Kingdom of Ash and Briars

by Hannah West

Overview

Welcome to Nissera, land of three kingdoms and home to spectacular magic.

Bristal, a sixteen-year-old kitchen maid, finds herself in a gritty fairy tale gone wrong when she discovers she has magic in her blood. She's descended from an ancient line of immortal sorcerers called elicromancers—a race that has all but died out in her world,  but only two remain in Nissera after a bloody civil war. Bristal joins their ranks without knowing that one of them has a dark secret . . .

Tamarice is plotting a quest to overthrow the realm's nobility and take charge herself. Together, Bristal and Brack must guard the three kingdoms of Nissera against Tamarice's black elicromancy. There are princesses to protect, royal alliances to forge, and fierce monsters to battle—all with the hope of preserving peace.

With clever homages to Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, Hannah West makes a fast-paced, exciting, and wholly original debut. The Nissera Chronicles begin here and continue with Fields of Fire, a short story set against the events of Kingdom of Ash and Briars, and Realm of Ruins, a gripping companion novel.

"One of the best books I've ever read."—C.J. Redwine, New York Times best-selling author of The Shadow Queen

"A world both terrifying and wonderful."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823436514
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	08/30/2016
Series:	The Nissera Chronicles Series , #1
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.40(d)
Lexile:	870L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Hannah West's debut novel, Kingdom of Ash and Briars, received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and was named one of their Best Teen Books of the Year. Inspired by fairy tale castles and snowy winter days, Hannah began writing the book as a college junior studying abroad in France. She lives in Texas with her husband, Vince, and their rambunctious blue heeler. Visit her on Twitter @hannahwestya.

Read an Excerpt

History might be whittled down until all that remains are shining fables of fairy magic and curse-defying kisses. War might go unmentioned in the polished children’s tales of the two girls with rose petal lips and hair of spun gold, the girls whom I was tasked with making queens.

The coming generations may forget that the price of the peace they will enjoy was paid in blood.

But for the historians, the truth-seekers and the curious: here is the light and the dark of it. Here is my story.

Editorial Reviews

★ "West mixes fairy-tale charm with contemporary mysticism to create a world both terrifying and wonderful." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Classically crafted high fantasy - a call to love, a call to power, a crown at stake, a family at war - where magic runs through every word. Fans of The Shannara Chronicles or The Grisha Trilogy, look no further." —Margaret Stohl, #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Beautiful Creatures novels

"Brilliant, fascinating, and utterly impossible to put down. Hannah West makes a triumphant entry into the world of fairy tale retellings with one of the best books I've ever read." —C.J. Redwine, New York Times best-selling author of The Shadow Queen


"Like Cashore and McKinley, Nix and Novak, Hannah West has crafted a tale both fresh and familiar—a fantasy epic lush in detail and breathlessly enchanting, with an indomitable heroine at its heart." —Claire Legrand, author of Winterspell    

From the Publisher

08/01/2016
Gr 7 Up—In the kingdom of Nissera, Bristal works as a common kitchen maid. Her world completely changes when she is kidnapped, thrown into the "Water," and transformed into an elicromancer. The elicromancers, now almost extinct, are an ancient race of magical beings. Bristal is a shape-shifter. Once she makes the transition from mortal to magical, she is befriended by the only two elicromancers in the kingdom, Brack and Tamarice. Brack encourages Bristal to use her abilities for their intended purpose: to serve those who rule Nissera. Tamarice, however, believes they should use their powers to serve themselves instead. Under the tutelage of Brack, Bristal finds herself in many predicaments that readers will recognize from popular fairy tales. However, under the guidance of Tamarice, Bristal begins to understand the allure of power. It is a balancing act she might not be able to handle. West has created a magical world with robust characters and where the themes of good vs. evil permeate the setting. VERDICT An adept work for fans of Alex Flinn's Beastly and Cloaked and books by Gail Carson Levine.—Jeni Tahaney, Duncanville High School Library, TX

School Library Journal

★ 2016-07-20
Bristal, a teenage kitchen maid, never expected to survive being forced into the Water, a pool designed to prove that a mortal may be an elicromancer, an ancient breed of ageless and immortal beings that once populated the realm of Nissera. But she does.With elicrin stone in hand, Bristal is thrust from the Water, proving her birthright as an elicromancer. With Bristal’s true identity revealed, the last two remaining elicromancers, Brack and Tamarice, materialize to rescue Bristal from kidnappers. They begin to train her to use her gift as a Clandestine: the ability to transform into any human or animal form. Tamarice soon rejects an elicromancer’s duty to keep the peace among nations by cursing Volarre’s Princess Rosamund with dark magic in a fate-binding ritual, thereby putting the three kingdoms of Nissera in danger. Now enemies, Bristal must summon all that she has learned and don disguises to unite the kingdoms in defeating Tamarice. Greatly influenced by the likes of “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Hua Mulan,” and arguably Harry Potter, debut author West mixes fairy-tale charm with contemporary mysticism to create a world both terrifying and wonderful. Bristal, in her shape-shifting glory, delights in her alter egos as boisterous Catleen and ever loyal Tomlin Happer, who joins the Realm Alliance and meets a prince. Race does not appear to be a factor in Nissera; characters read as white. Sweet romance and strong supporting characters complete this impressive debut. (Fantasy. 12-17)

Kirkus Reviews