From acclaimed author Makiia Lucier, a dazzling, romantic fantasy inspired by Pacific Island mythology. In the old tales, it is written that the egg of a seadragon, dragonfruit, holds within it the power to undo a person’s greatest sorrow. An unwanted marriage, a painful illness, an unpaid debt…gone. But as with all things that promise the moon and the stars and offer hope when hope has gone, the tale comes with a warning.
Every wish demands a price.
Hanalei of Tamarind is the cherished daughter of an old island family. But when her father steals a seadragon egg meant for an ailing princess, she is forced into a life of exile. In the years that follow, Hanalei finds solace in studying the majestic seadragons that roam the Nominomi Sea. Until, one day, an encounter with a female dragon offers her what she desires most. A chance to return home, and to right a terrible wrong.
Samahtitamahenele, Sam, is the last remaining prince of Tamarind. But he can never inherit the throne, for Tamarind is a matriarchal society. With his mother ill and his grandmother nearing the end of her reign. Sam is left with two choices: to marry, or to find a cure for the sickness that has plagued his mother for ten long years. When a childhood companion returns from exile, she brings with her something he has not felt in a very long time-hope.
But Hanalei and Sam are not the only ones searching for the dragonfruit. And as they battle enemies both near and far, there is another danger they cannot escape…that of the dragonfruit itself.
Praise for DRAGONFRUIT:
*2025 Oregon Book Award Winner for Young Adult Literature
*A USA TODAY bestseller
*One of NPR’s 2024 “Books We Love”
*Goodreads Choice Awards, Finalist
*A New York Public Library Best Book of 2024
*A School Library Journal Best Book of 2024
*Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, Youth Honor
*Top 10 Pick/Best Fiction for Young Adults, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
*A Kirkus Best Book of 2024
“A mesmerizing, captivating Pacific Islands-inspired fantasy.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Dazzles from start to finish.” —Publishers Weekly
“The seadragons are rad.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“(A) lush, captivating fantasy…Enchanting.”—Booklist
“(E)xquisite…an incredible talent.”—School Library Journal (starred review)
“Full of adventure and fascinating lore, the world of Makiia Lucier’s marvelous Dragonfruit is one I would have loved to linger in were I not so feverishly turning the pages. One of the rare books that had me at the first chapter. I LOVE THESE SEADRAGONS!”—Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series
“Abundant with hope and second chances, this magical adventure stole me away with its pirates and seadragons, wishes and sea gods, villainy and homecomings. A winsome new take on how we should be careful what we wish for.”—Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles
“Rich in worldbuilding, this gripping, warm-hearted fantasy is so vividly rendered you can almost feel the salt spray of the Nominomi Sea and hear the calls of sea dragons echoing through the pages. The lore is wonderfully unique and Hanalei and Sam are characters I couldn’t help rooting for. A true delight.”—Heather Fawcett, author of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries