Jewel and Her Lapidary - (Gem Universe) by Fran Wilde (Paperback)

About the Book

"The kingdom in the Valley has long sheltered under the protection of its Jewels and Lapidaries, the people bound to singing gemstones with the power to reshape hills, move rivers, and warp minds. That power has kept the peace and tranquility, and the kingdom has flourished. Jewel Lin and her Lapidary Sima may be the last to enjoy that peace"--Page 4 of cover.

Book Synopsis

The kingdom in the Valley has long sheltered under the protection of its Jewels and Lapidaries, the people bound to singing gemstones with the power to reshape hills, move rivers, and warp minds. That power has kept the peace and tranquility, and the kingdom has flourished. Jewel Lin and her Lapidary Sima may be the last to enjoy that peace. The Jeweled Court has been betrayed. As screaming raiders sweep down from the mountains, and Lapidary servants shatter under the pressure, the last princess of the Valley will have to summon up a strength she's never known. If she can assume her royal dignity, and if Sima can master the most dangerous gemstone in the land, they may be able to survive.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Jewel and Her Lapidary and Fran Wilde

"The Jewel and Her Lapidary is a splendid tale of courage and transformation in a world as exquisite as Wilde's prose. You will be utterly entranced." --Ken Liu, Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award winner

"I suspect the world it's set in might yield more fine stories." -Locus

"Extraordinary world-building and cascading levels of intrigue make Wilde's debut fantasy novel soar." -- Publishers Weekly on Updraft

"A fun adventure, one that's beautifully written." --io9

"The Jewel and Her Lapidary is a sharp, glittering novella about friendship, family, loyalty, and mental instability. The heart of the story is their friendship for and loyalty to each other - even if the price of that loyalty is sacrifice and pain." --Locus

About the Author

FRAN WILDE is an author & technology consultant. Her first novel, Updraft was published in 2015. Her short stories have appeared in Asimov's, Nature, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Wilde also blogs about food and genre at Cooking the Booksand for the popular social-parenting website GeekMom. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family.