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Even the Darkest Stars
The Even the Darkest Stars Series (Book 1)
- Author
- Heather Fawcett
- Narrator
- Priya Ayyar
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 12 November 2019
- Run Time
- 11 hours 31 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction: Fantasy, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Traditional stories
- Rating
- 4.0 (1 review)
What to expect
This is the first in a sweeping and action-packed debut fantasy duology loosely inspired by the early climbers of Mt. Everest—perfect for fans of Cindy Pon and Alison Goodman.
Kamzin has always dreamed of becoming one of the emperor’s royal explorers, the elite climbers tasked with mapping the wintry, mountainous empire and spying on its enemies. She knows she could be the best in the world, if only someone would give her a chance.
But everything changes when the mysterious and eccentric River Shara, the greatest explorer ever known, arrives in her village and demands to hire Kamzin—not her older sister Lusha, as everyone had expected—for his next expedition. This is Kamzin’s chance to prove herself—even though River’s mission to retrieve a rare talisman for the emperor means climbing Raksha, the tallest and deadliest mountain in the Aryas. Then Lusha sets off on her own mission to Raksha with a rival explorer who is determined to best River, and Kamzin must decide what’s most important to her: protecting her sister from the countless perils of the climb or beating her to the summit.
The challenges of climbing Raksha are unlike anything Kamzin expected—or prepared for—with avalanches, ice chasms, ghosts, and even worse at every turn. And as dark secrets are revealed, Kamzin must unravel the truth of their mission and of her companions—while surviving the deadliest climb she has ever faced.
Critics Review
-
“There are glimmerings of a love triangle here, but the focus remains squarely on Kamzin’s brutal trek through the icy mountains, a fascinating, fantastical twist on early expeditions to Mount Everest. Add in a detailed, well-realized setting, an unsettling villain that lingers just off the page, and buckets of danger to result in an utterly inventive and wholly original debut.”
Booklist (starred review)
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“Fawcett’s descriptive skills bring the icy terrain to life and make what could be an endless trek largely compelling reading…With a dash of romantic entanglement, a rich original mythology, and a sizzler of a twist at the end, this duology opener will appeal to fans of female-centric fantasy.”
Kirkus Reviews
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“Brilliantly rendering aspects of mountaineering, debut novelist fawcett makes readers feel the constant danger and bitter cold.”
Voice of Youth Advocates
-
“Cinematically vivid…immersive and absorbing.”
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
User Reviews
Book 4.0
Narration 3.0
-
4.0 3.0
I initially didn't have great hopes for this book because of some lukewarm reviews I read but it more than exceeded my expectations. I was pulled into a world full of snow and darkness with menacing creatures looming at every turn and I found myself walking with the characters as they explored never before seen land. I loved that there was no great enemy to battle to save the world, but the only goal was to climb an impossible mountain - it made me think of early explorers climbing the Himalayas without knowing what they would find. The world building is wonderful and the descriptions of the mountains so evocative that I could close my eyes and be there myself. The story is not exactly fast paced but because it is a physical journey it pulls you along into it so you don't want to stop listening.
The main characters are nicely developed and I could understand and follow their motives, although some of the side characters are lacklustre and there are several vague references to groups of people and creatures that I wish were explored more deeply. Hopefully these will be developed more in the next book.
The narrator is okay - I found her slightly irritating initially but this was forgotton quickly. The narration is in the style of a book being read, rather than a story being told, in that the characters are not given very different voices. I think this is done because the book is told in first person from one character's viewpoint so it works well enough, although I usually prefer a more story telling style of narration.
Overall a great listen which left me on tenterhooks and relieved that the next instalment is already available! There are as I many questions raised in this book that I can't wait to find answers to.elleninelle
Details
- Author
- Heather Fawcett
- Narrator
- Priya Ayyar
- Duration
- 11 hours 31 minutes
- Release Date
- 12 November 2019
- ISBN
- 9781094048369
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction: Fantasy, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Traditional stories
- Rating
- 4.0(1 review)
- Narration
- 3.0(1 review)
Synopsis
This is the first in a sweeping and action-packed debut fantasy duology loosely inspired by the early climbers of Mt. Everest—perfect for fans of Cindy Pon and Alison Goodman.Kamzin has always dreamed of becoming one of the emperor’s royal explorers, the elite climbers tasked with mapping the wintry, mountainous empire and spying on its enemies. She knows she could be the best in the world, if only someone would give her a chance.But everything changes when the mysterious and eccentric River Shara, the greatest explorer ever known, arrives in her village and demands to hire Kamzin—not her older sister Lusha, as everyone had expected—for his next expedition. This is Kamzin’s chance to prove herself—even though River’s mission to retrieve a rare talisman for the emperor means climbing Raksha, the tallest and deadliest mountain in the Aryas. Then Lusha sets off on her own mission to Raksha with a rival explorer who is determined to best River, and Kamzin must decide what’s most important to her: protecting her sister from the countless perils of the climb or beating her to the summit.The challenges of climbing Raksha are unlike anything Kamzin expected—or prepared for—with avalanches, ice chasms, ghosts, and even worse at every turn. And as dark secrets are revealed, Kamzin must unravel the truth of their mission and of her companions—while surviving the deadliest climb she has ever faced.
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