Rick Riordan Presents: A Drop of Venom

Circe goes YA in this unapologetically feminist retelling of the Medusa myth steeped in Indian mythology, a YA epic fantasy addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. All monsters and heroes have beginnings. This is mine. Sixteen-year-old Manisha is no stranger to monsters-she´s been running from them for years, from beasts who roam the jungle to the King´s army, who forced her people, the naga, to scatter to the ends of the earth. You might think that the kingdom´s famed holy temples atop the floating mountains, where Manisha is now a priestess, would be safe-but you would be wrong. Seventeen-year-old Pratyush is a famed slayer of monsters, one of the King´s most prized warriors and a frequent visitor to the floating temples. For every monster the slayer kills, years are added to his life. You might think such a powerful warrior could do whatever he wants, but true power lies with the King. Tired after years of fighting, Pratyush wants nothing more than a peaceful, respectable life. When Pratyush and Manisha meet, each sees in the other the possibility to chart a new path. Unfortunately, the kingdom´s powerful have other plans. A temple visitor sexually assaults Manisha and pushes her off the mountain into a pit of vipers. A month later, the King sends Pratyush off to kill one last monster (a powerful nagin who has been turning men to stone) before he´ll consider granting the slayer his freedom. Except Manisha doesn´t die, despite the hundreds of snake bites covering her body and the venom running through her veins. She rises from the pit more powerful than ever before, with heightened senses, armor-like skin, and blood that can turn people to stone. And Pratyush doesn´t know it, but the "monster" he´s been sent to kill is none other than the girl he wants to marry. Alternating between Manisha´s and Pratyush´s perspectives, Sajni Patel weaves together lush language, high stakes, and page-turning suspense, demanding an answer to the question "What does it truly mean to be a monster?"