"An atmospheric, blood-drenched dark fantasy for a cold and stormy night." Kirkus ReviewsFrom the author of The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender comes a haunting tale of magic and murder.When Rona Blackburn landed on Anathema Island more than a century ago, her otherworldly skills might have benefited friendlier neighbors. Instead, guilt and fear led the islands original eight settlers to burn the witch out of her home. So Rona invoked the privileges of a witch; she cursed them. But such a spell always comes with a terrible price, and in punishing the island's residents, Rona also bound her family ever tighter to them. Fast-forward to the present day and all Nor Blackburn wants is to live an unremarkable teenage life. And she has reason to hope that she may have escaped the thorny side-effects of the family matriach's curse. But then a mysterious book comes out, promising to cast any spell for the right price. The author Nors own mother seems capable of performing magic that should be far beyond her capabilities. And such magic always requires a sacrifice.A storm is coming. It's coming for Nor.

 

 

This book has been graded for interest at 14 years.

There are 288 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2018 by Walker Books Ltd .

Leslye Walton says that The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender began as a short story that came to her while listening to a song. She has an MA in Writing, and this is her first novel. Leslye Walton is a native of Tacoma, Washington, where she currently teaches at a high school. @LeslyeWalton