'Before the time of the Cataclysm, there were cities teeming with towers of glass and metal. The Subterranean race did not yet exist, nor did the Avians. In those long-ago times, all humans were alike, and lived together above the ground....' Thus begins the story of Icarus and Velvet. This is a love story, modelled on Romeo and Juliet but set in a landscape vastly different from any we have encountered. It is a story of war, hunger and beauty. Teenagers will love the fiesty Velvet and fall in love with Icarus and his world. Perfect for fans of Holly Black, Leigh Bardugo and Suzanne Collins.

 

 

This book has been graded for interest at 13 years.

There are 336 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2022 by ZunTold .

Author Kate Wiseman has been shortlisted for awards including, the Montegrappa Scholasitc Prize for New Children's Writing; the Winchester Writers Prize for Children's Funny Fiction and she is a best seller in Germany and published in Holland and China.