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Bright Smoke, Cold Fire

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Sabriel meets Romeo and Juliet in this stunning and atmospheric novel—the first in a duology—from the author of Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound.

When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.

The heirs of the city's most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou, share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on the Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die.

Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding the Juliet. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong—killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy . . . and perhaps turn against his own clan.

Mahyanai Runajo only wants to protect her city—but she's the only one who believes it's in peril. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death—and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.

Both pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. And outside the walls, death is waiting. . . .

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    • Kirkus

      June 1, 2016
      Young lovers and enemies try to save the city in this dystopian spin on Romeo and Juliet.In a Ruined world, the Sisters of Thorn protect the lone city of Viyara with a magic wall sustained by human blood, but orphaned novice Runajo (the book's Rosaline) hopes to restore the failing barrier via lost spells from the long-sealed Sunken Library. Ruthless and tiresomely righteous, Mahyanai Runajo magically bonds with the Juliet--the Catresou's magically modified, martially trained, lethal young woman--and overcomes her qualms about necromancy and slavery in order to exploit the Juliet's unwilling obedience in a claustrophobic and combative relationship. Hapless co-narrator Catresou Paris simultaneously mind-melds with the grief-stricken Mahyanai Romeo, and the duo plunges into the chaotic, colorful Lower City, seeking to avenge the Juliet's alleged death and expose a necromancer through scary (if slapstick) misadventures. Old feuds and entrenched beliefs prove bigger obstacles than omnipresent but impermanent death--the protagonists rely on rituals even as revenants, reapers, and the reanimated clash with the remaining humans. Hodge puts secondary characters center-stage, lards the text liberally with Shakespeare quotes, and adds the undead, buckets of blood, and an impending apocalypse to create a rich, if repetitive retelling. Her worldbuilding emphasizes family over race; the Mahyanai are dark-haired and fair-skinned, while the Catresou go masked (though the Juliet is fair-skinned). A bloody and bold tale for those who want some Romero with their Romeo, but resolution awaits a sequel. (Fantasy. 12-18)

      COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • School Library Journal

      July 1, 2016

      Gr 9 Up-Borrowing loosely from Romeo and Juliet, Hodge creates a world ravaged by the Ruining, a fog that killed the living and allowed the dead to walk. Runajo, a Sister of Thorn, knows that it is the sacrifice of human blood that keeps the wall strong enough to protect the only surviving city of Viyara. Juliet Catresou is a young woman compelled by spells since birth to kill anyone who harms her kin, the mask-wearing Catresou clan. And yet she has fallen for Romeo, of the Mahyanai. When a bonding ceremony goes wrong, Paris (who was unhappily expecting to become Juliet's Guardian) and Romeo can read each other's thoughts and Juliet is in the land of the dead. The action alternates between what is happening with Runajo, who secretly brings Juliet back to the cloister, and Paris's activities with Romeo, often in the Lower City. Teens need not be Shakespeare fans to appreciate this work and will enjoy reading about magic, an underworld, and a Juliet who kicks butt. The complicated plot requires readers' attention, as three clans, invented religious elements, a variety of undead, and magic scrolls retrieved from a buried library all intertwine. VERDICT An atmospheric tale that pits loyalty to kin against loyalty to self and loyalty to loved ones, this work will appeal to the author's fans and those who can't get enough of fantastical retellings.-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

      Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      September 15, 2016
      Grades 9-12 The world beyond the walled city of Viyara is dead. Strong magic, performed by the steely Sisters of Thorn, keeps undead revenants at bay, but it is a tenuous peace. Inside the city, two powerful clans chafe against each other. Juliet Catresou, magicked and trained from infancy to defend her family, has fallen in love with Romeo, a rival from the Mahyanai clan. When her vengeful magic compels her to kill him, they resist it with catastrophic results: Romeo becomes bound to Paris Catresou, and Juliet is killed, only to be pulled back to life by Mahyanai Runajo, a Sister, in an accidental, forbidden act of necromancy. With Viyara in danger, the two are thrown into separate quests to save it. This starts at the end of the familiar story, channeling most of its narrative through Paris and Runajo, and for once, readers may not know where it's goingwhat is death in a world with necromancers? High stakes, desperate love, and a healthy dose of gore keep this update fresh and intriguing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

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