"EXQUISITE CAPTIVE," by Heather Demetrios, Balzer + Bray, $17.99, 470 pages (f) (ages 14 and up)
Entering a young adult market flooded with narratives of women who fall passionately in love with powerful manipulative men, "Exquisite Captive," written by Heather Demetrios, at first looks as though it will be yet another participant. Instead it takes a typical Stockholm syndrome storyline and turns it on its head.
Nalia is a jinni, belonging to the exclusively female ruling class on her world, when her race is destroyed and she, the lone survivor, is brought to Earth to be taken captive by the rich and immortal Malek.
Far from the familiar stories like "Aladdin," the novel addresses the abusive relationship between Malek and his jinni, who he spends years convincing to fall in love with him. Nalia, traumatized and alone, struggles to keep herself from believing in the legitimacy of her feelings for the man who cares for her, but denies her freedom.
Nalia, however, is a strong character who ultimately saves herself from her situation, all while willingly sacrificing herself for a powerful cause.
The novel contains some strong if infrequent profanity, several violent scenes and references to sex and homosexual activity. No sexual activity actually takes place in the timeline of the novel.
If you go ...
What: Epic Reads tour with Andrea Porter, "Anatomy of a Misfit"; Madeleine Roux, "Sanctum: An Asylum Novel"; Anna Carey, "Blackbird"; Amy Ewing, "The Jewel"; and Heather Demetrios, “Exquisite Captive."
When: Friday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m.
Where: The King's English, 1511 S. 1500 East, Salt Lake City
Web: kingsenglish.com, epicreads.com
Note: Places in the signing line are reserved for those who purchase a copy of the featured book from The King's English.
Michelle Garrett is a journalism graduate from BYU and currently works as a business magazine writer for a network marketing company in Utah. She is also a contributing blogger at utahchildrenswriters.blogspot.com. Email: mgarrett3589@gmail.com