The Quelling by C.L. Lauder

Unsettling and evocatively written, The Quelling by C.L. Lauder is an affecting work of dystopian fantasy, and an enticing first installment of a new trilogy. The planet of Aurora Saura is overrun by two parasitic invaders: the monstrous Tarrohar and the insidious, body-possessing Rhemans, whose victims are known as “The Quelled.” 19-year-old Kyjta must form an alliance with the enemy – the rebel Rheman Kranik – to rescue her friend Calipsie and confront the Rheman leader head-on. With chapters alternating between the perspectives of its two compelling protagonists, The Quelling is an intricate and skillfully realized piece of imagination, unveiling a world that is unlike others in the YA genre, aided by Lauder’s precise world-building, consistently eerie atmosphere, and empathetic characters.