August 2, 2021
Anipare’s thrilling urban fantasy debut follows an English teacher named Cybelle living in a small city in Japan. Despite having spent the last six years working in Kansai, Cybelle still faces constant alienation from her coworkers and peers as a Black Canadian woman. Now she struggles with the decision of whether to renew her teaching contract for another year or return home. Meanwhile, the novel visits a parallel world of supernatural creatures who awaken while the human world sleeps. Here, readers are introduced to Zaniel, a mysterious human who walks between both worlds and serves the powerful demon Akki in return for his protection. When a new demon, the Yokai, challenges Akki’s territory and causes chaos, Cybelle’s plotline intersects with Zaniel’s, drawing her into the supernatural realm and turning her world upside down. Anipare successfully blends Japanese folklore and contemporary life, and readers will be entranced to see the mundane and the mythical collide. This thought-provoking story is sure to win Anipare fans.