The River She Became by Emily Varga - OPTIONAL

The River She Became (River & Salt #1) by Emily Varga, 406 pages. St. Martin's Press, 2026. $20

Language: R (18 swears, 14 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (undescribed sex); Violence: PG-13 (bloody deaths)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

19yo Yaseema is a scholar secretly searching for the ancient Fae Queens’s crown. Kiyan, a captain of the cruel regime, is secretly searching for the same crown Yaseema wants. Kiyan is a rebel who has magic that causes plants to grow and follow his orders. Yaseema has magic she can use to find lost items. Yaseema ends up in fae territory and is saved by Kiyan when a wolf comes after her. The two have no idea how much they will interfere with each other’s plans and survival.

Told in alternating points of view between Yaseema and Kiyan. Intriguing world building and I was invested by the end of the first chapter. I enjoyed the unraveling of many levels in Kiyan’s and Yaseema’s individual backgrounds.

The ethnicity is mixed.  Yaseema has dark skin. Kiyan is fae and has silver hair and bronze skin.  Some characters are mentioned as white.

LynnDell Watson, DHS Librarian, Delta, Utah