{"title":"Books by R. M. Romero","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781682636916","title":"Death's Country","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLakelore\u003c\/i\u003e meets “Orpheus and Eurydice” when two Miami teens travel to the underworld to retrieve their girlfriend’s soul.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAndres Santos of São Paulo was all swinging fists and firecracker fury, a foot soldier in the war between his parents, until he drowned in the Tietê River… and made a bargain with Death for a new life. A year later, his parents have relocated the family to Miami, but their promises of a fresh start quickly dissolve in the summer heat. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInstead of fists, Andres now uses music to escape his parents’ battles. While wandering Miami Beach, he meets two girls: photographer Renee, a blaze of fire, and dancer Liora, a ray of sunshine. The three become a polyamorous triad, happy, despite how no one understands their relationship. But when a car accident leaves Liora in a coma, Andres and Renee are shattered. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen Renee proposes a radical solution: She and Andres must go into the underworld to retrieve their girlfriend’s spirit and reunite it with her body—before it’s too late. Their search takes them to the City of the dead, where painters bleed color, songs grow flowers, and regretful souls will do anything to forget their lives on earth. But finding Liora’s spirit is only the first step in returning to the living world. Because when Andres drowned, he left a part of himself in the underworld—a part he’s in no hurry to meet again. But it \u003ci\u003eis\u003c\/i\u003e eager to be reunited with him... \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn verse as vibrant as the Miami skyline, critically acclaimed author R.M. Romero has crafted a masterpiece of magical realism and an openhearted ode to the nature of healing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA New York Public Library Best Book of the Year!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44203499061426,"sku":"9781682636916","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781682636916_0b88a757-dbad-40d3-a9b1-3064913d8505.jpg?v=1786024373"},{"product_id":"9780316539487","title":"Tale of the Flying Forest","description":"\u003cb\u003eA spellbinding and lyrical modern fairy tale about a girl who journeys to an enchanted world to find the twin she’s never met, filled with lavish illustrations that bring the magic to life. Perfect for fans of \u003ci\u003eThe Girl Who Drank the Moon\u003c\/i\u003e. ​\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e After her mother passes away and her father retreats into his grief, 11-year-old Anne Applebaum is afraid the only happy endings she’ll ever have are in \u003ci\u003eThe World to Come\u003c\/i\u003e, a collection of fairy tales about the flying forest of Bei Ilai. In its pages, children outsmart demons, girls train as knights, and songs come to life. But even these stories can’t stop Anne from feeling alone. So when a raven tells her that she has a long-lost twin brother named Rainer, she sets out to find him. Anne soon learns that Bei Ilai is a real place—and she must step through the door into this magical realm to seek her brother.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But the dangers in the flying forest are just as real as its beauty. To overcome the challenges and monsters she faces, Anne must lean into the magic contained within her and her Jewish faith—especially when she discovers Rainer is locked away by a being more frightening than any dragon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Because the most terrifying villain of all is one who used to be a hero.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56232956264821,"sku":"9780316539487","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780316539487_25ed99c8-cd93-49dc-9cdc-b98c12627b5f.jpg?v=1786013625"},{"product_id":"9781682637524","title":"A Warning About Swans","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSwan Lake\u003c\/i\u003e meets \u003ci\u003eThe Last Unicorn\u003c\/i\u003e by way of the Brothers Grimm in a dreamy, original fairytale.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcclaimed author R.M. Romero spins an enchanting tale in elegant verse about the search for belonging, and ultimately, empowerment. Perfect for fans of \u003ci\u003eUprooted\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Bear and the Nightingale.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Dreamy, melancholy, and pensive. . . .\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e—NPR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBavaria. 1880. Hilde was dreamed into existence by the god Odin and, along with her five sisters, granted cloaks that transform them into swans. Each sister’s cloak is imbued with a unique gift, but Hilde rejects her gift which allows her to lead the souls of dying creatures to the afterlife.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile guiding the soul of a hawk, Hilde meets the handsome Baron Maximilian von Richter, whose father left him no inheritance. Hilde is intrigued by Richter’s longing for a greater life and strikes a deal with him: She will manifest his dreams of riches, and in return, he will take her to the human world, where the song of souls can’t reach her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut at the court of King Ludwig II in Munich, Hilde struggles to fit in. After learning that fashionable ladies are sitting for portraits, she hires non-binary Jewish artist Franz Mendelson, and is stunned when Franz renders her with swan wings. The more time she spends with Franz, the more she feels drawn to the artist’s warm, understanding nature, and the more controlling Richter becomes. When Hilde’s swan cloak suddenly goes missing, only Franz’s ability to paint the true nature of souls can help Hilde escape her newfound prison.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Warning About Swans \u003c\/i\u003eweaves poetry into myth with spellbinding verse. Familiar as a Grimm tale and beautiful as a fairytale, but darker and more lyrical. The perfect fantasy to cozy up with and be whisked away to real-world enchanted castles.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56302459650421,"sku":"9781682637524","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781682637524_040438f4-fa0b-47ff-b5c2-fbb711ac19d4.jpg?v=1786024378"},{"product_id":"9780316578042","title":"The Tear Collector","description":"\u003cb\u003eSet after the end of the world, this darkly fantastical climate change tale explores hope, memory, and what really makes a monster.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e After an enormous wave wiped out entire countries, Malka and her younger brother Ezra now live with Dr. Jonas Hollman on the Island, the only piece of land left on Earth. Scavenging useful things from the shoreline under the watchful eye of the Island's sinister leader Mr. Gray, Malka and her family get by. Barely.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But an illness called the Sorrow is changing people into monsters when their memories of the Mainland grow too sad…and Ezra is the latest to get sick. Desperate not to lose her brother, Malka throws herself into helping “Uncle” Jonas with his research to find a cure. When a mysterious stranger crash lands on their island, the family faces the realization that there are other survivors out there. Perhaps the world\u003ci\u003e isn’t\u003c\/i\u003e lost forever.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e To save Ezra and the other Islanders, Malka will have to uncover the secrets of her flooded world—and the lies even the people she loves have told her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e R.M. Romero tackles our fear and anxiety surrounding climate change and weaves it through with hope in this beautifully told adventure that will resonate with readers young and old.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56419558785397,"sku":"9780316578042","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780316578042_9fee4f1e-ba99-4eec-8928-aa1a08dd48bd.jpg?v=1786013739"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-r-m-romero.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}