Today I am so excited to be a part Amber & Dusk's blog tour. I'd like to thank the Fantastic Flying Book Club for organizing this great event and Scholastic for providing a review copy. In addition to a review, I am also sharing a creative picture that I will be featuring on my Instagram @TheReadingCornerforAll.
As always, all thoughts of the book are my own!
About the Book
Amber & Dusk by Lyra Selene
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: November 27, 2018
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Synopsis:
Sylvie has always known she deserves more. Out in the permanent twilight of the Dusklands, her guardians called her power to create illusions a curse. But Sylvie knows it gives her a place in Coeur d'Or, the palais of the Amber Empress and her highborn legacies.
So Sylvie sets off toward the Amber City, a glittering jewel under a sun that never sets, to take what is hers.
But her hope for a better life is quickly dimmed. The empress invites her in only as part of a wicked wager among her powerful courtiers. Sylvie must assume a new name, Mirage, and begin to navigate secretive social circles and deadly games of intrigue in order to claim her spot. Soon it becomes apparent that nothing is as it appears and no one, including her cruel yet captivating sponsor, Sunder, will answer her questions. As Mirage strives to assume what should be her rightful place, she'll have to consider whether it is worth the price she must pay.
Book Links
About the Author
Lyra Selene was born under a full moon and has never quite managed to wipe the moonlight out of her eyes. When she isn’t dreaming up fantastical cities and brooding landscapes, Lyra enjoys hiking, rainstorms, autumn, and pretending she’s any good at painting.
She lives in New England with her husband, in an antique farmhouse that’s probably not haunted. Amber & Dusk is her debut novel.
Review
“If this world liked games, then I’d learn the rules.”
Amber & Dusk is author Lyra Selene’s debut fantasy novel which centers around Sylvie as she tries to stake her claim of legacy at the court of the empress Severine. To earn her place, Sylvie must be willing to play the high stakes game of the ruthless court that even requires her to forfeit her name.
“The sun had not set on the Amber Empire for a thousand tides.”
I really enjoyed how the author’s descriptions were so poetic. From the very first line, Selene beautifully sets the stage for readers to enter Sylvie’s world. There wasn’t an instant when I rushed through the page because I wanted to take my time breathing in the entirety of the story. Amber & Dusk held this classic energy that could be compared to One Thousand and One Nights. To me, Selene’s world building is one of her greatest strengths that aptly presented the illustrious court in Coeur d’Or.
There was a great build up in the book, which led to an ending crescendo that readers may not initially guess at. The plot steadily built on the internal division built between the court where the groups identified themselves as either Dexter or Sinister. I found myself captivated by secondary characters such as Lullaby, Reaper, and Sunder because of how they carefully hid their true intentions and sentiments behind a masked court demeanor.
Amber & Dusk is full of secrets and illusions that will leave fans of Shades of Magic and Six of Crows demanding a sequel.
Giveaway
Amber & Dusk by Lyra Selene
US Only
Starts: 11/12
Ends: 11/30
Click here
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