From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a standalone fantasy set against a war-ravaged world where kindling warfare—the use of elite, magic-wielding teenage soldiers—has been outlawed. In this rich and evocative novel, seven kindlings search for purpose and identity as they prepare for one final battle. For fans of the classic films Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven.
Once, the war was fought with kindlings—elite, magic-wielding warriors whose devastating power comes at the cost of their own young lives.
Now, the war is over, and kindlings have been cast adrift—their magic outlawed, their skills outdated, their formidable balar weapons prized only as relics and souvenirs.
Violence still plagues the countryside, and memories haunt those who remain. When a village comes under threat of siege, it offers an opportunity for seven kindlings to fight one last time. But war changed these warriors. And to reclaim who they once were, they will have to battle their pasts, their trauma, and their grim fates to come together again—or none of them will make it out alive.
From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a gut-wrenching, introspective fantasy about seven lost soldiers searching for the peace they once fought for and the future in which they’re finally daring to believe.
Traci Chee is the New York Times bestselling author of The Reader Trilogy; National Book Award finalist and Printz honoree, We Are Not Free; and the YA standalone fantasies Kindling and National Book Award longlist title, A Thousand Steps into Night. An all-around word geek, she loves book arts and art books, poetry and paper crafts, though she also dabbles at egg painting, gardening, and hosting game nights for family and friends. She lives in California with her fast dog.
NYT BESTSELLING AND ACCLAIMED AUTHOR: Traci Chee’s books have been selected as best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews, NPR, and SLJ among others and received numerous starred reviews. Her award-winning novel We Are Not Free was a National Book Award finalist, a Printz Honor Book, and an APALA Honor Book, and her novel A Thousand Steps into Night was also recently longlisted for the National Book Award.
REIMAGINING A CLASSIC FILM: Kindling reimagines the Japanese film Seven Samurai with a feminist bend: a group of magical, female and nonbinary warriors charged with protecting a local village. Like A Thousand Steps into Night, Traci combines the YA fantasy magic that made her a New York Times bestseller with the inspiration from her Japanese heritage that made We Are Not Free so powerful to reimagine a beloved, classic film.
PROVEN FANTASY WRITER: Traci Chee’s NBA-longlisted novel, A Thousand Steps into Night, received rave reviews for its adventure-filled journey, including starred reviews from School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. The first book of her New York Times bestselling YA fantasy series, The Reader, was a finalist for the 2016 Kirkus Prize, and the series received multiple starred reviews.
WELL-CONNECTED AUTHOR: Traci Chee is a tireless self-promoter. She is well connected with the YA author community and is also a superstar speaker. Traci captivates audiences at all events!
A FANTASY UNLIKE ANY OTHER: Traci Chee is a master storyteller, and Kindling is no exception. Readers will be thrilled to jump into this expertly crafted, atmospheric fantasy with an ambitious, haunting story that stands out in the larger YA fantasy market.
UNIQUE POV: Kindling tells the story of seven different kindling warriors in alternating chapters, and is narrated in the second person, the omniscient voice being the kindlings who died before them.
AN INTIMATE STORY OF FOUND FAMILY: The warriors must unite not only to save the town but also to heal from their shared trauma as child soldiers and fulfill their ultimate destinies together.
"A heartrending, must-read fantasy about youth searching for home and learning to survive a world not designed for them." -School Library Journal (starred review)
"Both a mesmerizing fantasy adventure and a haunting meditation on shared trauma." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A thorough and gut-wrenching exploration of finding reasons to move forward after devastating loss and darkness and how community and connection can breed hope that will linger with readers long after the last page." -Booklist (starred review)
"Teeming with frank examinations of war, violence, PTSD, imperialism, colonialism, and all they entail, this somber fantasy will challenge readers mentally and emotionally." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Inventive." -Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books