Exciting New Fantasy Novel By Local Author, Lisette Prendé, Debuts

Wellington-based author Lisette Prendé has just released her debut novel, Bianca De Lumiére, a compelling YA/NA novel in the vein of Percy Jackson, Twilight, and Tamora Pierce’s Protector of the Small quartet.

As New Zealand students progress through school, they face increasing bullying, particularly verbal bullying. High school and university students alike will see familiar situations and rejoice in the empowerment and positive situations the lead character, Bianca, undergoes. Having witnessed and suffered bullying herself, Lisette wanted to write an engaging story for readers to relate to positively and to witness triumph over the pain while overcoming adversity as well, but with a fantasy backdrop. Set in Oregon and based loosely on small town where the Oregon Vortex exists, fairy tale creatures are real, but with a modern twist. Bianca learns as much about herself and facing bullies as she does about fighting evil creatures on her own.

Bianca De Lumière

By Lisette Prendé

Published by Full Time Unicorn Press on 8th August 2020, RRP: $25.00

Tagline: A teenage girl with supernatural powers must trust a handsome telepathic stranger if she is to save her small town from evil and discover her true identity.

“Why can’t I just be a normal teenager?”

“Oh Bee, there’s no such thing as a normal teenager.”

“There’s gotta be something more normal than all of this!”

Sixteen-year-old Bianca Taylor just wants to be a normal teenager, but normal has never come naturally to her.

Not only is she known as the Albino of Pentacle High, but Bianca is also an auric-empath—able to see and feel the colorful auras of those around her.

To make matters worse Bianca has started sleepwalking—waking to find herself naked in the forest, with visions of demonic beasts fresh in her mind. At first, she sees her nighttime wanderings as harmless; however, when a local rancher goes missing after a run of gruesome cattle killings, Bianca starts to fear for her safety.

A handsome stranger appears in town, telepathically warning Bianca that she is in danger. Does he also hold the answers to who, and what, she really is?

Bianca De Lumière, written by a New Zealand author, is an engaging urban fantasy set in rural Oregon and loosely based on the Oregon Vortex, a scientific anomaly drawing visitors and a researcher who studied it for several decades. The main character, Bianca, and her best friend, Fae, are a compelling example of friendship in the face of adversity: namely, the extreme bullying that Bianca endures in high school for her unusual appearance.

As an outsider in her town, and particularly at high school, Bianca faces extreme loneliness as well as life-changing facts about herself and the people around her. As she goes up against bullies, she also goes up against secrets about her past and how to utilize her true nature to fight the evil in her town bent on destroying everyone—especially her.

Readers who enjoyed Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief, Anne McCaffrey’s Harperhall Trilogy, and Tamora Pierce’s Protector of the Small quartet but also want more new adult themes and unicorns, faeries, and centaurs in a contemporary high school setting, Bianca de Lumiere is the book to grab and read. Think chosen one like Buffy but instead of vampires and demons, Bianca must fight Western fairy tale creatures who choose to practice forbidden magic instead of embracing magic for good use.

This debut book will surely hook the 16+ fantasy readers.

Praise for Bianca de Lumiere:

“This YA Urban Fantasy novel gripped me in from the first chapter and held many twists and turns. I loved how the themes of bullying, feminism, self-esteem, individuality and relationships were explored.”

• Bonnie on Goodreads

“I loved the abundance of magical creatures. Many are familiar, but they all have unique characteristics and some are entirely subverted.”

-Jenny Sandiford on Goodreads

About the Author:

Lisette Prendé is an author, actor and tarot reader from New Zealand. She has written for publications such as The Spinoff, Stuff News and Headland Journal. When she is not writing she enjoys painting, ghost hunting and drinking tea. Lisette lives in Wellington with her partner, their two sons and a Burmese cat called Cheesecake. Bianca De Lumière is her first novel.

A note from the author

Like Bianca, I was an outsider at high school. I was highly sensitive and intuitive to other people’s energies and I found being around hundreds of students all day incredibly overwhelming. My coping mechanism was to withdraw into myself but that made me come across as a little strange. So, also like Bianca, I got teased and bullied for being different.

Bianca’s story speaks to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider or thought that their differences were a detriment. There is a light and strength inside anyone who feels like an outsider just waiting to be discovered

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