In the old tales, it is written that the egg of a seadragon, dragonfruit, holds within it the power to undo a person’s greatest sorrow. But as with all things that offer hope when hope had gone, the tale came with a warning.

Every wish demands a price.

Hanalei of Tamarind is the cherished daughter of an old island family. But when her father steals a seadragon egg meant for an ailing princess, she is forced into a life of exile. In the years that follow, Hanalei finds solace in studying the majestic seadragons that roam the Nominomi Sea. Until, one day, an encounter with a female dragon offers her what she desires most. A chance to return home, and to right a terrible wrong.

Samahtitamahenele, Sam, is the last remaining prince of Tamarind. But he can never inherit the throne, for Tamarind is a matriarchal society. With his mother ill and his grandmother nearing the end of her reign, Sam is left with two choices: to marry, or to find a cure for the sickness that has plagued his mother for ten long years. When a childhood companion returns from exile, she brings with her something he has not felt in a very long time: hope.

But Hanalei and Sam are not the only ones searching for the dragonfruit. And as they battle enemies both near and far, there is another danger they cannot escape…that of the dragonfruit itself.

Don’t you love when a book’s design actually matches its contents? Makiia Lucier’s Dragonfruit is as colorful as its cover—from its characters to its writing, this story will sweep you away to magical islands inhabited by sea dragons, pirates, and royalty.

When young Hanalei and the princess of Tamarind were poisoned, a seadragon egg was their only hope for survival. In choosing to save his daughter’s life and steal the last remaining egg, Hanalei’s father condemned the future queen of Tamarind and forced him and his daughter to flee the kingdom. One single act, born from her father’s love and desperation, pushed Hanalei away from her home and her people.

After living in exile for a decade, Hanalei is finally able to return to her island. While she has lived a life of hardships, the princess has not lived at all. Slowly deteriorating in a comatose state, the last and only hope for her is another seadragon egg. Determined to right a wrong, Hanalei joins her childhood best friend, the prince of Tamarind, in a quest to save the future Queen. Together, they must find a seadragon egg before the pirate, whom Hanalei happens to be running from, beats them to it.

A gorgeously written fantasy inspired by Pacific Island mythology, Dragonfruit is sure to be unlike anything you’ve read before. Delve into this uniquely magical story about love, family, sacrifice, and seadragons this month!