Epic Reads Meet-Up!

Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Event Presenter/Author: 
Kristen Ciccarelli, Heidi Heilig, Ibi Zoboi

At 57th Street Books

Meet face-to-face with celebrated YA authors Kristen Ciccarelli (The Caged Queen), Heidi Heilig (For a Muse of Fire) & Ibi Zoboi (Pride) for candid, speed-dating style conversations at an epic event unlike any other!

PLEASE NOTE: Each attendee is required to purchase a ticket, which comes with your choice of one of our three Epic Reads authors' books (see details below). If you would like to buy more than one book, you are more than welcome to do so during the event! Find tickets and book options here.

Each author will be introduced and have 10-12 minutes to sit and talk in small groups of 10-12 people. Each attendee will have the opportunity to talk and ask questions of each of the authors. And each author will rotate and sit with each group.

Please note that tickets are non-refundable and non-returnable. If you are unable to attend the event, please email info@semcoop.com and we will set your copy of the book aside for you to pick up, or ship it to you for a small fee.

For questions, email events@semcoop.com.

Learn more about each Epic Reads author and book below. Space is limited, so purchase a ticket to save your spot today!

The Caged Queen (Available for in store pick up 9/25 or at the event)  

About the Book: Kristen Ciccarellis distinct brand of lyrical, haunting fantasy continues in the companion to her bestselling debut, The Last Namsara. Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and Renee Ahdieh.

Once there were two sisters born with a bond so strong that it forged them together forever. Roa and Essie called it the hum. It was a magic they cherisheduntil the day a terrible accident took Essies life and trapped her soul in this world.

Daxthe heir to Firgaards thronewas responsible for the accident. Roa swore to hate him forever. But eight years later he returned, begging for her help. He was determined to dethrone his cruel father, under whose oppressive reign Roas people had suffered.

Roa made him a deal: shed give him the army he needed if he made her queen. Only as queen could she save her people from Firgaards rule.

Then a chance arises to right every wrongan opportunity for Roa to rid herself of this enemy king and rescue her beloved sister. During the Relinquishing, when the spirits of the dead are said to return, Roa discovers she can reclaim her sister for good.

All she has to do is kill the king.

About Kristen Ciccarelli: Kristen Ciccarelli is the internationally bestselling author of The Last Namsara and The Caged Queen. Before writing books for a living, she worked as an artisanal baker, an indie bookseller, and a ceramic artist. These days she resides in a blustery seaside cove on Newfoundlands Great Northern Peninsula with her blacksmith and her rescue dog. She likes her coffee dark, her weather broody, and her house warmed by a wood fire. Learn more at www.kristenciccarelli.com.

For a Muse of Fire (Available for in store pick up 9/25 or at the event)  

About the Book: A young woman with a dangerous power she barely understands. A smuggler with secrets of his own. A country torn between a merciless colonial army, a terrifying tyrant, and a feared rebel leader.

The first book in a new trilogy from the acclaimed Heidi Heilig blends traditional storytelling with ephemera for a lush, page-turning tale of escape and rebellion. For a Muse of Fire will captivate fans of Sabaa Tahir, Leigh Bardugo, and Renée Ahdieh.

Jettas family is famed as the most talented troupe of shadow players in the land. With Jetta behind the scrim, their puppets seem to move without string or sticka trade secret, they say. In truth, Jetta can see the souls of the recently departed and bind them to the puppets with her blood.

But ever since the colonizing army conquered their country, the old ways are forbidden, so Jetta must never show, never tell. Her skill and fame are her familys way to earn a spot aboard the royal ship to Aquitan, where shadow plays are the latest rage, and where rumor has it the Mad Emperor has a spring that cures his illsand could cure Jettas, too. Because seeing spirits is not the only thing that plagues her.

But as rebellion seethes and as Jetta meets a young smuggler, she will face truths and decisions that she never imaginedand safety will never seem so far away.

Heidi Heilig creates a vivid, rich world inspired by Asian cultures and French colonialism. Her characters are equally complex and nuanced, including the bipolar heroine. Told from Jettas first-person point-of-view, as well as with chapters written as play scripts and ephemera such as telegrams and letters, For a Muse of Fire is an engrossing journey that weaves magic, simmering romance, and the deep bonds of family with the high stakes of epic adventure.

About Heidi Heilig: Heidi Heilig grew up in Hawaii, where she rode horses and raised peacocks, and then she moved to New York City. Her favorite thing, outside of writing, is travel, and she has haggled for rugs in Morocco, hiked the trails of the Koolau Valley, and huddled in a tent in Africa while lions roared in the dark. She holds an MFA in musical theatre writing from New York University. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, her son, and their pet snake, whose wings will likely grow in any day now.

Pride (Available for in store pick up 9/11 or at the event)  

About the Book: Pride and Prejudice gets remixed in this smart, funny, gorgeous retelling of the classic, starring all characters of color, from Ibi Zoboi, National Book Award finalist and author of American Street.

Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.

When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially cant stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.

But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwicks changing landscape, or lose it all.

In a timely update of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, critically acclaimed author Ibi Zoboi skillfully balances cultural identity, class, and gentrification against the heady magic of first love in her vibrant reimagining of this beloved classic.

About Ibi Zoboi: Ibi Zoboi was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her writing has been published in The New York Times Book Review, the Horn Book Magazine, and The Rumpus, among others. She is the author of American Street, a National Book Award finalist and Pride. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, and their three children. You can find her online at www.ibizoboi.net.

Event Location: 
57th Street Books
1301 E. 57th Street
Chicago 60637