth trying to cram
herself back into an ordinary life that no longer fits her... and
perhaps never did.