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The First Bright Thing
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Format: Paperback / softback
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The First Bright Thing
$2499
Unit price
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Ideal for readers who enjoy imaginative fantasy with strong themes of found family, resilience, and time travel, as well as fans of magical realism and richly developed characters.
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See moreThe Night Circus meets The Greatest Showman, as three magically gifted women try to build a circus – and home – in the ruins of World War I. The First Bright Thing is a magical debut from J. R. Dawson.
If you knew how dark tomorrow would be, what would you do with today?
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
Welcome to the Circus of the Fantasticals.
Ringmaster — Rin, to those who know her best — can jump to different moments in time as easily as her wife, Odette, soars from bar to bar on the trapeze. With the scars of World War I feeling more distant as the years pass, Rin is focusing on the brighter things in life. Like the circus she's built and the magical misfits and outcasts — known as Sparks — who've made it their home. Every night, Rin and the Fantasticals enchant a Big Top packed full with audiences who need to see the impossible.
But while the present is bright, threats come at Rin from the past and the future. The future holds an impending war that the Sparks can see barrelling toward their Big Top and everyone in it. And Rin's past creeps closer every day, a malevolent shadow Rin can't fully escape. It takes the form of another Spark circus, with tents as black as midnight and a ringmaster who rules over his troupe with a dangerous power. Rin's circus has something he wants, and he won't stop until it's his.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Mesmerizing and magical, this novel emphasises friendship, love, and found family, portraying the audacity of optimism with artistry and flair. Richly imagined and vividly depicted, it explores the joys and costs of power. This magical story invites readers into an astounding circus, filled with colourful, endearing characters and a wild journey through time, survival, and rivalry. It will break your heart and stitch it back together repeatedly, blending elements reminiscent of Mrs. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and The X-Men.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781035018208
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 22 June 2023
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Tor
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 31.0mm
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 234.0mm
Weight: 434g
Pages: 352
About the Author
J. R. Dawson (she/they) is a writer and educator who has published shorter works in places such as F&SF, The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy, and Lightspeed. She lives in Omaha with a loving spouse and three dogs. Having earned a BFA from The Theatre School at DePaul, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Stonecoast, Dawson works as a teaching artist. Her clients include assorted Midwestern non-profits that teach kids the power of performance and storytelling.
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