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Saturday, February 11, 2017

Pre Pub Book Buzz: Among the Lesser Gods by Margo Catts

I have a confession about today's pre pub title - I've already read it (twice!). It was one of the very first manuscripts I read at the agency and it blew me away!

I know what you're thinking - that I'm biased because she's repped by the agency I work for. Nope. Not one bit. It's just a freaking good book. And you don't have to take my word for it - it's already earned great blurbs and five star reviews. It was also featured at this year's Winter Institute, so I expect booksellers will be chiming in with advance praise as well. So see, it's not just me :)

Here's a bit about the book from Goodreads to whet your appetite:

Elena Alvarez is living a cursed life. From the deadly fire she accidentally set as a child, to her mother’s abandonment, and now to an unwanted pregnancy, she knows better than most that small actions can have terrible consequences. Driven to the high mountains surrounding Leadville, Colorado by her latest bad decision, she’s intent on putting off the future. Perhaps there she can just hide in her grandmother’s isolated cabin and wait for something—anything—to make her next choice for her.

Instead, she is confronted by reflections of her own troubles wherever she turns—the recent widower and his two children adrift in a changed world, Elena’s own mysterious family history, and the interwoven lives within the town itself. Bit by bit, Elena begins to question her understanding of cause and effect, reexamining the tragedies she’s held on to and the wounds she’s refused to let heal.

But when the children go missing, Elena’s fragile new peace is shattered. It’s only at the prospect of fresh loss and blame that she will discover the truth of the terrible burdens we take upon ourselves, the way tragedy and redemption are inevitably intertwined—and how curses can sometimes lead to blessings, however disguised.

This is the kind of book that really gets to you. The characters are wonderfully rendered, as is the setting. Which makes sense because Margo Catts is local to Colorado. It's also a super emotional read, so have your tissues ready!

Among the Lesser Gods hits shelves in May from the Arcade imprint of Skyhorse.

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