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YA
Beautiful small-town girl Vika and brooding orphan Nikolai compete in a contest of magical showmanship to become the tsar's Imperial Enchanter. The big catch: the loser must die. Romance and betrayal between Vika and Nikolai and tsar's son Pasha heighten the stakes in this historical fantasy with a beguiling, theatrical alternate–Imperial Russia setting. Readers will be eager for the hinted-at sequel.