An Unkindness of Ravens

"An Unkindness of Ravens is a scintillating gem that stands out in a very crowded genre. Battista has created a one-of-a-kind world, beautifully reminiscent of Italy, with more than a sprinkling of mysterious magic and a vicious culture. Denevah is a wonderful heroine who invokes the sense of aloneness that every teen feels, but with headstrong smarts that drive the narrative. A brilliant retelling that provokes a sense of dread in those who know the more obscure tale, and delicious discovery in those who don't."
--Aprilynne Pike, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of the Wings series

A girl whose breath is poison, whose touch can kill…
In the half-drowned city of Aerie, grudges between the Great Houses run deeper than the canals that serve as streets. For Denevah, a member of House Aves, the world of House politics is foreign to her. She’s been raised in solitude, her only company the magnificent garden her father created especially for her. But now, with the Match Ball—the grand dance where marriages are brokered and House alliances are cemented—at hand, Denevah finds herself initiated into the avenues of power as her future is determined behind closed doors.
But the tides of unrest are rising in the city. A vagrant street preacher is fomenting rebellion against the Doge, calling on the ancient powers of the Diluvians—water dragons once worshipped as gods and now bound to the very fabric of Aerie—to rise up and smite the wicked. Earthquakes rock the city and send the populace into a panic. In the midst of the chaos, Denevah prepares for her wedding to Cyngare—a young man from House Dauricus—and she discovers that her father holds secrets of his own: about the Diluvians, Cyngare’s mother, and her own frightening power.
Denevah will discover that hatred runs deeper than love, that beauty can destroy, and that the faintest touch can demolish even the brightest future.