In Victorian London, a girl with an unknown past embarks on a mission that will change her future. Iris has spent the last 10 years hiding out in the circus, performing as an African tightrope dancer--a so-called "Nubian Princess"--with no memories of her old life. One day, a mysterious stranger in the crowd triggers something long forgotten, causing her to publicly reveal her ability to recover from seemingly fatal accidents. Now her secret has been revealed, she is forced to flee, and she agrees to assist the stranger, a White man called Adam Temple, with finding his father and unlocking the mystery that will end the world. She also will fight as his champion in the Tournament of Freak, a contest to decide which Enlightenment Committee member will wield the power to reshape the new world. Adam, for his part, promises to help her unlock her past and potential. Iris--along with her brooding Turkish tightrope partner, Jinn, and brash Salvadoran tournament newcomer Max--must discover the truth and fight to the finish on behalf of the rich and powerful alongside other supernaturally gifted champions. This cryptic, enticing journey is told in alternating, third-person perspectives: Adam's cold and calculating, Iris' searching and daring. The author builds a delicious tension that will have readers putting the pieces together as the end of the world nears and wanting more after they reach the climactic cliffhanger ending. A rousing series opener. (Historical fantasy. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In a shifting third-person perspective, Raughley (the Effigies series) crafts an alternate Victorian London in which Iris, "a tightrope-dancing African," dazzles crowds with acrobatic feats as part of the Coolie Company circus. However, Iris is concealing a staggering secret: though seemingly "a girl of seventeen," she does not age and cannot die. Having arrived on the circus proprietor's doorstep with amnesia a decade ago, her mission to uncover her past gains greater urgency when she encounters sapphire-eyed, white 21-year-old Adam Temple. A member of the secret Enlightenment Committee, Adam reveals that the world is ending--and that the committee will decide the leader of the upcoming apocalypse through the Tournament of Freaks, a competition in which champions with supernatural abilities fight to the death. Iris agrees to be one such warrior, in exchange for Adam's help in uncovering her identity. Yet as she becomes enmeshed in the tournament, she wonders at its price. Though a quick pace stymies full immersion, the fantastical premise supports a multilayered plot and vibrant characters. Meanwhile, themes of racial abuse, violence, and rebirth, paired with a wealth of romantic options, add further complexity to this series starter. Ages 12--up. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Irene Goodman Literary. (Sept.)