A Hundred Vicious Turns (the Broken Tower Book 1) - (The Broken Tower) by Lee Paige O'Brien (Hardcover)

About the Book

While at school, teenage nonbinary Rat Evans, heir to a powerful magical bloodline, discovers secret portals no one else can see, and is pulled into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse that leads them through the passages.

Book Synopsis

The heir to an arcane bloodline must outwit their ambitious rival to stop a ruthless magical adversary in Lee Paige O'Brien's A Hundred Vicious Turns, a YA fantasy debut--first in The Broken Tower series--perfect for fans of A Lesson in Vengeance and Hell Followed With Us.

Rat Evans, nonbinary heir to one of the oldest magical bloodlines in New York, doesn't cast spells anymore. For as long as Rat can remember, they've been surrounded by doorways no one else sees and corridors that aren't on any map. Then one day, they opened a passage and found a broken tower in a field of weeds--and something followed them back.

When Rat is accepted into Bellamy Arts, all they want is a place to hide and to make sure they never open another passageway again. But when the only other person who knows what really happened last year--Harker Blakely, the dangerously gifted trans boy who used to be Rat's closest friend--turns up on campus, Rat begins to realize that Bellamy Arts might not be as safe as they'd thought. And the tower might not be through with them yet.

Soon, Rat finds themself caught in a web of secrets and long-buried magic, with their friend-turned-enemy at their throat. But the closer they come to uncovering the truth about the tower, the further they're drawn toward the unsettling powers that threaten to swallow them whole.

Review Quotes

"A twisting, creeping mystery full of tenuous friendships, difficult choices, and beautiful magic: for every trans kid longing for an enchanted school to accept them as they are, A Hundred Vicious Turns is here. A spellbinding debut you won't want to miss!"--Andrew Joseph White, New York Times bestselling author of Hell Followed With Us

"Lee Paige O'Brien delivers a dark academia full to the brim with secrets. A Hundred Vicious Turns combines everything I love about fantasy to create an inclusive tale that proves magic school is for everyone. A spellbinding magical mystery!"--Rosiee Thor, author of Tarnished Are the Stars

"Rat is nonbinary, and Harker is a trans man, and their friends-enemies-lovers relationship arc is a high point in the novel "--School Library Journal

Fascinating lore and an intriguing magic system combine to create a world readers will love exploring. Dark, thrilling, and fantastical.--Kirkus

About the Author

Lee Paige O'Brien (he/they) lives in Brooklyn, where he writes stories about trans kids, magic, and monsters of all kinds. At different times, he's been a grad student, a literary agent, and an author. This is his debut novel.