New York: Amulet Books, 2008. Uncorrected Proof. Dark blue octavo, 453 pages; 22 cm. Very mild rubbing to top fore-edge, extremely gentle rubbing to corners, bright pages in tight binding, else Near Fine(+). Paperback. ISBN: 97808110994812Review copy. Arranged marriage -- Juvenile fiction. Sold to be the eighth wife of a rich and cruel merchant, Safia, also called Raka, tries to escape her fate by telling stories of Farhad the thief, his companion Nitish the white tiger, and their travels across India to retrieve a famous jewel that will save a kidnapped princess from becoming the bride of a demon king. Contents: Advance warning -- Safia and Raka -- Through air -- The bloodstone -- The night of the rats -- The Indian butcher's stall -- The trunk of the sacred Bodhi tree -- Raka and Lalit -- Through water -- A greeting from the monsoon -- A little white cow -- A copy of himself -- A light as bright as the sun -- Lalit and Raka -- Through fire -- Ashes -- Arrack -- Sand -- Stone -- Lalit and Lagan -- Through love -- Among the rose thorns -- Under the date palm -- The end of the song.
