Luma and the Living Marble

von Knoxville

156 Seiten, Taschenbuch, ab 12 Jahre

Kurzbeschreibung des Verlags

In the city of Ardel, every child is expected to carve their own likeness from sacred marble, sealing their identity and destiny into stone for eternity. The High Council calls this ritual the Rite, promising that a perfectly finished statue will bring order, security, and a permanent place in society. But for twelve-year-old Luma Carter, the final carving becomes an act of impossible resistance. Though her hands can shape marble with extraordinary precision, she cannot bring herself to carve the eyes, nose, or mouth of her own effigy. She leaves its face smooth and unfinished-and is condemned as a disgrace.Cast out by the authorities and rejected by a father terrified of losing his family's status, Luma discovers that the city's greatest secret lies beyond its immaculate walls. In the fog-choked Abandoned Plaza, where generations of rejected statues have been dumped among broken pedestals and tangled briars, the discarded marble begins to move. These unfinished figures are not lifeless failures. They are living beings, struggling against a system that demands perfection at the cost of individuality, freedom, and emotion.As Luma follows the mysterious sounds through the ruins, she uncovers the terrifying truth behind the Rite. The finished statues promise more than a fixed future: they represent a fate that strips their creators of the spontaneity and feelings that make them human. Her own mother, Sylvia, has become a chilling reflection of this loss, moving through life with mechanical obedience and a smile that conceals an empty soul.With the help of unexpected allies, including the veteran sculptor Rowan Lancaster and the watchman Garrett Quinn, Luma must confront the powerful High Arbiter Helena Whitmore and the Council's determination to destroy every unfinished creation. When the authorities launch a brutal campaign to crush the discarded statues, Luma's refusal to surrender becomes the spark for a desperate struggle against generations of fear and control.A Bridge Made of Trust-no, Luma and the Living Marble-is a dark fantasy about courage, identity, and the price of enforced perfection. Through a world of animated stone, oppressive civic rituals, and breathtaking confrontations, Luma learns that flaws are not proof of failure. Sometimes, what remains unfinished is the only thing still alive. Her journey challenges an entire civilization to choose between the comfort of permanent obedience and the uncertain beauty of freedom.

• Themen: Kinder, Jugendliche und Bildung Romane, Erzählungen, Tatsachenberichte Fantasy Dark Fantasy
• ISBN: 9798182946629
• Sprache: Englisch
• Erscheinungsdatum: 20.10.2026
• Größe: 229 x 152 mm
• Verlag: SHELBY ALVAREZ KNOXVILLE
• Empf. Lesealter: ab 12 Jahre