Nightbirds
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4.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
In a dazzling new fantasy world full of whispered secrets and political intrigue, the magic of women is outlawed but three girls with unusual gifts have the chance to change it all.
'A luscious, sumptuously woven and totally addictive fantasy.' Amie Kaufman, New York Times' bestselling author of These Broken Stars, Illuminae and Aurora Rising
Magic may be illegal in Simta, but you can find it if you know which whispers to heed. None as tantalising as the ones about the Nightbirds, Simta's best kept secret. These privileged girls have the ability to gift their magic to others with a kiss - something the church would have them killed for. But protected by the Great Houses, their identities safe behind masks, the Nightbirds are well-guarded treasures.
Matilde, Æsa, and Sayer spend their nights bestowing their unique brands of magic to well-paying clients. But this Season's Nightbirds find themselves at the heart of a political scheme that threatens their secrets and their safety. When they discover that their magic is far more than they were ever told, they see the carefully crafted Nightbird system for what it is: a gilded cage.
Now they must make a choice - to remain kept birds or take control, remaking the city that dared to clip their wings.
Filled with sumptuous, cinematic writing and dazzling details, Nightbirds is a fiercely feminist fantasy debut where the most potent magic lies not in a kiss, but in the truth.
'An enchanting mix of illicit magic, danger, intrigue, found family and friendship. A read-all-night page-turner!' VANESSA LEN, New York Times bestselling author of Only a Monster
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this dazzling, fiercely feminist novel, teen witches dubbed Nightbirds bestow temporary doses of their unique abilities via kiss on the wealthy, highborn men of Simta's Great Houses in exchange for protection from puritanical, magic-banning powers-that-be. A madam strictly regulates access to the girls, hiding their identities until they retire to marry a Great House man and birth a new generation. Mathilde, a veteran Nightbird, believes what she's always been told—that intrinsic magic is rare; that she must not wield her magic, only gift it; and that the system keeps her safe. Then, the first evening she works with two novice Nightbirds, street-savvy orphan Sayer and sheltered immigrant Æsa, a religious zealot launches a violent attack, sparking a chain of cataclysmic events both personal and political. Debut author Armstrong uses lush, seamlessly incorporated worldbuilding, kaleidoscopic third-person-present narration told via realistically rendered characters, and fraught queer and straight romantic subplots to explore issues of classism and misogyny. With a pace that never flags and a harrowing, high-stakes plot, this distinguished read boasts texture, heft, and heart. The protagonists cue as white; supporting characters have varying skin tones. Ages 12–up.
