Rock the Boat snaps up YA fantasy duology by Blake

Rock the Boat has signed a YA fantasy duology, with the first in the two-book deal entitled Champion of Fate, by Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood (Orchard Books) and The Dark Crowns series (Macmillan Children’s Books).

Senior commissioning editor Katie Jennings acquired UK and British Commonwealth English Language rights, excluding Canada, including audio from Charlotte Bodman at Rights People on behalf of Adriann Zurhellen and Chiara Panzeri at Folio Literary Management. Rock the Boat will publish Champion of Fate as a paperback original in September 2023.

It tells the story of the Aristene, an elusive order of immortal female warriors. The publisher synopsis continues that “to be championed by them is to become a legend: they are the Heromakers".

“As an orphan raised by the order, Reed has always envisioned taking her place beside her sisters-in-arms. To do that, she’ll have to help her first hero accomplish a great victory. But what happens when her charmingly infuriating hero makes her question everything she’s been taught about being an Aristene – and the order itself?”

Jennings said: “I’ve been a huge fan of Kendare Blake ever since I read her debut, Anna Dressed in Blood, and I found myself swept up utterly in the characters and world of Champion of Fate. Reed is the perfect companion for this journey into a realm of immortal female warriors and the oftentimes flawed heroes they are destined to serve.

“While it was the epic mythology of the Aristene that first hooked me in, it was the relationships between Reed, her sisters-in-arms and her first hero, Hestion, that kept me reading late into the night.”

Blake said: “Katie totally got the vibe of the book and Rock the Boat is an exciting, innovative publisher that I know will be the perfect home for orphaned Reed.”