SOSAL is the story of two sisters, Zuhra and Inara, who grow up trapped behind a sentient, magical hedge. They live in an abandoned citadel with their mother, who is emotionally broken from their father’s disappearance the night Inara was born—the same night the hedge grew, trapping them there. The citadel was once inhabited by the Paladin, a race of magical beings—the same magic that Inara inherited from their father, the last Paladin in their world. Without anyone to teach her how to harness and control her power, she ends up trapped in her own mind. They have little hope of escape…until the day the hedge lets a stranger through for the first time, and everything changes. 

Zuhra, the older sister, is fiercely loyal and protective of Inara. She’s loving and strong-willed, but stifled by their entrapment and her mother’s rules—which include refusing to let her investigate any rooms the Paladin once used, beyond the few ones they inhabit. Inara is gentle and kind, but can rarely communicate because of the power that creates a roar in her mind, trapping her even more fully than the hedge. There are some other amazing characters in this book, but I don’t want to spoil anything! 

The sisters are definitely my first favorites…I love both Zuhra and Inara so much. I am the oldest of five girls, so I can definitely relate to Zuhra and her desire to protect Inara and her deep love for her sister. But I do have a few other favorites, too…I just can’t say much because I don’t want to spoil anything! 

It started with Inara and Zuhra first. I saw a picture of a girl with glowing blue eyes and it ignited this little idea I’d had sparking inside for a while. Then I saw an image of a citadel on a cliff with a waterfall that ran out from underneath it, and I thought—what if a huge hedge grew around that—trapping a family there? And from there, the rest of it blossomed into the story you now have!

Oof, that’s a hard question! I’m not sure it describes it necessarily, but one song I listened to on repeat for certain scenes was Breathe by Fleurie. 

I have such a hard time with this honestly…but I think Mackenzie Foy would be a lovely Inara (with glowing blue contacts, of course), or the model Bogdana from Russia reminds me so much of her from the pictures I saw on pinterest…as for Zuhra, I think Marie Avgeropoulos would do a great job! 

I love hot chocolate on a brisk fall day (or night, or morning), and I have to say curling up in a cozy blanket by a fire is my perfect place to read a book when it’s cold out! 

There are so many great books out there, it’s incredibly hard to narrow them down to a few recommendations. Some of my favorite recent reads have been the CARAVAL series, BONE CRIER’S MOON (comes out in March), and THE MUSE OF NIGHTMARES. Also, if they haven’t read my two other series, they could always go back and read those while they wait—the DEFY trilogy, and the DARK BREAKS THE DAWN duology.

I’m working on the sequel to SOSAL, and a few other secret projects!

Sara B. Larson is the best-selling and critically acclaimed author of the YA fantasy DEFY trilogy (DEFY, IGNITE, and ENDURE) and the DARK BREAKS THE DAWN duology. Her next YA fantasy, SISTERS OF SHADOW AND LIGHT, comes out November 5th from Tor Teen. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t write books—although she now uses a computer instead of a Little Mermaid notebook. Sara lives in Utah with her husband, their four children, and their Maltese, Loki. She writes in brief snippets throughout the day and the quiet hours when most people are sleeping. Her husband claims she should have a degree in “the art of multitasking.” When she’s not mothering or writing, you can often find her at the gym repenting for her sugar addiction.