"Today officially marked a hundred years since Darius had travelled to Monshaw Island, the sacred volcanic glacier that was the source of all magic in Asteria, to be anointed as king. The island was invisible to most, but like all kings and queens before him, Darius had been blessed by its Guardian, a mystical figure responsible for the care and protection of the glacier. Darius had received his anointing ... and then he'd ripped out a shard of the sacred glacier ... Being king hadn't been enough for Darius; he'd wanted pure and permanent power."
This quote is a perfect way to introduce you (and your library group perhaps) to the issues, dangers and quest you will find in this story. Darius, the king, is hidden behind the castle door. Once a year according to the prophecy, there might a chance to open this door if the 'right' person, the one who will be the next ruler, knocks on the door and is recognised. Jack plans to try his luck and so does Thea Rowland. Once their town of Edgemere was a fine place but now it is shrouded in clouds and despair. It is also impossible to leave Edgemeer because people who try become covered in a deep cloud and after a short time away this drains away their life.
Darius has the shard. Jack decides to make a dangerous bargain with an imp. Imps are tricksters.
"I thought I was being careful with the wording. ... I know making bargains with imps is a bad idea. I told him I wanted 'to open the castle and to take away the clouds' ... but he said that I didn't specify how long I wanted the castle open. He said I didn't ask him to make the clouds disappear, I'd just asked to take them away, and that he helped me to take them away from the sky - and put them onto my skin."
Jack is not the rightful heir to the throne but who is? Thea wonders if it is a boy (she later learns his name is Alexander) from Navi which is a city that is supposed to be filled with riches and fabulous inventions. But putting that aside Jack is now in the castle, Thea finds a way to get in too and so now she must find that shard and work out how to get to Navi to the library where the maps of the outer regions are kept. With a map and with Jack holding all those dreadful clouds maybe there is a way she can return the shard to Monshaw Island which is said to be found off the coast of Twill.
"She knew roughly the direction Twill was in, but the only path she was confident of was the one that went through Navi. The library in Navi was famous. She'd find a map of Twill and as much information as she could about Monshaw Island."
I loved reading the description of the library and the helpful librarian:
"A librarian stood, looking quizzically at a screen. ... Librarians live to be asked questions. ... her voice when she spoke was soft and sweet. 'Can I help you?' she asked. 'I'm looking for maps of Asteria,' said Thea carefully. 'They're in the geography section about halfway up, silver tubes ... They're filed by region. If you reach the history books you've gone too far."
Another way to introduce this book might be to talk about this statement:
power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely
Listen to a sample of the audio book read by Louise Giavas.
Blurb: Ever since the king, greedy for magic, stole a piece of an ancient volcanic glacier, Edgemere has been cursed. The castle doors are locked, the skies are constantly dark and the people of Edgemere are trapped living under heavy clouds. When Thea's friend Jack disappears into the castle and becomes imprisoned there, Thea realises that the only way to save him and break the curse is to leave Edgemere and return the piece of glacier to its rightful place. But in order to leave, she will need to rely on help from others – help that lies far beyond the city walls. As the clouds descend, how will Thea know who she can trust?
Harper Collins has a Teacher's Hub - you can listen to Kiah Thomas talking about her book and find some discussion questions. Better Reading list three reasons to read City of Clouds. If you need more plot details take a look at this review from The Book Muse and this one from Just so Stories.
Companion book:
City of Clouds is a new book from 2026 and I am sure we will see it listed as a 2027 Younger Readers notable. I read and loved every book from this previous series by Kiah Thomas:
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