What happened to Jezebel?

Do you enjoy origin stories where you find out the backstory of why your favorite superhero or villain is so awesome or evil?

If you do, then I have a fantastic series for you to check out. Bethany Atazadeh is a young adult fantasy author. In The Queen’s Rise series, she took her villain from her Stolen Kingdom series and filled out her backstory to show us why she turned evil.

“Always remember this: don’t share your Gifts with anyone, Jezebel. People will use them and use you. Better to keep them for yourself.” —The Secret Gift, by Bethany Atazadeh

In book one, The Secret Gift, we meet Jezebel. Jezebel is a Jinni, a race of gifted individuals who live in the county of Jinn. But Jezebel has a secret. One that could turn deadly. Her gift of shape-shifting is one of the few Gifts that will not be celebrated by the other Jinn; it would be feared. In fact, if discovered, it could lead to her being arrested and her Gifts severed, which would eventually kill her. When one of her friends discovers her Gift, he uses Jezebel’s feelings for him to manipulate her into fulfilling his every whim. One thing leads to another, and soon her mother’s words of her Gift being used by others turns out to be true. What Jezebel does to protect herself leads to a sort of freedom, but at quite the cost. It also leads to a royal meeting that brings her more opportunities than she could ever have imagined.

In book two, The Secret Shadow, Jezebel is living and working in the castle alongside Prince Shem. Things haven’t been easy. The other council members are constantly assaulting her with verbal jabs, and the Guards throw wary, distrustful glances her way. Her precarious situation worsens when another shape-shifter is discovered in the castle. This shifter’s very presence puts Jezebel’s own secret in jeopardy of being discovered. She’s once more confronted with just how far she’ll go to protect herself from discovery.

Jezebel is a very sympathetic character. You really feel for her, even as she is backed into  corner after corner and chooses to do horrible things to protect herself. She’s really just a girl who is lost, afraid, alone, and desperate for someone to care for her. Knowing that she’ll become the evil queen in Bethany’s The Stolen Kingdom series (which I’ll read next after the third of Jezebel’s prequel series releases) brings an element of dread as I see her making all these tiny steps toward her evil future.

Bethany is a fantastic writer, and she really knows how to build tension that keeps you turning pages. A great series for teens of all ages, and a great conversation starter for families about where our choices can lead us. I can’t wait for book three in this series to release in January. It’s gonna be good. I hope you’ll check them out.

Happy Reading!