Sand and Ruin and Gold

by Alexis Hall

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org

*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Pub Date Sep 22 2014 | Archive Date Dec 02 2014

Description

Once upon a time . . . that’s how the old stories always begin.

Once upon a time there was a king of a fallen kingdom. He was just and he was beloved. Or so the numbers said. One day, he gathered together the greatest, wisest minds in all the land—not sorcerers, but scientists—and he bade them fashion him a son. A prince. A perfect prince to embody his father’s legacy.

The scientists each brought the prince a gift: beauty, strength, ambition, intellect, pride. But they must have forgotten something because when he saw the mermaids dance at the Cirque de la Mer, he ran away to join them.

For a year, he trained them, performed with them, thought he was happy. For a year he thought he was free. But then Nerites came: A merman who refused to be tamed. A captive from another kingdom. A beast in a glass cage.

The old stories always end with happy ever after. But this isn’t one of the old stories. This is a story of princes and monsters.

Once upon a time . . . that’s how the old stories always begin.

Once upon a time there was a king of a fallen kingdom. He was just and he was beloved. Or so the numbers said. One day, he gathered...

Advance Praise

5 Stars from Smart Girls Love Sci-Fi (by Misa)

"...beautiful but heartbreaking. It captures and disturbs you in equal measure. It’s dark and light and absolutely exquisite. It stays with you long after you finish reading. And you should read it."

5 Stars from Audra North (Author)

"[T]his story is gorgeous as well as wild and fascinating.... Hall's prose is beautiful and the love story will gut you...in a good way."

5 Stars from Butterfly-O-Meter Books

"[T]terrifying and breathtaking... For sure one of the best reads of this year...I loved and revered it, and will re-read it and cry over it many, many more times, of this I’m sure. Just… read it."

5 Stars from Smart Girls Love Sci-Fi (by Misa)

"...beautiful but heartbreaking. It captures and disturbs you in equal measure. It’s dark and light and absolutely exquisite. It stays with you long...