Sarena Nanua and Sasha Nanua are twin sisters of South Asian ancestry who were born and raised in the Greater Toronto Area. Both are graduates of the English and professional writing program of the University of Toronto, Mississauga. While at university, they helped run a creative writing community, UTM Scribes, and also blogged about Canadian books. Their first works, self-published while still teenagers, are the volumes of The Pendant trilogy. These fantasy works feature Arica Miller, a student at a prestigious private arts academy.
Fiction (Young adult)
Daughters of the Dawn
New York: HarperTeen, 2022.
(Ria & Rani #2)
Forthcoming June or September 2022
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
Unavailable
Fiction
The Gemstone
iUniverse, 2012.
(Pendant trilogy; 1)
Fiction
The King’s Jewel
iUniverse, 2013.
(Pendant trilogy; 2)
Fiction
The Poisoned Emerald
iUniverse, 2014.
(Pendant trilogy; 3)
Fiction (Young adult)
Sisters of the Snake
New York: HarperTeen, 2021.
(Ria & Rani #1)
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
Princess Rani longs for a chance to escape her gilded cage and prove herself. Ria is a street urchin, stealing just to keep herself alive.
When these two lives collide, everything turns on its head: because Ria and Rani, orphan and royal, are unmistakably identical.
A deal is struck to switch places—but danger lurks in both worlds, and to save their home, thief and princess must work together. Or watch it all fall into ruin.
Deadly magic, hidden temples, and dark prophecies: Sisters of the Snake is an action-packed, immersive fantasy that will thrill fans of The Wrath & the Dawn and The Tiger at Midnight.
Awards and Honours
2022 Arlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy (Finalist)
Links and Other Resources
Sarena and Sasha Nanua website
Publisher HarperCollinsCanada
Raughley, Sarah. “Sister Act.” Quill & Quire, March 2021, p. 18
Rotberg, Ethan. “For Twin Authors Sarena and Sasha Nanua, YA Fantasy Novels Are a Family Affair.” Toronto Star, 4 July 2021. https://www.thestar.com/life/together/people/2021/07/04/for-twin-authors-sarena-and-sasha-nanua-collaborating-on-fantasy-novels-is-not-simply-a-family-affair.html