Tell the Wind and Fire

Two years ago, Lucie Manette was rescued from Dark New York by the Light magic council. Now living in the Light city, Lucie learns that a revolution is coming--and that she is a rallying cry for both sides. Romance and a hint of snarky humor help to diffuse the tension of this dark fantasy/romance with nods to A Tale of Two Cities.

In the near future, there are two New Yorks: the Light (where affluent Light magicians live) and, on the other side of a wall, the Dark (largely populated by impoverished Dark magicians, as well as illegally created doppelgangers). Two years before the book opens, Lucie Manette and her father were rescued from the Dark city, a symbolic act of mercy by the Light Council; now Lucie lives in Light New York and is dating Ethan Stryker, son of a prominent Light councilman. When Ethan is accused of passing information to rebels in the Dark city, help comes from an unexpected source: his doppelganger Carwyn. But Lucie soon learns from Carwyn that a revolution is coming, and that as "The Golden Thread in the Dark," Lucie herself is a symbol -- and a rallying cry -- for both sides. Lucie, Ethan, and Carwyn initially feel a bit more like archetypes (the tragic heroine, the perfect boyfriend, the evil twin) than fully fleshed-out characters, but all prove to have hidden depths and complexities; and the reality of their situation is likewise more tangled and troubling than it appears on the surface. Romance and just a hint of snarky humor help to diffuse the tension. With nods to Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, this dark-fantasy-meets-romance will have readers hooked. katie bircher