MILLIE ABECASSIS: THE COLOR OF TIME at Books Inc. Mountain View

About the book:

A science-fantasy inspired by Charles Perrault’s fairy tale “Peau d'Âne,” The Color of Time blends the whimsy of classic fairy tales with the sapphic romance of Fable for the End of the World and the large-scale politics of The Mercy of Gods.

Princess Cyrelle has always been faithful and true to her family, country, and Goddess. But now her brother, King Elias of Cicia, has asked for—no, commanded—her hand in marriage.

Desperate to avoid this incestuous union, Cyrelle requests a series of increasingly impossible gifts and petitions the Goddess for a sign to sway her resolute brother’s proposal. As Elias persists undeterred, Cyrelle must risk everything to escape the only life she’s ever known.

Soon, she becomes Green Scales, hiding and struggling to survive on her own, far across the galaxy. But Phau isn’t the peaceful refuge Cyrelle had hoped for, and when the leader of its burgeoning rebel faction recognizes the runaway princess, she is forced to choose between safety and freedom. With the fate of two kingdoms on the line and nowhere left to run, Cyrelle must decide what it means to be true to herself, to her people, and to her heart.

“An expansive original parable of sapphic yearning, mistakes and redemption, and—most importantly—the fight for freedom.” —Florence Chien, author of The Revenant of Surolifia

“A tour de force that pulses with political intrigue.” —Jason Denzel, author of The Mystic Trilogy

“A wholly unique and positively delightful read!” —T.A. Chan, author of The Celestial Seas

Millie Abecassis is a French-American author of adult speculative fiction born and raised in France. After completing her degrees at the Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris, she moved to California where she’s been living ever since. Besides writing, Millie is the founder and host of #SmallPitch, a pitch event centered on independent presses, and the co-founder of the Small Spec Book Awards. Millie lives in San Jose, California, with her family and their two cats, Haiku and Maui.