Amber & Dusk (Amber & Dusk Series #1)

by Lyra Selene

Overview

Lyra Selene weaves a lush and thrilling story of sacrifice, secrets, and star-crossed love set in a Parisian-inspired world where the sun never sets in this remarkable YA fantasy debut.

Sylvie has always known she deserves more. Out in the permanent twilight of the Dusklands, her guardians called her power to create illusions a curse. But Sylvie knows it gives her a place in Coeur d'Or, the palais of the Amber Empress and her highborn legacies. So Sylvie sets off toward the Amber City, a glittering jewel under a sun that never sets, to take what is hers.But her hope for a better life is quickly dimmed. The empress invites her in only as part of a wicked wager among her powerful courtiers. Sylvie must assume a new name, Mirage, and begin to navigate secretive social circles and deadly games of intrigue in order to claim her spot. Soon it becomes apparent that nothing is as it appears and no one, including her cruel yet captivating sponsor, Sunder, will answer her questions. As Mirage strives to seize what should be her rightful place, she'll have to consider whether it is worth the price she must pay.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338569919
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	11/05/2019
Series:	Amber & Dusk Series , #1
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)
Lexile:	800L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Lyra Selene was born under a full moon and has never quite managed to wipe the moonlight out of her eyes. When she isn't dreaming up fantastical cities and brooding landscapes, Lyra enjoys hiking, rainstorms, autumn, and pretending she's any good at painting. She lives in New England with her husband, in an antique farmhouse that's probably not haunted. Amber & Dusk was her debut novel.

Read an Excerpt

I wasn't highborn. Or if I was, whoever sired me disowned me, dumping me in the shadows at the edge of the world like I was worthless. The thought stoked the ember of rage burning always within me, a bright kernel hard and polished as a ruby.When I opened my hands illusions spilled out, beautiful and terrible and impossible to control.Trees of kembric, draped in garlands of jewels.Bouquets of skyflowers.Bracelets of stars.I wasn't worthless. I wasn't an aberration, a freak, a monster. I was a legacy.I ran away from the Temple of the Scion because I knew I deserved better than merely being tolerated. Much as I'd tried to follow in their footsteps when I was young, I had never belonged with the Sisters, and they had certainly never loved me. They had taught me many things: that to laugh too loudly in the presence of the Scion was a sin, and that the bruises and scrapes inflicted by the ignorant village kids were my own fault, and that dreaming of anything outside the dank walls of the temple was too dangerous to be allowed.They had taught me that being alive was not the same thing as living.They had tried to stop me from leaving, when I finally fled. They had burned the Imperial Insignia and tried to lock me in my room, panic churning their studied tranquility into chaos. But I'd escaped. Jagged satisfaction tinged with guilt burned through me when I remembered how I'd repaid a lifetime of their indifference.But I deserved the chance to find where I belonged. To find a world where my gift — my legacy — did not frighten superstitious Sisters or enrage cruel children. To find a world forged in sunlight and honed on dreams, as perilous and intoxicating as the colors spilling jewel-bright from my fingertips.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Amber & Dusk:

"A dazzling and romantic feast for the imagination, Amber & Dusk is an intoxicating tale of self-discovery, and magic both sinister and glamorous. An enthralling debut that is impossible to put down." — Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of the Star-Touched series

"Amber & Dusk is a shimmering tapestry of language, woven through with soaring beauty and subtle menace." — Sarah Holland, New York Times bestselling author of Everless

"Selene's clear storytelling skill marks her as an author to watch." — Booklist

"Full of riotous color, fantastical locations, and surprising plot twists, this novel is sure to delight fans of Graceling and Caraval." — School Library Journal

"The intensity of energy between Sylvie and Sunder fairly crackles . . . The palace intrigues make this narrative gripping and will have readers eagerly anticipating the conclusion as well as anxious to know what happens next." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

10/01/2018
Gr 6 Up—Abandoned as a baby on the steps of the Temple, Sylvie was raised by the Sisters of the Scion. Sylvie has always longed for more than could ever be had in the Dusklands—the land of twilight just mere miles away from the mystery and the perpetual darkness of Dominion. And she knows she is destined for more, because she has a magical gift—one that allows her to create illusions from thin air. Escaping the Sisters' cloister and traveling to the Amber City where the sun never sets, Slyvie hopes that she has finally found a place to belong. But though the empress Severine gives her the new name of Mirage and allows her into the palais of Coeur d'Or, it is as part of a cruel wager that pits the aristocratic dynasties of Dexter and Sinister against one another. As Mirage works to control her legacy, understand the machinations and intrigues of the court, and find her place in the palais, she begins to learn that the lines between good and evil aren't so clearly defined and that the Amber City is not the home she imagined. The author gives enough details about the characters so readers can fill the gaps, and there are enough surprises as to players' motivations to keep the narrative engaging. The setting of a land with a static sun is attention-grabbing. On the whole, this is a satisfying read. VERDICT Full of riotous color, fantastical locations, and surprising plot twists, this novel is sure to delight fans of Graceling and Caraval.—Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO

School Library Journal

2018-08-20

Parentless Sylvie accomplishes her goal of joining the royal court but learns all that glitters isn't gold.

Though raised on the edge of the known world, Sylvie's convinced her magical powers (she can create illusions) mean she's nobility. In the Amber City, the Amber Empress, Severine, indulges Sylvie but demands someone sponsor her, a call answered by the ice-cold, handsome, very blond and pale (his hair and skin color are fetishized) Sunder, one of the richest nobles. His sponsorship turns out to be a cruel jest, but Sylvie eventually learns there's more to him than she guessed. The intensity of energy between Sylvie and Sunder fairly crackles though it's unclear from whence their attraction stems. It is strange that it takes Sylvie so long to see the fractures in the beautiful facade of the court, although she is given lots of information and reason to doubt. Though there are a handful of important secondary characters, none is painted with much depth. Impetuous, obstinate, and obtuse, Sylvie doesn't grow much throughout, which may make her difficult to root for. However, the palace intrigues make this narrative gripping and will have readers eagerly anticipating the conclusion as well as anxious to know what happens next. Characters are described with varying skin tones from light through brown, and there is some diversity in sexual orientation.

Riveting but flawed. (Fantasy. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews