Shimmer and Burn
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
To save her sister’s life, Faris must smuggle magic into a plague-ridden neighboring kingdom in this exciting and dangerous start to a brand-new fantasy duology.
Faris grew up fighting to survive in the slums of Brindaigel while caring for her sister, Cadence. But when Cadence is caught trying to flee the kingdom and is sold into slavery, Faris reluctantly agrees to a lucrative scheme to buy her back, inadvertently binding herself to the power-hungry Princess Bryn, who wants to steal her father’s throne.
Now Faris must smuggle stolen magic into neighboring Avinea to incite its prince to alliance—magic that addicts in the war-torn country can sense in her blood and can steal with a touch. She and Bryn turn to a handsome traveling magician, North, who offers protection from Avinea’s many dangers, but he cannot save Faris from Bryn’s cruelty as she leverages Cadence’s freedom to force Faris to do anything—or kill anyone—she asks. Yet Faris is as fierce as Bryn, and even as she finds herself falling for North, she develops schemes of her own.
With the fate of kingdoms at stake, Faris, Bryn, and North maneuver through a dangerous game of magical and political machinations, where lives can be destroyed—or saved—with only a touch.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Taranta's debut features a tough-as-nails heroine, a complicated magic system, and a gritty fantasy world full of menace and wonder. Despite the threat of plague in surrounding Avinea, 16-year-old Faris Locke longs to escape the walled city of Brindaigel and the brutality of King Perrotte. After Faris, her sister Cadence, and her beloved Thaelan are caught attempting to flee, Cadence is sold into slavery, Thaelan is hanged, and Faris is forced to brawl for money in hopes of buying Cadence's freedom. When the king's executioner offers Faris a job, she can't refuse, but she'll be bound by magic to Princess Bryn, who is determined to take her father's throne. After escaping to Avinea through the sewers, Faris and Bryn meet a magician named North and his apprentice, who are determined to stop the plague and save Avinea. In a crowded fantasy field, Taranta's story stands out for its mature writing, inventive and scary creatures (and even scarier humans), and complex and often ruthless characters. The conclusion suggests that Faris's adventures are only getting started. Ages 14 up.