by: Rebecca Rook
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Release Date: March 26, 2024
Publisher: Hellebore House
A Strange Affinity is a hypnotizing cross between the television show Deadwood and Tamora Pierce’s renowned Tortall Universe. This young adult fantasy novel, set in an alternate nineteenth century American Wild West, will appeal to fans of Vengeance Road and Retribution Rails by Erin Bowman, Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto, and Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey.
In the Wild West, magic is real.
When two strangers arrive in her small town, Gloriana Rue learns that she has the magical ability, or Affinity, to manipulate metal. She also learns that her mother was a renowned magical scholar but had abandoned the world of Affinities. Glory is desperate to know why her mother hid her past, and so agrees to attend an academy for magicians in the hopes of finding answers.
Glory is soon immersed in magic and mystery when she stumbles upon a disturbing discovery: A killer is hunting magicians throughout the American West – and he’s getting closer. Only by seeking out her mother’s secrets can she stop him and save her newfound family.
The sun shone down, bright and unrelenting. The dry air from the high altitude and the early summer meant that dust and wildflowers danced along the trail edges. Glory resettled her hat further on her head, grateful for the shelter of the wide brim. The further from Denver they rode, the more the land changed. Red, yellow, and brown swirled together in layers upon layers of sand, dust, and rock. Sparse bushes and wiry trees huddled together in the poor soil, and grasses sprouted wherever they could find purchase. The trail was quiet. Glory hadn’t seen anyone else from their party since just outside Denver.
“Hold up.”
At Gareth’s call, Glory halted her horse. She saw the others do the same.
Seth consulted a map and muttered under his breath. “I think it’s this way.” He pointed to the west, and slightly south.
“You think?” Gareth asked, his voice testy. “Or you know?”
Seth glared back. “I think. That’s all I can know.”
“Hmph.” Gareth grumbled, surprising Glory. She had never seen him… irritated. Was it nerves? Or something else?
“I know, alright?” Seth seemed to acknowledge an unspoken criticism. “We need to find it and turn back soon. I get it.”
Glory cast a sideways glance at Eden, seeking answers.
“We need to hurry.” Eden spoke in a low voice, leaning across her saddle. “We’re far enough from Denver to attract trouble, and if we do, well, any help we seek will be delayed. Or nonexistent.” Eden looked at the Brothers, then back to Glory. “I think they’re worried about us. Frankly, I’m surprised they let us travel with them at all.”
Fear trickled down her spine, and Glory swallowed hard. She had been so intent on learning more about her mother that she hadn’t considered the potential danger to herself — or the danger her presence might bring to others. Guilt gnawed on her insides, and her shoulders hunched down a bit. She was starting to question her decision to come.
“Hold up.”
At Gareth’s call, Glory halted her horse. She saw the others do the same.
Seth consulted a map and muttered under his breath. “I think it’s this way.” He pointed to the west, and slightly south.
“You think?” Gareth asked, his voice testy. “Or you know?”
Seth glared back. “I think. That’s all I can know.”
“Hmph.” Gareth grumbled, surprising Glory. She had never seen him… irritated. Was it nerves? Or something else?
“I know, alright?” Seth seemed to acknowledge an unspoken criticism. “We need to find it and turn back soon. I get it.”
Glory cast a sideways glance at Eden, seeking answers.
“We need to hurry.” Eden spoke in a low voice, leaning across her saddle. “We’re far enough from Denver to attract trouble, and if we do, well, any help we seek will be delayed. Or nonexistent.” Eden looked at the Brothers, then back to Glory. “I think they’re worried about us. Frankly, I’m surprised they let us travel with them at all.”
Fear trickled down her spine, and Glory swallowed hard. She had been so intent on learning more about her mother that she hadn’t considered the potential danger to herself — or the danger her presence might bring to others. Guilt gnawed on her insides, and her shoulders hunched down a bit. She was starting to question her decision to come.
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A 2021-2022 Hugo House Fellow in Seattle, WA, she also attended the 2021 Tin House YA Fiction Workshop in Portland, OR. Rebecca was selected as one of the 100 invited writers to participate in the Write Team Mentorship Program’s curated Pitch-a-Thon event before being chosen as a Mentee for the 2021 Program. Prior to this, she completed the wonderful Yearlong Workshop for Young Adult and Middle Grade Fiction at Hugo House.
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