Set in a lush, Puerto Rico-inspired world, this sweeping historical fantasy combines Caribbean carnaval culture and the mythology of the Taíno - the Indigenous people of the region - in a gripping exploration of community, reclamation, and healing in defiance of a violent past.
When night descends, el Carnaval de Bestias rises.Within the shores of Isla Bestia, guests from around the world discover a utopia of ever-changing performances, sumptuous feasts and beautiful monsters. Many enter, but few ever leave - the wine is simply too sweet, the music too fine and the revelry endless.Sofía, a freedwoman from a nearby colonized island, travels to el Carnaval de Bestias in search of her twin brother, who disappeared five years ago. There's a world of wonder waiting for her on the shores of this legendary island, one wherein conquerors profit from Sofia's ancestral lands and her people's labor. But surrounded by her former enslavers, she finds something familiar in the performances - whispers of the island's native tongue, music and stories from her Taike'ri ancestors...a culture long hidden in the shadows, thrust into the light.To find her brother, Sofia must peel back the glamorous curtain and face those behind Carnaval, before she too loses herself to the island...
