-Marie Lu
Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish: to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she'll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in eighteenth-century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age—her tyrannical father has made that much clear.
As Nannerl's hope grows dimmer with each passing year, the talents of her beloved younger brother, Wolfgang, only seem to shine brighter. His brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until one day a mysterious stranger from a magical land appears with an irresistible offer. He has the power to make her wish come true—but his help may cost her everything.
In her first work of historical fiction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu spins a lush, lyrically told story of music, magic, and the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.
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The story begins: “I am going to tell you a story you already know. But listen carefully, because within it is one you have never heard before.”
This author combines historical fiction - the Mozart siblings, the stifling feeling of being a woman in 18th Century Europe, the airs and graces of the courts, the spectre of smallpox - with fantasy. As the main character sees the future she longs for, the acknowledgement and immortality she craves, slipping away from her, the Fairy Kingdom beckens.
As I began reading this story, I couldn’t help but recall one had to be wary of Faeries and the “gifts” they offered as they were typically offered with a sword edged tongue and the wish you wished for wasn’t always granted in the way you thought it would be.
From the author’s notes: “What legacy could Nannerl have left if she’d been given the kind of attention and access that her brother enjoyed? What beautiful creations were lost to us forever because Nannerl was a woman? How many other countless talents have been silenced by history, whether for their gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic circumstances?”
Heidi Y.