Nahia - by Emily Jones

Book Synopsis

A sweeping romantic epic set in the wild and dangerous world of prehistoric Europe!

Spain, 8,000 years ago. As Headwoman's daughter, eighteen-year-old Nahia was born to lead. But when she speaks aloud a forbidden truth--that her people are facing a growing threat of invasion--her expectations are shattered when she's punished with exile and apprenticed to the enigmatic shaman Eneko instead.

With her sister Izara made the new heir and her world upended, Nahia is sent away with a young man she barely knows. Deep in the wilds, however, she uncovers a shocking talent for divining messages from the spirits and channelling their turbulent powers. But these visions come to show her that her people are in terrible danger. . . and they need her. Nahia will have to use every advantage she has to save her beloved people--and her sister.

In this powerful upper YA with crossover appeal, archaeologist Emily Jones transports us to a rugged world of pine forests, frothy beaches, and wild magic, and masterfully depicts passionate first love, conquest, green sorcery, the unbreakable bond between sisters, and untamed, unashamed female power. Utterly unique and shockingly good, this is a knockout debut, perfect for fans of Jean M. Auel, Adrienne Young, Chloe Gong, Claire M. Andrews, and Rachel Griffin.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

"BREATHTAKINGLY, BRILLIANTLY NEW... I couldn't put this one down!"--Claire M. Andrews, Daughter of Sparta

"ENTHRALLING."--Publishers Weekly

"TREMENDOUS... Masterful storytelling."--Dr. William Taylor, Curator of Archaeology and author of Hoof Beats

Review Quotes

A teen girl is stripped of her status when she insists that her people must change their traditions in order to survive... An interesting story unfolding in an unusual setting.
--Kirkus Reviews

An enthralling, fantasy-tinged debut... Thoughtful examinations of gender roles and clashing cultural philosophies add complexity and infuse history with heart... Illuminates and informs.
--Publishers Weekly

This debut traces the destiny of a strong, appealing heroine... Daily life during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition is sharply drawn and accompanied by extensive back matter by the author, an archaeologist. This impressive work addresses the responsibilities of leadership, the inevitability of change, and the effects of civilization on the natural world.
--Booklist

A story of finding oneself among traditions and change, listening to nature, and [of] resistance or assimilation... It doesn't read like a dry education book at all... Nahia's journey is one of discovery, negotiation, and survival.
--YA Book Central

Archeologist Emily Jones, in her YA fiction debut, infuses expert storytelling with deep knowledge from her background. The result is a powerfully creative and moving work of fiction that develops the realistic and relatable pre-history characters of Nahia and the matriarchal Sea People. . . .Nahia is a gripping, relatable novel about coming of age in a world-changing time of social and environmental unrest.
--Shelf Awareness (starred review)

About the Author

Dr. Emily Jones is an archaeologist and a professor of anthropology at the University of New Mexico. She studies the connections between people, food, and the environment in prehistory, particularly in Southwest Europe. Her work has been published in Antiquity, Science, Quaternary Research, and many other journals, and she is the author of a nonfiction academic book, In Search of the Broad Spectrum Revolution in Paleolithic Southwest Europe. She has been a Fulbright scholar in Spain and a Chateaubriand Fellow in France. Nahia is her fiction debut. Emily enjoys baking, hiking, gardening, yoga, and beekeeping.