What if you could buy and swap bodies like clothes?
Benjamin Hisoler
Class inequity is exhausting, but imagine if your social status allowed you to swap bodies indiscriminately?
Anabelle lives in Caimor, a world where the magical elite buy and swap designer bodies like clothes.
‘Queen of Faces’ author Petra Lord.Credit:Benjamin Hisoler
Your body, your memories, the core of your identity, and the philosophical questions that arise.
InQueen of Faces, that extends to the very face and body you wear.
How did your own identity shape the story?
‘Queen of Faces’ by Petra Lord book cover designed by Micaela Alcaino.Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Queen of Facesis a story about identity, about transformation of both the body and soul.
As such, my identity as a trans woman has always been at the core of this narrative.
So, I do seeQueen of Facesas a transgender epic, a fantasy of transition and reconstruction.
This cover is stunning.
Did you have any specific asks going into the design process?
Micaela Alcaino has exceeded my wildest expectations, and I couldnt feel more fortunate.
When someone proposes it to Ana, the main character, she responds with sneering cynicism.
“Most caterpillars die in the cocoon,” she says.
“Theyre eaten by ants or birds or reptiles.
Wasps will lay their eggs inside them and sprout out.
Theyre not inspiring; theyre victims.”
The rest of the book is about asking the question, “Is she right?
For the waves,Queen of Facesis set in a world where the oceans are rapidly rising.
For most people, its not a question of if, butwhenthe entire world will drown.
We begin with mortal desperation.
Where we end is up to her.
How did you determine the rules of magic in this particular world?
In addition, some mages have a unique ability tied to their soul, called a Codex.
Transformation is the beating heart of this worlds fantastical elements.
To quote one character: “Magic isnt power.
Magic is the art of changing yourself.”
Describe the book in three words.
After a few minutes, the downpour calmed to a drizzle, and I emerged onto an empty square.
The only sound was a rusted iron fountain trickling in the center, its waters coated with grime.
I stopped for a moment, pondering my next steps as the adrenaline drained from my veins.
Then the water blasted out of the fountain, a miniature tidal wave.
It slammed into my chest, knocking my old chassis off my shoulders.
My stolen pistol flew out of my hand.
The liquid wrapped around me, pinning me to the cobblestones.
I twisted, trying to break free, but it was rock-hard, a watery coffin trapping my limbs.
My eyes darted left and right, searching for my assailant in the storm.
Then the raindrops froze above me, hovering in place.
Her beauty was cold, vicious, like a leopard waiting to pounce.
I used Rainbow Veil on her, making myself invisible.
She snorted, and the water clenched tighter.
Whatever magic youre doing to trick my senses, it doesnt matter.
I can feel every inch of that water with my Pith, so I can feel you.
I had no idea magic worked like that.
I relaxed my Codex, turning visible again.
c’mon, take a stab at escape.
Her voice was cheery.
Professor Inwood just taught me this spell, and Im dying to get in some practice.
She leaned over me, blond hair shadowing her face.
If you really want to play, Ill show you my Codex.
Care for a glimpse?
I swallowed, staring up at her.
Her icy smirk made her no less dazzling, an irritating fact.
Not to mention, my fiance, Samuel Pakhem, will be arriving soon.HisCodex controls wires.
One wrong move, and hell slice off your toes like a string cutting clay.
I spoke with a light, harmonious voice, nothing like my Edgars.
Its not what you think.
That I wanted to join the Eldritch Guard like she would one day.
But I just shivered and held back the tears building under my eyes.
I would go to prison now, a mages prison with no hope of escaping.
And I would die long before my sentence was up.
I had no chance of matching her in combat.
As a Paragon student, she probably knew dozens of spells.
Not to mention her mystery Codex.
I barely knew what a Pith was, much less how to use it in battle.
And there was no way I could trick her into letting me go.
Not when she knew about my illusions.
I might as well wait for her betrothed, and beg this Samuel boy to take pity on me.
An idea sparked in my mind, threads weaving together.
The strategy formed into a clear picture, a series of moves to dig me out of this trap.
I knew what I had to do.
I sucked in a deep breath, filling my new lungs with air.
Then I screamed, as loud as I could.
I screamed again and again, with the voice of my star-woven chassis.
I screamed until my chest ached.
Sure, bring the whole neighborhood here.
With a personality like that, youll dogreatin prison.
The girl kept laughing all the while.
And as she laughed, I strained my ears.
Footsteps raced toward us from the side alley.
Her fiance, panicked over the sound of a girls screams.
You criminals are all the s
As Samuel stepped in range, I used my illusions on him.
I swapped Nell and myself, making it look like I was standing over her.
I pictured my arm extended like hers, a pistol gripped in her hand.
To his eyes, I was towering over his fiancee, about to shoot her.
A broad-shouldered boy darted around the corner, dressed in a Paragon uniform.
A thin wire glinted beside him in the moonlight.
The air whistled, and I flinched.
Nells right hand fell off.
The girl stared at her red stump.
Then she screamed and fell to the ground, thrashing, clutching her arm.
The girl howled, writhing in a dark puddle on the ground.
I gagged.Steel wires.Samuel must have cut clean through her wrist.
The hovering raindrops fell.
The watery cage melted, and my stolen pistol skidded across the cobblestones.
Copyright 2026 by Petra Lord.
Used with permission by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), an imprint of Macmillan Childrens Publishing Group.
