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)
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
Ria and Rani have barely settled into their new lives at the palace—as princesses, as sisters—when a sinister prophecy uproots them once more.
The Blood Moon will rise in one month’s time, and with it their enemy Amara’s opportunity to destroy everything Ria and Rani hold dear.
The twin princesses must find Amara—a deadly search that separates Ria and Rani once more and takes them to wintry kingdoms and scorching deserts, pitting them against ancient mysteries and trap-ridden labyrinths, lethal sea monsters and an elusive enemy that steals into their very dreams.
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)
PS8627.A583 S57 2021
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)
Fiction (Juvenile)
Spirit Service
New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025.
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
All Raveena wants is to bring back her school’s beloved arts program. It’s been six months since her music-loving grandmother passed, and four since Hollows’ Peak Middle School cut its entire arts budget. Now Raveena has no way to practice music, and worse, no way to honor Grandmama’s memory.
But Raveena’s world turns on its head when she and her friends stumble upon an otherworldly discovery: an old-fashioned telephone with the ability to contact ghosts!
With her newfound possession, Raveena devises the perfect plan to raise funds for the arts program: Spirit Service, an agency that guides deceased townspeople to the afterlife by reconnecting them with their living loved ones. The best part? There are tons of spirits in need of assistance—and people willing to pay big bucks to communicate with them.
But not all spirits are interested in peacefully moving on…
To keep their neighborhood safe, Raveena and her friends must dive into the history of their town and the mysterious phone, and in the process, uncover secrets that are much closer to home.
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