When the ancient evil of the Blackbringer rises to unmake the world, only one determined faerie stands in its way. However, Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind, is not like other faeries. While her kind live in seclusion deep in the forests of Dreamdark, she's devoted her life to tracking down and recapturing devils escaped from their ancient bottles, just as her hero, the legendary Bellatrix, did 25,000 years ago. With her faithful gang of crows, she travels the world fighting where others would choose to flee. But when a devil escapes from a bottle sealed by the ancient Djinn King himself- the creator of the world- she may be in over her head. How can a single faerie, even with the help of her friends, hope to defeat the impenetrable darkness of the Blackbringer?
At a time when fantasy readers have an embarrassment of riches in choosing new worlds to fall in love with, this first novel by a fresh, original voice is sure to stand out.
Magpie, granddaughter of the West Wind, is born of dreams. When Humans—"mannies"—start letting loose devils in the world, faerie Magpie and her band of rough-and-tumble, cheroot-smoking crows must start hunting them down. The tale takes its time in unfolding, with lovely echoes of its literary antecedents from Tolkien on down. Magpie also learns it is she who must keep the dark from swallowing the world. She finds where the dragons, and her ancient heroine, Bellatrix, have gone, and she wakes an ancient djinni.The tapestry of the world needs reweaving, and a blond, tattooed princeling needs a way to remake his malformed wings. This all braids together into a radiant conclusion. Vibrant language overcomes a surfeit of telling rather than showing. 'Pie is one tough faerie, and the way is open for more tales about her to come. DeCandido, GraceAnne A.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Belongs at the top of everyone’s fantasy must-read list. —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Tremendous—a vivid adventure in a place both familiar and new, characters that made me laugh and cheer, and a truly frightening villain. I thoroughly enjoyed the read. —Shannon Hale, Newbery Honor Winner --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Laini Taylor is a writer & artist living in Portland, Oregon. Her debut novel, Dreamdark: Blackbringer was published to much acclaim, including stars from Booklist, Bank Street College of Education, and KLIATT; it was a Book Sense Children’s Pick; winner of the Baker & Taylor/PYRG Teen Readers Sweepstakes; is on the Sequoyah Book Awards Master List; and has received glowing praise from such luminaries as Holly Black, Newbery Honor-winner Shannon Hale, and New York Times bestseller Brandon Mull. A Fuse #8 Production states, “If you read only one fantasy book this year, read this one.” The companion volume Dreamdark: Silksinger will be published in September 2009, followed in October by a short-story collection Lips Touch.
Laini Taylor is also the creator of Laini’s Ladies, a gift product line she began making by hand to sell at a local art fair, which has expended to seventeen product lines—from stationary to garden object to holiday ornaments to jewelry—that have retailed in over 5,000 gift and specialty stores throughout the United States and Canada.
Laini Taylor lives with her husband, artist Jim Di Bartolo, and her elderly dog, Leroy, in a bright yellow house filled with lots of books and marionettes and robots. They spend their time drinking coffee and making stuff up, and are currently awaiting the birth of their first child.
