Amanda Foody - Daughter Of The Burning City

A darkly irresistible new fantasy set in the infamous Gomorrah Festival, a traveling carnival of debauchery that caters to the strangest of dreams and desires

Sixteen-year-old Sorina has spent most of her life within the smoldering borders of the Gomorrah Festival. Yet even among the many unusual members of the traveling circus-city, Sorina stands apart as the only illusion-worker born in hundreds of years. This rare talent allows her to create illusions that others can see, feel and touch, with personalities all their own. Her creations are her family, and together they make up the cast of the Festival’s Freak Show.

But no matter how lifelike they may seem, her illusions are still just that—illusions, and not truly real. Or so she always believed...until one of them is murdered.

Desperate to protect her family, Sorina must track down the culprit and determine how they killed a person who doesn’t actually exist. Her search for answers leads her to the self-proclaimed gossip-worker Luca. Their investigation sends them through a haze of political turmoil and forbidden romance, and into the most sinister corners of the Festival. But as the killer continues murdering Sorina’s illusions one by one, she must unravel the horrifying truth before all her loved ones disappear.

Daughter of the Burning City

Amanda Foody

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2017

Copyright © Amanda Foody 2017

Amanda Foody asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Ebook Edition © July 2017 ISBN: 9781474055512

Version: 2018-09-04

Praise for Daughter of the Burning City

“Amanda Foody’s stunning debut is full of velvety language, intricate worldbuilding, and a story that treads the fine line of horror and fantasy. This is the kind of read that makes your spine shiver, and your heart beat faster.”

—Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen

“Utterly original. Amanda Foody has a wicked imagination. If you enjoy your fantasy on the darker side, then you will love Gomorrah!”

—Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval

“I love the vivid, sumptuous world Amanda Foody has created: Sorina’s magic, her illusionary family and the Gomorrah Festival make for a wildly inventive mystery I won’t soon forget.”

—Virginia Boecker, author of The Witch Hunter series

AMANDA FOODYhas always considered imagination to be our best attempt at magic. When she is not writing young-adult fantasy about spectacle, extravagance and prestige, she is figuring out this whole “adult” thing. A recent graduate of the College of William and Mary, she now lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with her many siblings and many books. Daughter of the Burning City is her first novel.

For my Quidditch team:

Ryan &

McKenna &

Parker &

Alex &

Connor &

Erica.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text A darkly irresistible new fantasy set in the infamous Gomorrah Festival, a traveling carnival of debauchery that caters to the strangest of dreams and desires Sixteen-year-old Sorina has spent most of her life within the smoldering borders of the Gomorrah Festival. Yet even among the many unusual members of the traveling circus-city, Sorina stands apart as the only illusion-worker born in hundreds of years. This rare talent allows her to create illusions that others can see, feel and touch, with personalities all their own. Her creations are her family, and together they make up the cast of the Festival’s Freak Show. But no matter how lifelike they may seem, her illusions are still just that—illusions, and not truly real. Or so she always believed...until one of them is murdered. Desperate to protect her family, Sorina must track down the culprit and determine how they killed a person who doesn’t actually exist. Her search for answers leads her to the self-proclaimed gossip-worker Luca. Their investigation sends them through a haze of political turmoil and forbidden romance, and into the most sinister corners of the Festival. But as the killer continues murdering Sorina’s illusions one by one, she must unravel the horrifying truth before all her loved ones disappear.

Title Page Daughter of the Burning City Amanda Foody

Praise Praise for Daughter of the Burning City “Amanda Foody’s stunning debut is full of velvety language, intricate worldbuilding, and a story that treads the fine line of horror and fantasy. This is the kind of read that makes your spine shiver, and your heart beat faster.” —Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen “Utterly original. Amanda Foody has a wicked imagination. If you enjoy your fantasy on the darker side, then you will love Gomorrah!” —Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval “I love the vivid, sumptuous world Amanda Foody has created: Sorina’s magic, her illusionary family and the Gomorrah Festival make for a wildly inventive mystery I won’t soon forget.” —Virginia Boecker, author of The Witch Hunter series

About the Author AMANDA FOODY has always considered imagination to be our best attempt at magic. When she is not writing young-adult fantasy about spectacle, extravagance and prestige, she is figuring out this whole “adult” thing. A recent graduate of the College of William and Mary, she now lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with her many siblings and many books. Daughter of the Burning City is her first novel.

Dedication For my Quidditch team: Ryan & McKenna & Parker & Alex & Connor & Erica.

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

Gill illustration

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

Blister illustration

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

Nicoleta illustration

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

Venera illustration

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Hawk illustration

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Unu and Du illustration

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Crown illustration

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

Tree illustration

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Luca illustration

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX