The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa

The Wicked Bargain

Gabe Cole Novoa, Vico Ortiz, Listening Library

Random House Children's Books · Print & ebook · January 23, 2024

A Fantasy pick for readers exploring The Wicked Bargain.

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
A queer pirate fantasy where revenge, redemption, and revolution sail under supernatural shadow.
Genres
YA Pirate Adventures, YA LGBTQ+, YA Fantasy
Published
Random House Children's Books, January 23, 2024

About this book

El Diablo is in the details in this Latinx pirate fantasy starring a transmasculine nonbinary teen with a mission of revenge, redemption, and revolution--now in paperback! On Mar León de la Rosa's sixteenth birthday, el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice.

Continue reading

But their magic isn't enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father, and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar's father and the entire crew of their ship. When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up their soul to save their father by the harvest moon, or never see him again. The task is impossible--Mar refuses to make a bargain, and there's no way their magic is a match for el Diablo. Then Mar finds the most unlikely allies: Bas, an infuriatingly arrogant and handsome pirate--and the captain's son; and Dami, a gender-fluid demonio whose motives are never quite clear. For the first time in their life, Mar may have the courage to use their magic. It could be their only redemption--or it could mean certain death.

Bargains at Sea

A queer pirate fantasy where revenge, redemption, and revolution sail under supernatural shadow.

Come here for

  • Pirate fantasy with queer identity and supernatural bargains
  • Fire-and-ice magic, dangerous choices, and uneasy alliances

Expect

  • A high-stakes journey shaped by family, magic, and hard choices
  • A transmasculine nonbinary teen at the heart of the adventure

Where it sits

YA LGBTQ+62%
YA Fantasy56%
YA Pirate Adventures52%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Historical YA Fantasy
  • YA LGBTQ+
  • Caribbean & Latin America for Teens
Authors
Gabe Cole Novoa, Vico Ortiz, Listening Library
Publisher
Random House Children's Books
Published
January 23, 2024
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Historical YA Fantasy