In the Vanishers’ Palace

In this dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast by award-winning author Aliette de Bodard, a woman named Yên is sold into indentured servitude in a devastated, poisoned world. She becomes the tutor to the dragon Vu Côn’s unruly children in a perilous palace-prison, where every door could lead to death. As Yên navigates her complex feelings towards Vu Côn, she discovers the dragon’s hidden depths and grapples with her own happiness amidst the looming threat of dark secrets. This tale explores themes of betrayal, survival, and the nature of affection in a hauntingly imaginative landscape.