Vessel
a young adult novel
by Sarah Beth Durst
available now from Simon & Schuster / Margaret K. McElderry Books
Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana's body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana's goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.
Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god's help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god's tale.
The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate -- or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.
Read the first two chapters
 "Durst offers a meditation on leadership and power and a vivid story set outside the typical Western European fantasy milieu. From the gripping first line, a fast-paced, thought-provoking and stirring story of sacrifice."
-- Kirkus (Starred Review)
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"Readers will feel the desert heat, the earth-numbing droughts, the vicious sandstorms and resulting sandwolves, and the bizarre sensations of a goddess living within the body of its human vessel. Brilliantly riveting."
-- Booklist (Starred Review)
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"Vessel is a fast-paced, thrilling adventure set in a hostile world filled with complex clan feuds and strong traditions.... The highly descriptive writing forms intense visuals for the reader so that characters, animals, and locations feel rich and realistic."
-- VOYA (Starred Review)
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"Unique and breathtaking -- Sarah Beth Durst outdoes herself, again!" -- Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author of the Beka Cooper series
Read additional reviews.
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Download hi-res cover art by Jaime Ibarra.
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