Splinter & Ash
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- ¥880
発行者による作品情報
“A winning addition to boundary-defying heroines like Alanna of Trebond and Sir Callie.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“An exciting, twisty story packed with everything you want from a fantasy adventure.” —Anne Ursu, author of Not Quite a Ghost
In New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp's immersive middle grade fantasy, two young misfits embark on a dangerous quest to save their kingdom—and each other. For fans of B. B. Alston’s Amari and the Night Brothers, Soman Chainani’s School for Good and Evil, and Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books.
On the eve of her twelfth birthday, all Princess Adelisa—Ash to her friends—wants to do is run away. The palace doesn’t feel like home. Her mother is holding the war-torn kingdom together by a thread. Her brother bullies her. And the masked ball to celebrate her birthday turns into a nightmare when the nobles openly mock her.
Then Ash meets Splinter. Fierce, brave, and adventurous, Splinter dreams of becoming a knight like her older brother, though only noble sons get to be squires. Until now.
There’s never been a princess’s squire before, but Ash decides it’s the perfect solution. Together, they can face the bullies, snobs, gossips, and disapproving families.
But as their friendship grows, Splinter and Ash discover a deadly conspiracy of nobles planning to overthrow the queen. When Ash is kidnapped, Splinter must navigate long-held secrets and dangerous plots. Ash needs to be a princess who saves herself. And they both have to find a way back to each other to save the kingdom, together.
The first in a trilogy, bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp’s Splinter & Ash evokes the classic adventure and atmosphere of fantasies by Lloyd Alexander and Tamora Pierce and the fresh, inclusive lens of writers such as Rick Riordan, Angie Thomas, and Soman Chainani. It invites everyone—no matter who they are or what they look like—to fight for what they believe in.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After years away, 12-year-old Princess Adelisa of Calinor—Ash to her friends—returns home to the kingdom's capitol of Kestrel's Haven. There, Ash, who walks with a cane and uses braces to support her joints, feels unwelcome by those who perceive her as "fragile and unfit." Then she meets Splinter, who believes that her dreams of becoming a squire are forfeit because she's "not a boy" ("But you're not a girl, either," Ash retorts). Ash sponsors her for squire training in what the princess deems a "simple solution." Still, the duo contends with hostility and scorn from all sides, including from Ash's older brother, Prince Lucen. But when Ash is kidnapped by the kingdom's enemies, Splinter will do anything to rescue her—if Ash doesn't save herself first. In this thrilling trilogy opener, Nijkamp (Ink Girls) assuredly introduces an intersectionally diverse cast of complex and fiercely resourceful characters who must navigate threats both physical and social. With Ash's kindness and intelligence, and Splinter's indomitable knightly spirit, the two make an ideal partnership and a winning addition to boundary-defying heroines like Alanna of Trebond and Sir Callie. Ash and Splinter are depicted on the cover with pale skin. Ages 8–12. Agents: Suzie Townsend and Sophia M. Ramos, New Leaf Literary.
