The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta (review)

Teodora serves her father, Niccolò, well, taking out any enemies of the di Sangro family by using her strega magic to turn them into objects, but she's unable to protect Niccolò when the Capo poisons him in a grab for power. Now the Capo has demanded that the eldest son of the di Sangro family come to the capital and pledge loyalty. Teo plans to disguise herself as a boy and get close enough to the Capo for revenge, but there's no way anyone is going to see her curves as boyish; fortunately, Teo meets Cielo, a strega with the power to shift form and gender, who is willing to teach Teo if she helps Cielo find out what is behind the recent rash of disappearing stregas. The Italian-inspired world provides an evocative setting, as Teo and Cielo travel through a pastoral countryside to reach the glittering capital, while the Mafia-like rules that govern Teo's family and her country betray the shadows under the peace and beauty. Gender is explored on societal and individual levels: it's clear that assigned sex correlates to assigned gender in this world, and power is doled out accordingly, with men holding most of it; Teo finds herself enjoying the social status and authority that her male form effortlessly brings. She also, however, finds benefits from and joy in her female body, and her thoughts about the conflation of identity and sex are intriguing and authentically developed. While Teo eventually comes fully into her powers, it comes at the cost of important relationships, making for a bittersweet ending. KQG