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'In a dazzling new fantasy world full of whispered secrets and political intrigue, the magic of women is outlawed but three girls with unusual gifts have the chance to change it all.
''A luscious, sumptuously woven and totally addictive fantasy.' Amie Kaufman, New York Times' bestselling author of These Broken Stars, Illuminae and Aurora Rising
'Magic may be illegal in Simta, but you can find it if you know which whispers to heed. None as tantalising as the ones about the Nightbirds, Simta's best kept secret. These privileged girls have the ability to gift their magic to others with a kiss – something the church would have them killed for. But protected by the Great Houses, their identities safe behind masks, the Nightbirds are well-guarded treasures.
'Matilde, Æsa, and Sayer spend their nights bestowing their unique brands of magic to well-paying clients. But this Season's Nightbirds find themselves at the heart of a political scheme that threatens their secrets and their safety. When they discover that their magic is far more than they were ever told, they see the carefully crafted Nightbird system for what it is: a gilded cage.
'Now they must make a choice – to remain kept birds or take control, remaking the city that dared to clip their wings.
'Filled with sumptuous, cinematic writing and dazzling details, Nightbirds is a fiercely feminist fantasy debut where the most potent magic lies not in a kiss, but in the truth.'(Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Dyslexic edition.
- Large print.
- Braille.
Works about this Work
-
Gender and Power : Three New Young Adult Novels
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 459 2023; (p. 32-33)
— Review of Some Shall Break 2023 single work novel ; The Sinister Booksellers of Bath 2023 single work children's fiction ; Nightbirds 2023 single work children's fiction'Three new novels from Allen & Unwin explore gender power relations – with mixed results. In Ellie Marney’s Some Shall Break ($24.99 pb, 382 pp), a young woman helps law enforcement hunt a serial killer who is kidnapping and raping young women. Garth Nix’s latest offers interesting parallels, though The Sinister Booksellers of Bath ($24.99 pb 330 pp) includes plenty of fantasy elements to vary the formula. Meanwhile, Kate J. Armstrong’s Nightbirds ($24.99 pb, 462 pp) follows three different women who are navigating magical, political, and romantic intrigues.' (Introduction)
-
y
Kate J. Armstrong in Conversation
Lucie Dess
(interviewer),
2023
26349152
2023
single work
podcast
interview
'In this episode, a conversation with Kate J. Armstrong, author of the new YA novel, Nightbirds.
'Set in a dazzling new fantasy world full of whispered secrets and political intrigue, the magic of women is outlawed but three girls with unusual gifts have the chance to change it all. Filled with sumptuous, cinematic writing and dazzling details, Nightbirds is a fiercely feminist fantasy debut where the most potent magic lies not in a kiss, but in the truth.'(Introduction)
-
Gender and Power : Three New Young Adult Novels
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 459 2023; (p. 32-33)
— Review of Some Shall Break 2023 single work novel ; The Sinister Booksellers of Bath 2023 single work children's fiction ; Nightbirds 2023 single work children's fiction'Three new novels from Allen & Unwin explore gender power relations – with mixed results. In Ellie Marney’s Some Shall Break ($24.99 pb, 382 pp), a young woman helps law enforcement hunt a serial killer who is kidnapping and raping young women. Garth Nix’s latest offers interesting parallels, though The Sinister Booksellers of Bath ($24.99 pb 330 pp) includes plenty of fantasy elements to vary the formula. Meanwhile, Kate J. Armstrong’s Nightbirds ($24.99 pb, 462 pp) follows three different women who are navigating magical, political, and romantic intrigues.' (Introduction)
-
y
Kate J. Armstrong in Conversation
Lucie Dess
(interviewer),
2023
26349152
2023
single work
podcast
interview
'In this episode, a conversation with Kate J. Armstrong, author of the new YA novel, Nightbirds.
'Set in a dazzling new fantasy world full of whispered secrets and political intrigue, the magic of women is outlawed but three girls with unusual gifts have the chance to change it all. Filled with sumptuous, cinematic writing and dazzling details, Nightbirds is a fiercely feminist fantasy debut where the most potent magic lies not in a kiss, but in the truth.'(Introduction)
Awards
- 2024 CBCA Book of the Year Awards — Notable Book — Older Readers