The Summer Prince

by Johnson, Alaya Dawn

• ISBN13: 9780545417792
• ISBN10: 0545417791
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2013-03-01
• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Summary

A heart-stopping story of love, death, technology, and art set amid the lush tropics of a futuristic Brazil. The lush city of Palmares Tres shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of its heat, June Costa creates art that's sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold, new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him (including June's best friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than dark chocolate eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist. Together, June and Enki will create art that Palmares Tres will never forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion against the government's strict limits on new tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die. Pulsing with the beat of futuristic Brazil, burning with the passions of its characters, and overflowing with ideas, this is a novel that will leave you hot and shaken and eager for more from Alaya Dawn Johnson.

Author Biography

Alaya Dawn Johnson's short story "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was included in the ZOMBIES VS UNICORNS anthology (Margaret K. McElderry, 2010), edited by Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black. THE SUMMER PRINCE is her first young adult novel. She lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

From The Summer Prince

When I was eight, my papai took me to the park to watch a king die

At first, all I saw were adults clad in bright blues and greens and reds, in feathers and sequins, in cloth glittering with gold and jewels

Carnival clothes for carnival day, but covered in the early morning chill with darker coats and shawls

I looked up at this mass of grandes like I had stumbled into a gathering of orixas

I couldn't see their faces, but I could see their hands, the way they twisted them around each other, or clicked through a string of rosary beads

Some held candles, some held flowers

They were dressed for carnival, but they were quieter than I remembered from other years

The legs and torsos swayed and jostled, but no one danced

A few of the men cried

For the first time in my life, I knew a carnival without music

I held my papai's hand

He did not look at me

A strange sigh swept over the crowd, like the wind howling past the cliffside during a winter storm

A woman's voice boomed through the park, but I was too young, too close to the ground to understand

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

From The Summer Prince:

When I was eight, my papai took me to the park to watch a king die.

At first, all I saw were adults clad in bright blues and greens and reds, in feathers and sequins, in cloth glittering with gold and jewels. Carnival clothes for carnival day, but covered in the early morning chill with darker coats and shawls. I looked up at this mass of grandes like I had stumbled into a gathering of orixas. I couldn't see their faces, but I could see their hands, the way they twisted them around each other, or clicked through a string of rosary beads. Some held candles, some held flowers. They were dressed for carnival, but they were quieter than I remembered from other years. The legs and torsos swayed and jostled, but no one danced. A few of the men cried. For the first time in my life, I knew a carnival without music.

I held my papai's hand. He did not look at me. A strange sigh swept over the crowd, like the wind howling past the cliffside during a winter storm. A woman's voice boomed through the park, but I was too young, too close to the ground to understand.