Bright Burns the Night

by Sara B. Larson

Overview

This "dark and exciting" reimagining of the Swan Lake tale, in which a queen is held captive by a rival king, "radiates girl power" (Kirkus Reviews).
Ten years ago, King Lorcan of the Dark Kingdom Dorjhalon defeated Queen Evelayn and cut her conduit stone from her. Since then, he has kept her trapped in her swan form. But once a year, Lorcan transforms her back to her Draíolon form and offers a truce. And every year Evelayn refuses—for he requires her to Bind herself to him for life. But now, with an Ancient power bearing down upon them, everything changes. Discovering she need her enemies even more than her allies, Evelayn partners with Lorcan. But how far will this partnership go? Can friendship—perhaps even love—bloom where hatred has taken root?
Sara B. Larson delivers a thrillingly romantic and hauntingly satisfying conclusion to the duology that began with Dark Breaks the Dawn.
Praise for Dark Breaks the Dawn
"This passionate, war-torn retelling of Swan Lake is not one to be missed! You'll be spellbound from the very first lines." —Sarah J. Maas, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series
"A breathtaking origin story of Swan Lake that unfurls with soaring beauty and a villain prince as captivating as the fearless princess." —Kathryn Purdie, author of the Burning Glass series
"A plucky heroine, a sinister, surprise villain in the wings, and plenty of battle action." —Booklist
"Gripping." —Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338068856
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/17/2022
Series:	Dark Breaks the Dawn , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Lexile:	900L (what's this?)
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Sara B. Larson is the author of the acclaimed young adult fantasy Defy trilogy: Defy, Ignite, and Endure; and Dark Breaks the Dawn, the first book of a duology. She can't remember a time when she didn't write books -- although she now uses a computer instead of a Little Mermaid notebook. Sara lives in Utah with her husband and their children. When she's not mothering or writing, you can often find her at the gym repenting of her sugar addiction. You can visit her online at SaraBLarson.com.

Read an Excerpt

Lorcan didn't even blink. "Lachalonia is suffering, Evelayn. Eadrolan's forests are slowly dying, and Dorjhalon is nearly always ensconced in winter now.""And whose fault is that?" she broke in angrily. "You speak to me as if I should take responsibility for what has happened to Lachalonia."He ignored her barb and continued, "Your Draiolon are nearly without power. If you won't do it for Eadrolan or for yourself, do it for them."Evelayn jumped to her feet, the pain and weakness receding in the face of her fury. "How dare you pretend to be concerned about what your actions have done to my kingdom -- to my Draiolon. You did all of this. I should have killed you when I had the chance."Lorcan gazed at her coolly, one eyebrow lifted as if he found her amusing, but his hands clenched into fists. "Then do it now, my queen," he taunted. "Kill me and end this. Perhaps it would be a relief.""Don't mock me," Evelayn snapped back. "You know I don't have the power, or I would have long ago. Just as I killed Bain."His mouth twisted as if he'd tasted something sour. "Oh, yes, your great triumph.""Yes, my triumph. Right before my worst failure -- giving you the chance to make that vow and believing you'd actually work with me to establish and maintain peace. You're no better than your father."Lorcan's eyes narrowed and he took a step closer. "Don't pretend to understand me or my choices. And never compare me to my father ever again."The cold fury in his voice and the crackle of the ground around his feet turning to ice was enough to make Evelayn close her mouth and swallow the furious retort she'd nearly spat at him, all too aware of the fact that despite his farce of an offer, he truly held all the power.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Bright Burns the Night:"A dark and exciting sequel that radiates girl power." — Kirkus ReviewsPraise for Dark Breaks the Dawn:"With its intricate, dazzling system of magic and a vibrant cast of characters caught in a devastating conflict between forces of light and darkness, this passionate, war-torn retelling of Swan Lake is not one to be missed! You'll be spellbound from the very first lines." — Sarah J. Maas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series"A breathtaking origin story of Swan Lake that unfurls with soaring beauty and a villain prince as captivating as the fearless princess." — Kathryn Purdie, author of the Burning Glass series* "Larson is especially effective in her portrait of Evelayn's need to summon maturity before she thought she would have to, a sweetly innocent romance underscores the bite of betrayal, and the cliffhanger ending will easily build anticipation for the second book." — Publishers Weekly, starred review"This reimagination of Swan Lake features a plucky heroine, a sinister, surprise villain in the wings, and plenty of battle action . . . a clever cliff-hanger ending will have readers demanding the sequel." — Booklist"Girl-power fantasy." — Kirkus Reviews"In this reimagining of Swan Lake, the characters deal with issues of morality and justice and the burdens of responsibility; these universal themes flourish in Larson's fantastic setting." — VOYAPraise for Endure:"Readers of the previous books in the trilogy will be lining up to read the conclusion to this epic story. Readers who are looking for fantasy with strong female characters, such as Cinder in The Lunar Chronicles or Celaena Sardothien of the Throne of Glass series, will find a great new trilogy here." — School Library Connection"Fans will be very satisfied with this final journey." — School Library JournalPraise for Ignite:"[A] fast-paced fantasy novel laced with political intrigue." — School Library Journal"Alexa [is]... an interesting, multilayered character, a valiant fighter with heart." — Booklist"Alex is so strong... The intrigue is really thick in this book, and there are secrets within plots and people." — Jessie Plots, blogging for USA TodayPraise for Defy:An Indie Next List Selection"A wonderful tale of adventure, romance, and embracing your true self. Alexa is a heroine readers will love to follow!" — Marie Lu, bestselling author of the Legend series"Grand adventure, romance, and thrilling political intrigue." — Booklist"Powerful and narratively satisfying." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher

2018-03-05
This fantasy adaptation of Tchaikovsky's famous ballet "Swan Lake" opens with Queen Evelayn trapped in the form of a swan by her nemesis, King Lorcan of the Dark Kingdom, who 10 years earlier robbed her of her conduit stone.The kingdom is now in despair, menaced by an ancient force that Lorcan cannot control. He restores Evelayn to human form on the condition that she marry him, and she quickly realizes that nothing, including Lorcan, is exactly as it appears. The author does an excellent job of conveying Evelayn's bewilderment at the world she finds herself forced into as well as the complexity of the choices she makes to save her kingdom. Her growing realization that as queen, she belongs to her people rather than to herself makes being a swan seem like the easier life. Romantic elements come through without sacrificing Evelayn's strength of character. Lorcan and Evelayn become haunted souls whose family baggage makes shouldering the mantle of royalty and learning to form a bond of trust despite surface appearances that much harder. The tale makes readers question good and evil and teaches a sweet lesson about the redemption inherent in second chances. Evelayn is pale-skinned, and the characters have hair and eyes of many hues, including violet, red, and silver.A dark and exciting sequel that radiates girl power. (Fantasy. 13-17)

Kirkus Reviews