“Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness.
When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England.
Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion...
Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.
Purchase: Amazon
Excerpt:
The
moment the stone was off, the songs came for me— hundreds of them,
humming like bees, flickering like firelight, crossing like shadows. And
the strongest one was the wild tune I’d heard in the garden. This time,
however, it went on and on. It spoke of the sea and of home and of
times long past. It tugged at my heart and my throat and my lips. Sing me, it said.
And I did.
I
had no idea what the words were, or what phrase came next. But I did
not care. A dizzying sense of freedom flooded over me. All I wanted to
do was give voice to the notes that came to me, one after another, in an
endless stream of sound. We climbed together, strong and sure, rising
ever higher. I felt as if I were flying.
Sing and the darkness will find you.
Norrie’s
warning rang out in my mind. But it seemed to come from somewhere far
away, somewhere very much farther than the music itself.
I
hardly even noticed when Norrie herself banged the door open. With a
horrified cry, she bounded forward and clutched my wrist, the net of
seaweed dripping in her hand.
“Lucy! No!”
But already the wind was rising. It swirled through the room, midnight black, and caught us both in its grasp. As the candle went out, the song rose to a shriek, and everything around us vanished.Book Trailer:
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About the Author:
Amy Butler Greenfield was a grad student in history when she gave into temptation and became a writer. Since then, she has become an award-winning author.
Born in Philadelphia, Amy grew up in the Adirondack Mountains and later studied history at Williams College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Oxford. She now lives with her family in England, where she writes, bakes double-dark-chocolate cake, and plots mischief.
Cool excerpt. thanks for participating!
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ReplyDeleteI really like the cover of this one, the typography is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing an excerpt, it sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteChantress sounds like a fascinating read. The cover is beautiful, hauntingly captivating.
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