The Lustrous Dark

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For fans of Sabaa Tahir and Guillermo del Toro comes The Lustrous Dark, a sweeping YA fantasy, in which a young midwife’s apprentice rises up to take back the power that’s been stolen from women.

Orphaned as a baby, Shay has spent her life training as the midwife’s apprentice. Her role grants her stability, yet Shay has always yearned for more. Namely, motherly affection and answers regarding her mysterious birth—neither of which the midwife deems practical to provide.

After Shay discovers her birth mother, Hind, is still alive and addicted to a magical drug called Snow, she determines to get the woman clean. But when Hind betrays Shay to get her hands on more Snow, Shay’s abandoned within a deadly forest and forced to rely on a band of monstrous ghouls for safety.

Shay’s realm has long stood on the brink of war between the men who control magic and the revolutionaries who want to eliminate it. But in the forest, Shay hears the pleading call of ancient spirits who claim that not only has magic been stolen, but Shay has the power to return it. With the help of a spitfire revolutionary and the boy who’s winning over her heart, Shay discovers the horrific truth of who produces Snow and will have to decide for herself whether to heed the spirits’ charge or fade into obscurity.

This emotionally raw and gorgeously rendered fairy tale combines the lush worldbuilding of This Woven Kingdom with the mother trauma of Snow White and a dash of Tim Burton. Steeped in mysticism and mythology, The Lustrous Dark confronts injustices against women with a righteous scream that’ll inspire readers to rally against the patriarchy and oppressive regimes worldwide.

Perfect for readers who love Political Revolutions, Fighting the Patriarchy, Toxic Mothers, Reawakening the Gods, Ancient Magic, Bone-Chilling Monsters, Haunted Forests, Female Friendships, Fairy Tale Retellings, and Cinnamon Roll Love Interests.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard SelectionThis is a rich, immersive tale about growing up, choosing trust after heartbreak, and discovering family in unexpected places. The worldbuilding is extensive, drawing readers fully into a magical fairy-tale realm inhabited by hags, bone-eaters, and bloodsuckers. . . . Deeply relatable and beautifully written. Hand this to mature readers who are fans of Sabaa Tahir’s books or folktales.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Cultural details and spiritual practices evocative of Islamic traditions ground the story, and folkloric epigraphs prefacing most chapters help round out the worldbuilding.
—Kirkus ReviewsLoretta Chefchaouni is a former early childhood educator from Florida who writes for teens. Her fantastical tales turn grief and fear into myth and monsters and explore all the scary parts of being human within the safe space of stories. She is an alum of the Pitch Wars mentorship program and the Highlights Foundation’s Muslim Storytellers Fellowship. The Lustrous Dark is her debut novel. Instagram: @LoreChefWrites