Imagine a princess named Rory Thorne who is, at her naming ceremony, blessed by 13 fairies. She believes, as the eldest child, that she’ll inherit the kingdom, but after her father is assassinated during her mother’s second pregnancy, a brother is born. An annoying, bratty, indolent brother who is, nonetheless, in possession of dangly bits and thus an appointed heir.

On Rory’s 16th birthday, her mother affiances Rory Thorne to a prince she’s met once and ships her off to a space station orbiting his home planet. The man acting as her future husband’s regent, necessarily evil and power hungry, imprisons her in what is, essentially, an orbital tower and maneuvers himself into position to take the throne permanently.

Now imagine the fairies are aliens and their greatest gift to Rory is the power to see through the flattery everyone is prone to lobbing at princesses. Imagine Rory has been educated in politics and rather enjoys the game, is a mathematical and programming genius, has been instructed in martial arts by her personal guard, has grown up with an extremely capable mother who has ruled their own system as regent for her brother (unwanted engagement aside), and who brooks no bullshit.

Sounds amazing, right?

It is.

Joyfully, delightfully amazing.

The official blurb describes How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse (DAW Books) as “Princess Leia meets The Princess Bride,” and the comparison is apt. The novel’s heroine is smart, savvy, and fantastically snarky but not without emotion and kindness. She cares deeply for her mentors, her friends, and even for her cruelly used fianceé. She is willing to risk her own life for justice, though she’ll be damned if she’ll do so needlessly, without making a point, or without making some major changes in the way Things Are Done.

One of the most compelling things about K. Eason’s novel, beyond Rory herself, is how well fleshed out the supporting cast is. Anyone with a name, even of the hilariously rude nickname variety, is given their due, their personality immediately evident in the way they walk and talk, the way they react to pressure, and those to whom they’re willing to give the side-eye. No one is wasted and everyone is important in this tale, guiding it to its fascinating and surprising conclusion.

Part fairy tale, part space opera, part thriller, and part feminist manifesto, How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is definitely one of my favorite books of the year thus far – and I’m on number 61 of a hopeful 80. It falls squarely into the “I gobbled this up because I couldn’t wait to see what happened and then was sad because there was no more.” (Good news, though: How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is labeled as Book One of the Thorne Chronicles!)

How is it still four months until everyone else gets to read this one because I want book 2 now?

Remember, preorders are a thing and then you don’t have to remember (and I don’t have to remind you) in October when it comes out…