Twin Flames

On estranged twins Leila and Bianca’s eighteenth birthday, Leila suddenly gains a djinn’s superpowers, and the twins realize that their town can only survive the djinns’ secret plans if they learn to work together as sisters. An action-packed YA fantasy!

Twins Bianca and Leila could not be more different from each other. Being both Argentinian and Iranian in a small town has always been hard, but with Leila shunning her heritage and Bianca embracing it, the two walk very different paths. They run in different circles of friends, and barely talk anymore. Leila’s a homebody who loves to craft and plans on marrying her high school sweetheart. Bianca’s more anti-establishment and plans to get out of Dodge as soon as humanly possible.

But on their eighteenth birthday, the neighbor’s barn mysteriously burns down. When Leila encounters a monster--a djinn--arising from the fire, suddenly she gains strange powers and can no longer touch iron.

What do these djinn want with Leila--or other people in town, for that matter? Can the twins learn to rely on each other--and their cultures--to banish them? It’ll take a sisterly reconciliation for the girls to find out and to save their hometown in this New Visions Award-winning fantasy adventure.

Olivia Abtahi is a film director and writer. Born to an Iranian father and Argentine mother, she is a melting pot of distinct cultures. She is a graduate of NYU Film School and VCU Brandcenter, from which she holds a BFA and MaSC. Her debut novel, Perfectly Parvin, was published in 2021, receiving the SCBWI Golden Kite Honor, YALSA Odyssey Honor, and numerous starred reviews. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and daughter. In her spare time she enjoys watching music videos, laughing so hard it hurts, and hunting down gluten-free pastries.