The First Dark Sorcerer by Abby Arthur (Whisper Court) - Genres: Fantasy, Steampunk, Young Adult - An awkward wizard. An aspiring ballerina. And a dark god with a wicked vendetta.

The First Dark Sorcerer
by Abby Arthur
(Whisper Court)

Publication date: August 25th 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Steampunk, Young Adult

An awkward wizard. An aspiring ballerina. And a dark god with a wicked vendetta.

Clyde Blitzkurr is devastated. Rejected by every reputable magic academy in the realm, this seventeen-year-old aspiring wizard resolves to make his sister’s dream come true. But things take a turn when a demon tries to kill him.

Aylee Blitzkurr’s deepest desire is at hand. Accepted to the most prestigious dance academy, this sixteen-year-old ballerina is a breath away from becoming a principal dancer. But when her brother’s life is threatened, and ghosts start leaving cryptic messages, fighting for Clyde’s wellbeing takes precedence.

The siblings begin to uncover dangerous secrets connecting them to a vengeful god. Neither is safe. Clyde must grasp the untapped power he possesses. Aylee must discover the courage to face her darkest fears. If they do not, they will lose more than their lives … they will miss their destiny. And the realms are counting on them.

Phantom of the Opera meets Cassandra Clair’s Clockwork Angel in this young adult steampunk fantasy!
Escape to a world imbued with magic and the paranormal. Find mermaids, demons, dragon shifters, elves, wizards, sorcery, and a healthy dose of fantastical ballet. This exciting book for teens is for boys, girls, and everyone in between.

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EXCERPT:

Flipping Gelrá open, I search for a spell to try. “Something simple,” I say to him. “Rudimentary, even.”

Of his own accord, my grimoire flips through the pages, stopping on a page that looks like all the others. A spell fills the middle of the page, written in Ancient Naerthen. The title implies it’s about moving inanimate objects. I scoff. “We know what happened the last time I tried my hand at telekinesis.”

I move to flip the page, to find a spell that might be easier. Gelrá doesn’t budge, but makes his pages stick together like glue.

Heaving a sigh, I nearly give in, but the room is empty. “What good is a spell if there’s no object to move?”

Gelrá blurs the spell to sketch a drawing. He shows a surprisingly good rendering of Truff, tapping the list of rooms on the wall and calling up a cart of cleaning supplies.

I slap my legs in reluctance. “Fine.” Getting up, I try touching the words that say Ævin Hall.

Nothing happens.

“I’m going to clean Ævin Hall,” I say aloud and tap the list.

Again, nothing happens.

My lips pull back in disdain as I cross my arms and pace. “Opera house.” As I speak, I let my senses feel the air. Magic lingers on every side, like snow suspended in space. I can’t see it, but I can feel it.

“Opera house, can I have a broom?”

The magic clusters before me, driven by an invisible force. There’s a bright, white shimmer, and then a broom appears sticking straight up with its brushes on the ground. As soon as the light disappears, the broom falls.

Catching it by the wooden handle, I marvel at what just happened and scan the Court Room again.

“Thanks,” I say, not sure if this room cares about manners, but it feels wrong not to be polite.

Inspecting the broom, I expect it to be charmed, but it doesn’t glitter with magic. Nothing about it is fancy. It’s just a broom, but unlike the one I used this morning, it isn’t broken.

[…]

“Let’s go back to the telekinesis spell, please.”

The pages flip again, and the spell Gelrá originally showed returns. For a second, all I do is stare at it. This spell is one of the first I ever memorized. It’s true that I know it by heart, but as I stare at the page, reading it over and over, my body shivers.

I’ve never enacted any of these spells correctly. Not since that fateful day …

Taking in a huge breath, I blow it out with an exasperated sigh. “Okay,” I whisper. “Mac says this room can contain me. I can do this.”

Setting the broom neatly before me, it rests flat on its side. Sweat glistens on my arms and makes my shirt stick to my stomach.

Please listen, I internally think to my magic. I need you to work. Then I begin the spell, and a swirling of power builds into a tiny vortex in my chest. It’s working! I almost smile, but then blue light swirls prematurely down my arms. I hastily finish the spell, and my magic bursts forth to swirl angrily around the broom. It stands up right, and for half a second, I think the spell worked.

But then the bristles lift off the ground. I barely have a second to roll out of the way before the wooden handle comes jerking towards me like a mace.

Author Bio:

Abby Arthur is absolutely obsessed with writing teen fantasy and mildly enjoys sleeping, eating, and breathing. She spends most of her time lost in an imaginary world of glowing magic and dastardly dragons. When she’s not writing, she’s illustrating characters and watching Asian shows or Marvel movies.

Abby’s books combine magic, action, swords, and dragons with a healthy dose of sarcasm.
She started winning writing contests and getting published in newspapers when she was just sixteen.

Her magic portal is located in small town Iowa, protected by herself, her husband, and their son.
For more info on Abby and her books check out her site: www.abbyarthur.com

To view her character illustrations, check her out on your favorite social platform!

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