YA fantasy NARAKA nominated for Topelius Award!

Like the first title SANG, its sequel NARAKA by Elina Pitkäkangas has been selected as a top candidate for the Topelius Award. The Topelius Award was created to boost the appreciation of literature in children and youth. Sequels are rarely nominated for this award, but NARAKA is just as riveting as its Topelius-winning predecessor.

Nominations were announced at the Jyväskylä Book Fair, and here is what the jury had to say about NARAKA:

Naraka is a superbly written, gripping fantasy adventure, the second part of a duology. In it, the rescue expedition expands into a much larger chain of events, with a rollercoaster of emotions. There is anger and disappointment, but also love, courage and trust.”

Get started with this epic East Asian-inspired YA duology, starting with SANG!

Read more about SANG below:

The state of Fusang is recovering from a war that ravaged the world. 16-year-old Kong Dawei, an earnest young man, is living in a poor mountain village and tries to pay his adopted siblings’ citizen dues by transporting contraband goods at night.

After a series of unfortunate events, Dawei ends up in the southern capital which is ruled by the cruel matriarch of the White Tiger Clan. When there is nothing else to lose, Dawei has only one goal: to get back to his loved ones, his brother Ren and his friend and love interest Dray– whatever it takes.

Sang is an addictive fantasy novel that travels through cold mountains and humid cities, noisy bazaars and opulent halls, and the world after the Black Rain, in which one’s value is measured in money.

Click here to download all reading materials for SANG and NARAKA.