Bright and Broken Things - by Ryan Graudin Paperback

Book Synopsis

Ezra Bright has returned to London after serving in World War I but, like many returned soldiers, he is haunted by his time on the front lines and the loss of his adoptive brother. He attempts to put the nightmares behind him and focus on his dissertation, but a chance encounter with his sister, Biz, introduces him to the Bright Young Things, a group of socialites famous for their elaborate costume parties and treasure hunts spanning London. At one such party Ezra meets Celia, a young socialite who introduces him to a world of magic and secret societies.

Unbeknownst to many, a powerful cabal of magicians known as the Order has been stealing magical artifacts in the hopes of impressing its mysterious leader. The ultimate prize is said to bestow immortality on its bearer and Celia suspects Ezra may be in possession of the powerful, ancient magic key to locating it. When Biz mistakes a note from Ezra's mother for the start of another scavenger hunt, the Order is alerted to Ezra's presence forcing him, Celia, Biz and her fiancé on a race across Cairo to find the treasure before the Order does.

Review Quotes

"Every page of Ryan Graudin's latest is molten gold. Thrilling, charming, and utterly transportive. True to form, Graudin sprinkles this tale with so much heart and humor and glittering dialogue that it's impossible not to walk away enchanted." ―Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

"Ryan Graudin's magical Paris is glittering and seedy, glorious and deadly, fabulous and unforgiving. This novel of delicious skullduggery brings the City of Lights to life. I wish I could slip into its pages for a stroll, and see my favorite places rendered fantastical. This is the Paris novel of my dreams." ―Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Strange the Dreamer

"The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois is sublime and seductive, full of midnight magic and spun-glass secrets. I never wanted to wake up from this luminous fever dream of a novel." ―Lyra Selene, author of A Feather So Black

"Graudin mixes a heady cocktail of decadent parties with the bittersweet tang of a world about to self-destruct. This is a delectable confection." ―Publishers Weekly

"Graudin's adult debut weaves real and imagined characters into a tale full of romance, art, curiosity and pain. An expansive fantasy."―Library Journal

"It's always nice to see a new way of thinking about magic, both in how it might come into existence and then be used; Ryan Graudin has done it thoughtfully, without overly complicated rules and still internally consistent." ―Locus

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