Caraval meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this deliciously dark young adult fantasy about a girl who makes a deal with a magical secret society to enter a potentially deadly competition for the chance to avenge her mothers death.Ever since a vampire murdered her mother, Ava has been determined to get revenge. This all-encompassing drive has given her the fuel she needed to survive foster home after foster home.But its been ten years since anyones seen a vampire, and Ava has lost hope that shell ever find one...until she stumbles across a hidden magic show where she witnesses impossible illusions. The magicians may not be the bloodsuckers shes hunting, but Ava is convinced something supernatural is at play, so she sneaks backstage and catches them in acts they cant explain.But theyve been waiting for her.The magicians reveal theyre part of an ancient secret society with true magic, and Ava has the same power in her blood that they do. If she joins them, they promise to teach her the skills she needs to hunt vampires and avenge her mother. But theres a catch: if she wants to keep the power they offer, she needs to prove shes worthy of it. And to do so, she must put on the performance of her life in a sinister and dangerous competition where illusion and reality blur, and the stakes are deadly.
