In this beautifully presented debut novel, the reader enters a well-constructed, lush fantasy world and finds echoes of the 1920s prohibition era, except it is magic rather than alcohol that’s forbidden here. An original idea, it encompasses the dangers of a unique magic system alongside a strongly feminist journey to power.
Within an entrenched system of political and societal collusion, the characters’ exploration of their power and capacity is firmly at the centre of the story, providing distinctive and engaging portrayals for the reader to follow through the novel. The sophisticated writing draws in popular coming of age tropes of found family and friendship in a fascinating blend highly suitable to older readers.