Loretta Chefchaouni

YA Fantasy Author

Loretta Chefchaouni

Loretta Chefchaouni is a former early childhood educator from Florida who writes for teens. Her fantastical tales turn grief and fear into myth and monsters and explore all the scary parts of being human within the safe space of stories. She is made of coffee stains and cat fur, and if you were to cut her open, you'd find a marshmallow center. The Lustrous Dark is her debut novel.

*In regards to identity, Loretta is a white convert to Islam....

Books

The Lustrous Dark

Peachtree Teen | May 19, 2026

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

For fans of Sabaa Tahir and Guillermo del Toro comes The Lustrous Dark, a sweeping YA fantasy inspired by a Moroccan folktale, in which a young midwife’s apprentice rises up to take back the power that’s been stolen from women.

Orphaned as a baby, Shay has spent her life training as the midwife’s...

A Thousand Nights

Candlewick | September 8, 2026

In the mold of Arabian Nights, this groundbreaking YA anthology—featuring sixteen Muslim women writers—links together fantastical stories that a group of refugees tell one another within a riveting frame story.

On her way across the desert, fleeing the soldiers who have destroyed all she knows, one refugee meets another. And another and another....

Praise

"This is a rich, immersive tale about growing up, choosing trust after heartbreak, and discovering family in unexpected places. The worldbuilding is extensive, drawing readers fully into a magical fairy-tale realm inhabited by hags, bone-eaters, and bloodsuckers. Shay is flawed yet fearless as she navigates a world designed to keep her powerless, and readers will root for her as she confronts dangers on her quest to save her mother and find the family she has always longed for ... Deeply relatable and beautifully written."

– School Library Journal, starred review

“The Lustrous Dark is as lush and enchanting as it is raw and haunting. With rich mythology, lovable characters, and exquisite prose, Loretta Chefchaouni’s debut tackles themes of oppression and addiction with unflinching honesty and hope. A fiercely feminist tale about reclaiming one’s power.”

– Pascale Lacelle, New York Times bestselling author of Curious Tides

“At turns grim and whimsical, this is a fairytale of our times, filled with grisly dangers, feminist rage, and steadfast female friendship--and a lovely, gentle romance to wrap it all up. A story I will be thinking about for a long time to come.”

– Intisar Khanani, author of The Dauntless Path and The Sunbolt Chronicles series

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