Nightspell [Hardcover]

Leah Cypess (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 31, 2011

Here be ghosts, the maps said, and that was all.

In this haunted kingdom, ghosts linger—not just in the deepest forests or the darkest caverns, but alongside the living, as part of a twisted palace court that revels all night and sleeps through the daylight hours.

Darri's sister was trapped in this place of fear and shadows as a child. And now Darri has a chance to save her sister . . . if she agrees to a betrothal with the prince of the dead. But nothing is simple in this eerie kingdom—not her sister, who has changed beyond recognition; not her plan, which will be thrown off track almost at once; and not the undead prince, who seems more alive than anyone else.

In a court seething with the desire for vengeance, Darri holds the key to the balance between life and death. Can her warrior heart withstand the most wrenching choice of all?

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Transcendent and triumphant.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))

About the Author

Leah Cypess has been writing since the fourth grade, but before becoming a full-time writer, she earned her law degree from Columbia Law School. She worked for two years at a large New York City law firm, then moved to Boston, where she now lives with her husband and two young children. Leah Cypess is also the author of Nightspell, a companion to Mistwood.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1 edition (May 31, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006195702X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061957024
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,189,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Leah Cypess wrote her first story in first grade. The narrator was an ice-cream cone in the process of being eaten. In fourth grade, she wrote her first book, about a girl who was shipwrecked on a desert island with her faithful and heroic dog (a rip-off of both The Black Stallion and all the Lassie movies).

After selling her first story while in high school, she gave in to her mother's importuning to be practical and majored in biology at Brooklyn College. She then went to Columbia Law School and practiced law for almost two years. She kept writing and submitting in her spare time, and finally, a mere 15 years after her first short story acceptance, she sold her first novel.

Leah currently lives in Brookline, Massachusetts with her husband and two daughters.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Soooo much better than MISTWOOD! June 15, 2011

By CRISTY

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

NIGHTSPELL (Mistwood #2) is everything that MISTWOOD was not. And being that NIGHTSPELL is a companion book and not a sequel to MISTWOOD, I'd recommend skipping MISTWOOD all together. The only connection the two books really had was a common character and even that was only by barely.

NIGHTSPELL is a ghost story rich with betrayal, royalty, murder, magic, politics and nonstop suspense. Definitely a page turner that is hard to put down. Leah Cypress vividly introduces the reader to Ghostland, which is quite literally a spooky kingdom. Unlike any other realm, here the dead (those that fall victim to foul play anyway) come back as ghost to live out eternity side-by-side with the living. But all is not as it seems as the secrets of Ghostland are revealed and the mysteries compile with captivating plot twist and perfectly executed pacing.

NIGHTSPELL (Mistwood #2) is well thought-out and beautifully executed with a strong cast and unique premise. Not having cared for its predecessor, MISTWOOD, I'd say I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed NIGHTSPELL. A great read for anyone up for a bit of mystery a good amount of betrayal and a heck of a lot of spooks

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Hobbitsies Reviews: Vivid, interesting story December 10, 2011

By Tara Gonzalez

Format:Hardcover

I loved Nightspell by Leah Cypess. I enjoyed Mistwood, but I admit to being rather confused by it - definitely drops you right into the story.

But I loved the story and the setting and everything about Nightspell. There's mystery and murder and ghosts and knives and even though I never knew who the hell to trust, I sure had a lot of fun trying to figure it out with Darri, the protagonist.

There was a lot of point of view changing, which bothered me at first, but I enjoyed it more once I got used to it because I was able to see and understand story elements I wouldn't have otherwise.

The setting was awesome. I loved the idea of there being a place where ghosts and humans inhabited the same space, where they knew of each other and accepted each other outwardly, but not so much on the inside.

Overall, I loved Nightspell even more than I liked Mistwood. The story and the setting was much more vibrant to me (despite it being set in Ghostland), and if you're a fan of fantasy, I definitely recommend it.

Nightspell is a companion to Mistwood, so you don't need to read Mistwood to understand, but I recommend you do so, just because of the character that appears in both novels :)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Maybe more like three and a quarter stars. January 28, 2012

By Liz

Format:Hardcover

Better than her first book in this series/universe. Not by a whole lot, but more than enough to be an interesting read. I don't know whether the author found an editor or got a different one, but the writing improved to the point that it seems to be one or the other. Far more showing instead of telling, the mystery was more engaging and puzzling (still easy to figure out, but it still unfolded far better than the last one), the characters were much more three dimensional and as such, I was able to care about them and their situations. Granted, there were exceptions to that; anyone outside the main characters tended towards the two-dimensional side, but they were still interesting.

The narrative itself managed to convey a real sense of the creepy, which I appreciated. Nothing in this book should've been comfortable and it wasn't, at all; well done in that respect. The ending could've fallen into the trap of a pat resolution, and it didn't. The harder road was taken which isn't something I see much of in YA fiction, and I like it. Sometimes life doesn't have a good solution and it's nice to see a fantasy novel reflect that.

Overall a much better read and better writing all around. I won't be raving about this one, but unlike the previous book, I'd probably recommend this one.