Description
With tensions rising and their powers no longer a secret, the Nightbirds must decide for whom and for what they are willing to fight for and how far they will go in the spellbinding conclusion to the international bestseller Nightbirds.
The Nightbirds were once their city's best-kept secret, but now the secret's out. Everyone knows there are girls who can gift their magic with a kiss, and everyone wants a piece of them. Such girls are in more danger than ever. But Matilde, Sayer, sa, and Fenlin can do feats of magic no one has seen in centuries. They're like the Fyrebirds of old: powerful women who once moved mountains, parted seas, and led armies. But they don't want the world to know the full extent of their power - not yet.
Matilde is too busy trying to show the city that girls with magic can be trusted while Sayer stalks the night, punishing any man who dares cross her. Fen struggles to keep her gang together and her magic hidden while Aesa tries to settle back into life in the Illish Isles.
But fate tugs them inexorably toward each other, and back into the fight to protect magical girls. As the new suzerain works to lift the prohibition on magic, the churchmen who support it - and the gang lords who profit from it - whisper rebellion. The Nightbirds' old enemies are rallying, too. Smelling blood in the water, a magic-mad Farlands king threatens to invade Eudea. As war looms, and the Republic's fate hangs from a knife's edge, the Nightbirds have to decide if becoming Fyrebirds is worth risking the lives and loves they might have had.
Review
This is the sequel to powerful and magical Nightbirds, which was inlcuded in our March 2023 Standing Order, but is enough background information for this to be read as a stand-alone too.
With their magic no longer a secret, the girls find themselves caught up in a world of power struggles and rebellion, and danger lurks around every corner. Matilde, Sayer, Fen and Aesa are now apart, and each of them faces their own battles. And with whispers of many of their magical sisters going missing, and with enemies all around them, they are facing a huge battle.
Matilde thinks that being within the enemy circle is the only way to gain the power they need, but with an unexpected marriage to Dennan approaching, does she really know what is in store for her? Sayer is more ruthless and daring and is determined to find out who is behind the new drug, Sugar, that would have devastating consequences for all the girls with magic if it was in the wrong hands. Fen and Aesa are also having their issues, as Fen’s battle to keep her magic hidden is now having severe consequences, and Aesa’s life in the Illish Isles comes crashing down.
The four girls have an overriding need to be together, but will their combined magical abilities be enough to save themselves, and everyone around them?
Fantasy and magic lovers will thoroughly enjoy this story. The girls are all unique strong in their own ways, and there are simmering romantic tensions throughout the story, particularly between Sayer and Fen. With themes of power, enslavement, and magic, this will be most enjoyed by those 15 and up.
