SILVER Award for Teen Fiction at the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards
SILVER Award for YA Audiobook at the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards
SILVER Award for Best First Fiction JUV/YA at the IPPY Awards
BRONZE Award for YA Fiction - Historical/Cultural at the Moonbeam Children’s Awards
THE LADY OR THE LION
Perfect for fans of These Violent Delights and The Wrath and the Dawn, this scintillating debut retells “The Lady or the Tiger?” against a Pakistan-inspired world of forbidden love and court intrigues.
As crown princess of Marghazar, Durkhanai Miangul will do anything to protect her people and her land. When her grandfather, the Badshah, is blamed for a deadly assault on the summit of neighboring leaders, the tribes call for his head. To assuage cries for war, the Badshah opens Marghazar's gates to foreigners for the first time in centuries, in a sign of good faith. His family has three months to prove their innocence, or they will all have war.
As Durkhanai races to solve who really orchestrated the attack, ambassadors from the neighboring tribal districts arrive at court, each with their own intentions for negotiations, each with their own plans for advantage. When a mysterious illness spreads through the villages and the imperialists push hard on her borders, Durkhanai must dig deep to become more than just a beloved princess—she must become a queen.
To distract Durkhanai from it all is Asfandyar Afridi, the wry ambassador who tells her outright he is a spy, yet acts as though he is her friend—or maybe even something more.
REVIEWS
“An intricate deep dive into a forbidden love story and all the stages in-between. Aamna Qureshi writes of a world steeped in rich culture and tumultuous politics with an expert hand. The Lady or The Lion is a gorgeous read.” - Chloe Gong, NYT Bestselling Author of These Violent Delights
“Dramatic and engrossing: a tale of royal intrigue and romance.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The writing in this book is immaculate. This book’s prose is lyricism at its finest.” —GoodReads Review
“VERDICT: A clever twist on a classic tale, this is one to purchase for library shelves as readers will be eager to know what happens next.” —SLJ Review
“Qureshi sets up a world in which readers can easily lose themselves . . . this is a notable debut with an original point of view and a riveting plot.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Unreservedly recommended for middle school, high school, and community library YA Fiction collections . . .” —Midwest Book Review
“My mind is still spinning from that ending. This was a beautiful and vibrant story, full of color and love, and then tinged with betrayal and heartache. Trust me when I say this is not a book you want to miss out on.”—GoodReads Review