The Summer War, Naomi Novik
The Summer War, Naomi Novik
List: $15.00 | Sale: $10.50
Club: $7.50

The Summer War

Author: Naomi Novik

Narrator: Ella Lynch

Unabridged: 3 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/16/2025


Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this poignant, heartfelt novella from the New York Times bestselling author of Spinning Silver and the Scholomance trilogy, a young witch who has inadvertently cursed her brother to live a life without love must find a way to undo her spell.

A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Celia discovered her talent for magic on the day her beloved oldest brother, Argent, left home. Furious at him for abandoning her in a war-torn land, she lashed out, not realizing her childish, angry words would become imbued with the power of prophecy, dooming him to a life without love.

While Argent wanders the world, forced to seek only fame and glory instead of the love and belonging he truly desires, Celia attempts to undo the curse she placed on him. Yet even as she grows from a girl to a woman, she cannot find the solution—until she learns the truth about the centuries-old war between her own people and the summerlings, immortal beings who hold a relentless grudge against their mortal neighbors.

Now, with the aid of her unwanted middle brother, Celia may be able to both undo her eldest brother’s curse and heal the lands so long torn apart by the Summer War.

About Naomi Novik

Naomi Novik, an American author, grew up in Roslyn Heights on Long Island, and is a writer in the science fiction/fantasy genre. Her works include Temeraire in a series of nine novels, His Majesty's Dragon, Uprooted, and Will Supervillains Be On The Final. Her books have all been released in audio form. She also participated in the design and development of the computer game, Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undentride.

Novik attended Brown University and Columbia University. She lives with her husband Charles Ardai, and their child, Evidence Novik Ardai in Manhattan.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Esta on September 12, 2025

Ever accidentally cursed your sibling and doomed them to a life without love, that time when you were 12 years old and got your first period? No? Well then, give yourself a pat on the back. You’re already doing better than Celia, surprise sorceress and inadvertent destroyer of her brother Argent’s r......more

Goodreads review by EveStar91 on September 04, 2025

Celia took one step and then another back from the edge. She had promised to care, and she would keep her promise. She’d care about Roric, and she’d care about the people of Prosper, and she’d even care about the summerlings, and give them a chance to write new stories of their own. A beautiful premi......more

Goodreads review by Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading) on June 13, 2025

3.5 This reads like a fairy tale. It's a very short story about three siblings and two kingdoms. It has a bit of a Holly Black feeling to it. It's a good novella, probably my favorite from Naomi Novik. Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for the ARC.......more

Goodreads review by Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ on May 29, 2025

I read this in one sitting and could have had another 500 pages of this story and world, yet I was also totally satisfied by this novella. That’s how you know an author is talented and has me wrapped around her little finger. Celia was 12 years old when she cursed her older brother for leaving her b......more

Goodreads review by Akankshya on September 08, 2025

Naomi Novik has a new novella out (new tongue twister just dropped). I looove the cover and was determined to love this book. This is a pretty sweet cozy fantasy read. I really enjoyed reading her short story anthology, Buried Deep and Other Stories last year, and I think she's really well-versed in......more