The Song That Moves the Sun

by Anna Bright

Overview

This sweeping YA fantasy romance full of star-crossed love, complex female friendship, and astrological magic is perfect for fans of Laini Taylor, Alexandra Bracken, and V.E. Schwab. From the acclaimed author of The Beholder.

Best friends Rora and Claudia have never felt more like their lives are spiraling out of control. And when they meet Major and Amir—two boys from one of the secret cities of the spheres, ruled by the magic of the astrological signs—they discover they’re not alone. There is a disruption in the harmony between the spheres, and its chaos is spreading.

To find the source of the disharmony, Rora and Claudia will embark on a whirlwind journey of secrets, romance, and powerful truths—about themselves, each other, and two long-ago explorers named Dante and Beatrice, who were among the first to chart this course toward the stars.

Inspired partly by the classic works of Dante Alighieri, this gorgeous stand-alone contemporary fantasy will captivate readers of Lore and Star Daughter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063083523
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	06/28/2022
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	204,861
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.70(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Anna Bright is an indie bookseller by day and an author by night who still gets in trouble for reading when she’s supposed to be doing other things. When not hiding out among books, she loves concerts, roller coasters, and adventures at home and abroad. Anna lives with her husband and cat in a charming cobblestoned neighborhood in Washington, DC, but you can find her online at www.annabrightbooks.com and on Twitter and Instagram at @brightlyanna.

Editorial Reviews

07/04/2022

Bright (The Boundless) takes inspiration from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, reimagining the lives of Alighieri, Beatrice Portinari, and Marco Polo in a mesmerizing portal fantasy. Aurora Sonder and her best friend Claudia Portinari, both white and 17, struggle to manage their increasingly tumultuous personal lives amid sudden, inexplicable societal calamities, such as mountains sinking into the earth and sinkholes devouring small towns. As Rora navigates undiagnosed PTSD following an incident and Claudia is separated from her twin brother, the pair take solace in music. Soon, they meet white Major and Middle Eastern-cued Amir al-Kindi, both 18, who hail from settlements on Mercury and Mars, respectively, and claim that there is discord among the celestial spheres. Believing Rora can remedy the disruption, the boys implore the girls to traverse the universe, via interdimensional portal, to help them save the heavens. Chapters detailing Alighieri, Portinari, and Polo’s discovery of the portals and settlement upon the spheres, set in 1287, is woven throughout, adding context and intrigue to Rora and company’s quest. Bright employs poetic prose and a complex magic system to deliver a wildly inventive fantasy adventure. Ages 14–up. Agent: Elana Roth Parker, Laura Dail Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

A story of yearning and healing, with prose that leaps off the page even as we leap between timelines. Trust me, you've never known magic like this.” — Hafsah Faizal, New York Times bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame

“An epic play of past and present that comes together in a haunting melody about healing hurt and finding home. Absolutely beautiful.” — Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

“A gorgeous adventure that spans space and time, with Bright’s vivid prose lighting the way. The Song that Moves the Sun is a breathtaking story of healing, self-discovery, and the magic that both surrounds us and lives inside us. I savored every word.”  — Rachel Griffin, New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches

“Mesmerizing. A wildly inventive fantasy adventure.”  — Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Boundless: "This duology will delight any fan of fairy tales or high adventure. Readers may have their favorites of Selah's suitors, but they will cheer as she learns to follow her heart and her feet in this darker, but still glittering, second half.” — Booklist

Praise for The Beholder: “Sparkles with beauty, intrigue, and romance. The Beholder will leave you clutching your poor heart and aching for the sequel.” — Kiera Cass, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series

“Full of romance and political intrigue that had me captivated from the very first page. I can’t wait to find out what happens next.” — Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s Game series

“High adventure, political intrigue, and swoon-worthy romance. A glittering paean to storytelling.” — Booklist

“It’s impossible not to root for Selah. A fully captivating story.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

A gorgeous adventure that spans space and time, with Bright’s vivid prose lighting the way. The Song that Moves the Sun is a breathtaking story of healing, self-discovery, and the magic that both surrounds us and lives inside us. I savored every word.” 

Rachel Griffin

A story of yearning and healing, with prose that leaps off the page even as we leap between timelines. Trust me, you've never known magic like this.

Hafsah Faizal

It’s impossible not to root for Selah. A fully captivating story.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for The Boundless: "This duology will delight any fan of fairy tales or high adventure. Readers may have their favorites of Selah's suitors, but they will cheer as she learns to follow her heart and her feet in this darker, but still glittering, second half.

Booklist

Full of romance and political intrigue that had me captivated from the very first page. I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Evelyn Skye

Praise for The Beholder: “Sparkles with beauty, intrigue, and romance. The Beholder will leave you clutching your poor heart and aching for the sequel.

Kiera Cass

An epic play of past and present that comes together in a haunting melody about healing hurt and finding home. Absolutely beautiful.

Hannah Whitten

Praise for The Boundless: "This duology will delight any fan of fairy tales or high adventure. Readers may have their favorites of Selah's suitors, but they will cheer as she learns to follow her heart and her feet in this darker, but still glittering, second half.

Booklist

07/01/2022

Gr 8 Up—Bright's standalone contemporary space fantasy takes readers to the stars. Six weeks ago, everything changed for Rora and Claudia—and not for the better. So when they meet two boys who hail from concealed cities on other planets who promise Rora is the key to making everything better, that she can amplify the song that will heal the solar system, they suspend their disbelief and follow them. But the more they learn, the more Rora, Claudia, Major, and Amir realize that finding the reason for the disruption in each planet's song will be as difficult—and as important—as finding the solution. The book alternates between Rora's and Claudia's first-person perspectives. Interstitial chapters focusing on the journeys of Dante Alighieri, Beatrice Portinari, and Marco Polo expand the worldbuilding while also urging readers to figure out exactly what has gone wrong in the solar system. The worldbuilding is deep enough to be enjoyable but not so complex as to trip readers up. The romantic subplots add to complex interpersonal relationships at the heart of this novel. Rora's experiences with depression, anxiety, and PTSD may hit a little too close to home for some readers; Bright also lists content warnings for mentions of suicide, disordered eating, and infertility, in addition to content that may be triggering for readers with emetophobia. VERDICT A solid pick for libraries whose readers who enjoy light fantasy and romance.—Ness Shortley

School Library Journal

2022-03-29
Astrology and magic combine in this otherworldly fantasy.

At a concert, best friends Claudia and Rora meet Amir and Major, two boys who are searching for a song that will rectify disharmony in the universe. Despite some skepticism, Claudia and Rora are inclined to believe them: Recently there’s been troubling natural phenomena worldwide, Claudia’s misbehaving twin brother was shipped off to live with their physicist grandmother in Italy, and Rora was mugged and now suffers from debilitating anxiety. Major and Amir say they come from Mercury and Mars—although they are human, not alien—and they believe Rora is an amplifier, someone who can increase the power of music. She can help them, and they can help her as well. Alternating chapters feature the girls’ first-person perspectives as they travel through portals from Washington, D.C., to different planets, searching for a solution to the imbalance. Though most characters are entertaining enough, short yet tedious chapters set in the 13th century and following Dante Alighieri, Beatrice Portinari, and Marco Polo, who discover the portals and establish settlements on various planets, are interspersed and drag the story down. The story’s magical elements fizzle, and as the planets’ settlements are barely distinguishable from Earth in technology and culture, the worldbuilding never quite comes together. Claudia, Rora, and Major are White; Muslim Amir is cued as being of Middle Eastern descent.

The stars don’t quite align for this one. (author's note, resources) (Fantasy. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews