A Riddle of Thorns — Sasha Nanua

Set in an alternate Gilded Age Paris, A Riddle of Thorns is a twisty Dark Academia mystery—glittering, elegant, unsettling, and perfect for fans of Divine Rivals and The Inheritance Games.Sana Gupta has waited years to return to her ancestral home in Paris, with its endless dim halls and overgrown gardens. Sent away as a child when her mother disappeared, Sana is finally 18—and she is ready to claim her inheritance. Tara used to keep all of France entertained with her wicked cryptograms and ciphers, but one day she was simply… gone. Sana has long puzzled over where she went, if she’s still alive… and whether her departure was just another of her famously unsolvable riddles. But to Sana’s shock, when she arrives at the dark and dilapidated mansion, she finds three strangers awaiting her. Fox, an eccentric prodigy who models himself after Sherlock Holmes. Isabelle, a beautiful girl in an icy-white dress who can do any equation in her head. And Minho, a handsome young genius always wearing half a smirk. Per Tara Gupta’s will, they’ve each received a cryptic invitation to compete in a contest of riddles for the deed to Minerva Manor! Feeling betrayed by her mother, Sana sets out to uncover the truth: Why did her mother do this? Where did she really go? What link is there between the competitors? What secrets does the house itself—grand, crumbling, and disquieting—conceal? And how far will Sana herself go to win this twisted game… because the others seem willing to do anything. Poison? Betrayal? Murder? For it is not the house itself that is the true prize, but the rumored razorthorn hidden within: a gilded plant created by the gods themselves, able to grant any wish. Each room the contestants unlock merely brings them one step closer to their final confrontation. Set in a darkly shimmering Edwardian Paris, in an alternate world where worship of the Roman gods never ended, A Riddle of Thorns drips with atmosphere, confounds with intricate puzzles, and sizzles with romantic tension. The deadly secrets of Minerva Manor are sure to ensnare readers as completely as they do Sana and her competitors. For fans of The Inheritance Games and Divine Rivals, A Riddle of Thorns is filled with difficult brain-twisters, long-buried mysteries, and shocking twists.