Set in a magical Italian-inspired land, Capetta’s high fantasy tackles gender identity and family loyalty. Teodora DiSangro is the daughter of a powerful man who controls a large swath of Vinalia. Vinalia is made up of five loosely connected lands each controlled by a member of the Five Families. The Capo, a man quickly rising to power in Vinalia, wants to join the disparate lands under one rule: his. He sends poisoned letters to the leaders of the five families, which kills most of them and gravely wounds Teo’s father. The Capo demands that a male representative of each family travel to his palace, where he will likely demand their fealty.
Rather than send the eldest boy in the family, Teo’s stepmother (not of the evil variety) elects to send Teo’s younger brother as representative, knowing that the elder is cruel and unsuitable for wielding power. But these plans go awry, and Teo finds herself needing to be the representative herself. Luckily for her, she is a strega: a witch/sorcerer/magic user. Most Vinalians believe streghe don’t exist, but Teo has been using her particular ability to change people into other objects – a punishment for those who cross her father – without anyone’s knowledge for years. And now Teo must perform an even greater change: transforming herself into a boy so she can fool the Capo, find the antidote for the poison, save her father’s life, and somehow prevent the Capo from taking over all of Vinalia.
Luckily, Teo befriends Cielo, a non-binary strega who can change their sex at will. Cielo teaches Teo how to change her body so it will pass as a boy’s in front of the Capo, and that’s when the adventure really gets rolling. Capetta herself identifies as non-binary, so it’s no surprise she has a deft touch with the gender identity issues she explores within the characters of Cielo, who has always seen themselves to be non-binary, and Teo, who comes to appreciate both aspects of her identity and both versions of her body. There’s romance between the two teens as well, which develops slowly and sweetly and authentically. I recommend reading Capetta’s interview with her partner, Cori McCarthy, at the B&N Teen Blog for more detail about the gender identity aspects of her story.
Beyond the gender identity exploration, though, Capetta’s plot also includes intricate political machinations, lies and betrayals, dangerous magic, and the explosive secret behind the “brilliant death” itself. It’s full of excitement, action, twists, and a decent amount of introspection and heartbreak as well. Her characters are well-drawn, and teens will easily empathize with Teo and want her to succeed despite the impossible situation she finds herself in.
Narrator Carlotta Brendan does a great Italian accent (at least to my non-Italian ears) and slightly voices each of the characters, adding to the texture of the story and helping it to come alive. I don’t think I’ve read another YA fantasy that feels this Italian. Capetta’s family is from Italy and she researched for five years, which shows in the details and believability of the world-building. This is a first recommendation for teens who love high fantasy and might want something a bit different from the usual fare.