The City Beyond the Stars

By Author / Illustrator

Zohra Nabi, Tom Clohosy Cole, Federica Frenna

Genre

Fantasy

Age range(s)

Publisher

Simon & Schuster

ISBN

9781398517738

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

25-04-2024

Synopsis

Set in a lavish world of sorceresses, alchemists, jinn and flying carpets, this spine-tingling middle-grade book is perfect for fans of Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Sophie Anderson. From the author of the Waterstone's Children's Book of the Month The Kingdom Over the Sea comes a gorgeous, lyrical adventure about family and finding where you belong.

Confined to a besieged Settlement, Yara longs to free her mother from the alchemists in the City of Zehaira. When Yara receives a message from her mother to find the hidden residence of the Grand High Sorceress, it sets her on a different path.

Yara and her friends set off on an adventure to find her mother's home, and to seek out a secret magic that her mother was working on - magic so powerful that it could defeat the alchemists once and for all. But the wicked alchemist Omair Firaaz is on her trail and will stop at nothing to gain the power himself... Can Yara and her friends find the magic that could be the answer to everything ... before it destroys them all? Read book 1: The Kingdom Over the Sea

Find out more in this short video by author Zohra Nabi, and read ReadingZone's Q&A with Zohra

Praise for The City Beyond the Stars: "Zohra is such an exciting storyteller - I was held spellbound throughout." Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song. "A thrilling, captivating adventure just as fun and magical as the original. Storytelling at its best." - Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear. "The book shines with magic and the power of storytelling. Spellbinding." - Zillah Bethell, author of The Song Walker. "Lyrical, magical and captivating - Zohra Nabi is the ultimate story sorcerer." - Laura Noakes, Cosima Unfortunate Steals A Star.

Praise for The Kingdom Over the Sea: "Enchanting, immersive and beautifully imagined. Once I'd finished, I couldn't stop dreaming of this magnificent magical world." A.F. Steadman, author of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief. "Spellbinding storytelling - lyrical, heartfelt, and glittering with possibilities." Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs. "A glorious debut brimming with magic and warmth. The Kingdom Over The Sea dazzled me every time I turned the page." - Natasha Hastings, author of The Miraculous Sweetmakers

Download Extract

Reviews

Conflict is still raging between the sorcerers and the alchemists. Yara is living in the Settlement with her friends Mehnoor and Rafi, under the protection of sorceress Leyla. However, Yara longs to return to the city of Zehaira to rescue her mother, the Grand High Sorceress, who has been imprisoned by the chief alchemist Omair Firaaz. When her mother manages to get a message to Yara, she and her friends embark upon a perilous mission to find the Grand High Sorceress' residence and find the secret magic she was working on. This is a new and very powerful type of magic, and Firaaz will do anything he can to get his hands on it. Can Yara and her band of friends, old and new, stop him?

The City Beyond the Stars is a wonderful sequel to the brilliant Kingdom Over the Sea. It is a beautifully written book, full of adventure, magic, flying carpets and friendship. Once again, Yara proves herself to be the perfect heroine; fierce, brave and loyal to her friends. Once at the Grand High Sorceress' residence, she discovers that she has a sister, Aaliya, who is not pleased to meet Yara. Can Yara trust this new person in her life not to let her down, or should she continue to rely upon the advice of Rafi and Mehnoor?

In this book, the author introduces us to storytelling magic, a fascinating concept, and the story comes to a thrilling conclusion in the dungeons and streets of Zehaira. There are strong themes of friendship and family running throughout this lovely book. Yara has several 'families' - her mama, who brought her up, Leyla, who has been protecting her since her arrival in Zehaira, and the Grand High Sorceress, who gave birth to her. She loves each of her families dearly.

The ending of The City Beyond the Stars is very moving, but also very satisfying as Yara comes to terms with the after effects of her battle to do what is right. The book is a testament to the power of stories and of libraries - the library in Zehaira was almost a character in its own right!

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Yara's adventures - it seems that only two books are planned, hopefully the author may have a change of heart and let us know how Yara copes with her new life. Special mention to Tom Clohosy Cole for the fabulous cover and to Frederica Frenna for the beautifully sympathetic interior illustrations. Highly recommended!

336 pages / Reviewed by Beverley Somerset, school librarian