These Stolen Lives

“A striking, thought-provoking YA dystopia”

- The Guardian

“Fabulously detailed world-building”

- Patrice Lawrence, author of Orangeboy and

Eight Pieces of Silva

Longlisted for the Jhalak Prize 2025

A powerful dystopian thriller from a stunning new voice

in YA, set in a world divided by race where life itself must be

paid for if you want to survive...

Filled with suspense and romance, ideal for fans of Noughts

& Crosses, The Hunger Games and Shatter

Me.

Six years ago, seventeen-year-old Mora survived the terrifying

Skøl invasion. They stole her land. They took her family.

And now not even her life is her own.

Skøl culture revolves around one motto: Life is Golden.

You must pay the government for the right to survive. If you can't,

you're cast out at best - at worst, culled. Records of every

citizen are held at the hallowed, highly secured Life Registry, which

tracks who lives and who dies, who pays and who fails.

Colonized survivors like Mora face endless servitude, repaying

the 'debt' of their years lived before the invasion. Mora is resigned

to her fate, finding glimmers of joy in her tentative friendship

with another repayer, the handsome, elusive Kit.

But then she finds out that twelve-year-old Zako, the closest

thing she has to a brother, is to be put to death by the dangerous

new Skøl Governor. Finding the courage to fight back, Mora

and Kit conspire to smuggle Zako to safety. But their plan draws

them into a dark mystery - and to a heart-pounding mission at

the Life Registry itself. They must ultimately ask themselves: what

are we worth to each other?

Gripping, moving and suspenseful storytelling with a

friends-to-lovers romance that crackles with tension.

A girl driven by unthinkable grief. A boy targeted for

his unimaginable ability. A compelling story exploring the power

of hope, courage and connection from a stunning new voice in YA.

A richly imagined fantasy world that illuminates topics

of colonialism, racism and societal structures that demand productivity

and disenfranchise the poor.

“An intricately-crafted world with characters who live

and breathe beyond the pages.” - Aisha Busby,

author of A Pocketful of Stars

“Utterly captivating... The world Keats has created

is terrifyingly believable... Keats' writing was lush and evocative

too.” - @_ashortbooklover, reader

review