"Be prepared to stay up late with this one."--NPR.org
"[A] must-have story."--School Library Journal (starred review)
"Evocative and refreshingly unique."--Tor
A young woman with a dangerous power she barely understands. A smuggler
with secrets of his own. A country torn between a merciless colonial
army, a terrifying tyrant, and a feared rebel leader. The first book in
acclaimed author Heidi Heilig's Shadow Players trilogy blends
traditional storytelling with ephemera for a lush, page-turning tale of
escape and rebellion. For a Muse of Fire will captivate fans of Sabaa
Tahir, Leigh Bardugo, and Renée Ahdieh.
Jetta's family is famed as the most talented troupe of shadow players in
the land. With Jetta behind the scrim, their puppets seem to move
without string or stick--a trade secret, they say. In truth, Jetta can
see the souls of the recently departed and bind them to the puppets with
her blood. But ever since the colonizing army conquered their country,
the old ways are forbidden. Jetta must never show, never tell. Her skill
and fame are her family's way to earn a spot aboard the royal ship to
Aquitan, where shadow plays are the latest rage, and where rumor has it
the Mad King has a spring that cures his ills. Because seeing spirits is
not the only thing that plagues Jetta. But as rebellion seethes and as
Jetta meets a young smuggler, she will face truths and decisions that
she never imagined--and safety will never seem so far away.
Heidi Heilig creates a vivid, rich world inspired by Southeast Asian
cultures and French colonialism. Told from Jetta's first-person
point-of-view, as well as chapters written as play scripts and ephemera
such as telegrams and letters, For a Muse of Fire is an engrossing
journey that weaves magic, simmering romance, and the deep bonds of
family with the high stakes of epic adventure.
