Penguin Random House: #1 NYT Bestselling Author Alexandra Bracken to Launch Fantasy Duology with Random House Children’s Books
Random House Children’s Books is excited to welcome home former colleague and internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Bracken for the publication of SILVER IN THE BONE, the first in a stunning, high-stakes fantasy duology inspired by Arthurian legend and fueled by love, revenge, and pure adrenaline. Publishing on April 4, 2023, with a first printing of 250,000 copies, the novel will launch with an extensive 10-city U.S. book tour.
Since selling her first book, BRIGHTLY WOVEN, as a senior in college (2010) and being dubbed “a debut writer to watch” by Publishers Weekly, Bracken has gone on to establish herself as one of the top YA fantasy authors writing today. Her books have been translated into over 15 languages, and she has created an impressive oeuvre featuring multiple bestselling stories including the DARKEST MINDS series, the PASSENGER series, and the middle-gradE PROSPER REDDING series. Her most recent stand-alone, LORE, spent over 40 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was called “a brilliant and breathless twist on classic mythology” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer, cementing Bracken as an unstoppable force when it comes to adapting myths and legends into unique and creative tales.
In SILVER IN THE BONE, Bracken’s mastery of transforming folklore into modern bestselling sensations is taken to an entirely new level with a magical, treasure-hunting exploration of Arthurian legend and Celtic mythology. With feminist themes and expansive worldbuilding set against a contemporary backdrop, the novel is perfect for fans of adult-crossover YA, Bracken’s previous works, and fairy tale- and fable-tinged favorites like Circe by Madeline Miller, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.
The publication of SILVER IN THE BONE also marks a return for Bracken to Random House Children’s Books, where she began her career in publishing in November 2010 and remained until June 2016, when she became a full-time author.
Says Bracken: “This is a story I’ve been slowly dreaming onto the page over the last few years, collecting little crystals of ideas and obsessions: tarot, treasure hunting, and the folklore of the British Isles, particularly the legends surrounding King Arthur and Avalon. It was a true joy to recapture that feeling I had when I first read these stories as a child—that sense that there were otherlands of magic just beyond the edges of our own—and draw it all into a modern fantasy centered on the idea of what it means to be a hero in a world of darkness, and the lengths we’re willing to go to in order to save our loved ones. I can’t wait to get it into readers’ hands!”