Hodder signs two fantasy series in five-book deal with Pearson

Hodder & Stoughton has acquired five YA fantasy books from Mary E Pearson and will publish The Remnant Chronicles trilogy and the Dance of Thieves duology for the first time in the UK.

Senior commissioning editor Molly Powell bought UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Charlotte Bodman at Rights People on behalf of Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio. 

Dance of Thieves and Vow of Thieves, first published in the US by Henry Holt, will be released on 2nd June. The Kiss of Deception, The Beauty of Darkness and The Heart of Betrayal will be released on 15th September.  

Powell noticed the recent surge in interest in the books on TikTok, prompting her to investigate UK rights. She said: “Mary E Pearson’s books are complete standouts in the young adult fantasy genre. Her writing is exciting, fast-paced and absorbing—these books are breathtaking and unputdownable and I’m so excited to be bringing them to the UK.”

Pearson described Dance of Thieves as a layered story about love, loss, family bonds, and deceit featuring a reformed thief who must lock wits with the young leader of a rogue family dynasty to uncover his deadly secret.

But ultimately,  she said, it is a story about the unexpected magic that can happen when two sworn enemies are literally forced to walk in each other’s footsteps. 

“I couldn’t be happier that the Dance of Thieves duology is joining the rest of the Remnant family at Hodder,” she said. “Their wondrous plans for the trilogy have left me smiling at every turn and I’m beyond thrilled that Molly and the Hodder team will be ushering in Dance of Thieves too.”