Reviewer (text)
Kate F., Teen Board Member
In Sarah Rees Brennan’s TELL THE WIND AND FIRE, Lucie Manette is no stranger to the public eye. Ever since she rescued her father from the Dark and brought him into the Light, she has attracted attention. Known as the Golden Thread in the Dark, her face is pictured in interviews, newscasts, gossip magazines --- and on the banners of the bloodthirsty revolutionaries in the Dark. They herald her as their hero, but Lucie wants nothing to do with them or their city. All she wants is to forget the horrors she and her father suffered there and move on with her new life, which includes Ethan, the boy she has fallen in love with.
But when a startling incident brings a dark secret of Ethan’s to life, Lucie finds herself fighting to protect the people she loves yet again. The revolutionaries are growing stronger and bolder, creating a storm of bloodshed with Lucie and Ethan at its eye. Lucie realizes both she and Ethan need to share the secrets they have been hiding from each other --- or the whole city may burn.
"Sarah Rees Brennan weaves the old with the new together flawlessly, leaving little hints and lines from Charles Dickens’s novel in her own."
TELL THE WIND AND FIRE by Sarah Rees Brennan is a modern spin on the classic novel A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens. As a huge fan of A TALE OF TWO CITIES, I can safely say Sarah Rees Brennan did a wonderful job combining the elements of Charles Dicken’s novel with her own signature twists. Straight from the beginning of the novel she dives into the world of our characters --- a New York divided into two cities: Dark and Light. Although the concept is a bit confusing in the beginning, readers will be able to pick it up quickly once the story begins to develop.
The plot is driven by our main character, Lucie Manette. Physically, she is described just as the Lucie in A TALE OF TWO CITIES, with golden blonde hair and a pretty smile. But the similarities end there as Sarah Rees Brennan makes it apparent that Lucie is no damsel in distress. Immediately, we see that Lucie is capable of handling herself and is fiercely protective of the people she loves.
Sarah Rees Brennan creates a new concept to address the characters of Ethan and his doppelganger, Carwyn, the replicas of Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton in A TALE OF TWO CITIES. In TELL THE WIND AND FIRE, doppelgangers are dark creatures that are created when a person is saved from the brink of death. They look exactly alike, but while one of the pair, in this case, Ethan, gets to live in the Light, the doppelganger, Carwyn, suffers in the Dark. I absolutely love how Sarah Rees Brennan handled these two characters and their very different personalities.
While you do not have to read A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens prior to reading this novel, I highly recommend it. Sarah Rees Brennan weaves the old with the new together flawlessly, leaving little hints and lines from Charles Dickens’s novel in her own. Overall, TELL THE WIND AND FIRE is a brilliant rendition of Charles Dickens’s A TALE OF TWO CITIES, full of modern twists and fantasy elements. This novel will not just appeal to fans of the classic but will usher in a new era of readers to the heartbreaking tale.
Teaser
Lucie Manette was born in the Dark half of the city, but careful manipulations won her a home in the Light, celebrity status, and a rich, loving boyfriend. Now she just wants to keep her head down, but her boyfriend has a dark secret of his own --- one involving an apparent stranger who is destitute and despised. Lucie alone knows the young men’s deadly connection, and even as the knowledge leads her to make a grave mistake, she can trust no one with the truth.
Promo
Lucie Manette was born in the Dark half of the city, but careful manipulations won her a home in the Light, celebrity status, and a rich, loving boyfriend. Now she just wants to keep her head down, but her boyfriend has a dark secret of his own --- one involving an apparent stranger who is destitute and despised. Lucie alone knows the young men’s deadly connection, and even as the knowledge leads her to make a grave mistake, she can trust no one with the truth.
About the Book
“Sarah Rees Brennan writes with fine control and wit, and I suspect that word of this magical thriller will pass through the populace with the energy of wind, of fire.” --- Gregory Maguire, author of WICKED EGG AND SPOON
In a city divided between opulent luxury in the Light and fierce privations in the Dark, a determined young woman survives by guarding her secrets.
Lucie Manette was born in the Dark half of the city, but careful manipulations won her a home in the Light, celebrity status, and a rich, loving boyfriend. Now she just wants to keep her head down, but her boyfriend has a dark secret of his own --- one involving an apparent stranger who is destitute and despised. Lucie alone knows the young men’s deadly connection, and even as the knowledge leads her to make a grave mistake, she can trust no one with the truth.
Blood and secrets alike spill out when revolution erupts. With both halves of the city burning, and mercy nowhere to be found, can Lucie save either boy --- or herself?
Celebrated author Sarah Rees Brennan weaves a magical tale of romance and revolution, love and loss.
