THE FIREFLY CROWN

In a world populated by mambabarang—sorcerers with the ability to communicate with and control insects—12-year-old Yumi is a lowly Cricket who can’t wield her powers. Yumi longs to be in the capital city of Tinanglawan, where the revered Fireflies, who can manipulate light, live. When the rajah, the husband of the ailing empress, calls all mambabarang to Tinanglawan for the Crowning of First Daughter Eyrin, Yumi jumps at the chance to leave the countryside. En route, her party is attacked by the Ghost Swarm, a horrific, destructive cloud comprising “the ghosts of all the insects that had ever lived,” which was created by dark magic when the magicless, bitter over their unfair treatment, sacrificed mambabarang. On the day of the coronation, the Firefly Crown—the only thing that can defeat the Ghost Swarm—is stolen, and Yumi is falsely accused. In the rajah’s dungeon, she makes new insect and human friends and must summon her courage and minimal magic skills to find the real thief and fight the Ghost Swarm. Infused with Filipino folklore, this fantasy is full of action and adventure. The empire’s robust worldbuilding includes distinct social classes based on types of magic; Yumi’s low status makes her an object of prejudice, and she struggles with finding respect and belonging.