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A Finalist for the 2016 William C. Morris YA Debut Award
A Junior Library Guild Fall 2015 Selection
On YALSA's 2016 Best Fiction for Young Adults List
A 2016 International Latino Book Awards Finalist

For twenty years, the Palomas and the Corbeaus have been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as traveling performers in competing shows—the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find.

Lace Paloma may be new to her family’s show, but she knows as well as anyone that simply touching a Corbeau could mean death, and she's been taught from birth to keep away. But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing, it’s a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace’s life. And his touch immerses her in the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in the trees.

Praise for The Weight of Feathers:

THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS is a gripping, beautifully rendered story with prose reminiscent of Eva Luna and a fantastical world as captivating as that of The Night Circus.

—Sabaa Tahir, NYT bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes

An unmissable story that sets us between river and treetops, between rival and lover, between age-old myth and hidden truth. With characters and a writing style tinged in magic, Anna-Marie McLemore’s debut will leave you enchanted till the last page. McLemore conjures the glow of magic—in an old feud, in a new love, and in this beautiful story of how we discover who we really are.

—Emery Lord, author of Open Road Summer and The Start of Me and You

The Weight of Feathers is a dazzling debut full of imaginative flair, long-buried secrets, and hypnotic power. It drew me in with its gorgeous passages and left me reeling with a fantastical story about love and struggling against the confines of family and creating a life all your own.

—Nova Ren Suma, author of The Walls Around Us, 17 & Gone, and Imaginary Girls

This is a true work of young adult literature. Anna-Marie McLemore draws us into a world that’s magical but still feels very, very real, and gives us an exquisitely told tale of star-crossed love. The romance pours onto the page because her writing is beautiful, fluid, lyrical. Like water. Like air. It’s so wonderfully written it begs to be read aloud. You can feel her sentences flowing over your tongue as you read. I never wanted this story to end, but when it did, even that felt perfect.

—Robin Talley, author of Lies We Tell Ourselves and What We Left Behind

THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS is a gorgeous debut, lush and heart-tuggingly romantic, full of bittersweet magic.

—Jessica Spotswood, author of The Cahill Witch Chronicles and Wild Swans, and editor of Petticoats & Pistols

THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS is one of the most stunning books I have read in years, and one that I desperately wish I had written. Equal parts heartbreaking, insightful, and charming, it's a truly unforgettable read. McLemore's gift for finding perfectly unique turns of phrase astounds, but equally important is her ability to bring to life fully-realized characters that you'll want to live with long after you turn the last page of this exceptional debut.

—I.W. Gregorio, author of None of the Above

Scales and feathers touch and burn in McLemore's stunning debut. The beauty of the language wraps around you, not letting go until long after the final page.
—Jaleigh Johnson, NYT bestselling author of The Mark of the Dragonfly and Secrets of Solace

Lush, elegant language, peppered with Spanish and French phrases, lends this romance an ethereal feel well suited to the book's magical elements.

—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED REVIEW

Readers beguiled by the languorous language—a striking mix of French and Spanish phrases, wry colloquialism, lush imagery, and elevated syntax—will find themselves falling under its spell. The third-person narration alternates between Lace and Cluck, doling out twists and building to a satisfying, romantic conclusion. A contemporary, magical take on an ever compelling theme.

—Kirkus Reviews

McLemore’s prose is ethereal and beguiling, the third-person narration inflected with Spanish and French words and phrases that reflect the non-magical aspects of the Paloma and Corbeau heritage. The enchanting setup and the forbidden romance that blooms between these two outcasts will quickly draw readers in, along with the steady unspooling of the families’ history and mutual suspicions in this promising first novel.

—Publishers Weekly

In this tale of magical realism, the magic is so deftly woven into the fabric of the story, readers might overlook the more subtle moments. Told with skillful poetic nuances, this Romeo-and-Juliet story of forbidden love will entice fans of Maggie Stiefvater’s “Raven Cycle” who wished for a little more romance.

—School Library Journal

You’ve never read a love story quite like this… Anna-Marie McLemore has created in entirely imaginative world and rich characters that will pull you in as if she's spinning magic herself.

—Bustle

Author Anna-Marie McLemore gracefully develops a stirring blend of compelling mystery, vivid characters, and potent emotions. [T]his multicultural book is further fleshed out with strong commentary on human relationships, young love, and the very relevant threat of man-made environmental disaster.
—BUST Magazine

McLemore’s prose is vivid, with carefully chosen, colourful details giving readers a clear sense of place and character. An air of mysterious fantasy enshrouds the whole book, pulling the reader through it as if in a spell. McLemore is a writer to watch.

—The Guardian