Book Synopsis

From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a stand-alone 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.

A Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist

A Kirkus Best Book of the 21st Century (So Far)

An ALA Rainbow Round Table Top Ten Title for Teens

An SLJ Best Book

A Booklist Editor's Choice

Four starred reviews!

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.

Violence still plagues the countryside, though, 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.

Traci Chee brilliantly crafts 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.

Review Quotes

"Both a mesmerizing fantasy adventure and a haunting meditation on shared trauma." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Inventive." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"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)
"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)