Magical realism

Book Synopsis''Romantic, clever, and makes grand larceny more fun than ever'' HOLLY BLACK''A twisty, riveting and fantastically original story'' ELLE COSIMANO''Gwenda Bond at her absolute best: magical romantic and fun as hell'' ALIX E. HARROWDani Poissant is the daughter and former accomplice of the world''s most famous art thief. There was no job too big for Maria and her loyal crew. The secret to their success? A little thing called magic, kept rigorously secret from the non-magical world. They seemed unstoppable . . . until a teenage Dani turned her mother over to the FBI.Ten years later, with Maria still in prison, Dani finds herself approached for a job that only Maria and her crew could pull off . . . if any of them were still speaking to her. But it''s the job of a lifetime and might just be the lure Dani needs to reconcile with her mother and be reunited with her mother''s old gang-including both the love of her life and her former best frienTrade ReviewThe Frame-Up is Gwenda Bond at her absolute best: magical, romantic, and fun as hell. Dani and her crew will leave your pockets empty and your heart full. -- ALIX E. HARROW, New York Times bestselling author of STARLING HOUSEA clever art heist, a smoldering old flame, an irresistible found family tied together through magic . . . Gwenda Bond's The Frame-Up is a twisty, riveting, and fantastically original story. -- ELLE COSIMANO, New York Times bestselling author of Finlay Donovan Is Killing ItMagic, mystery, and a daring art heist set the stage for Gwenda Bond's twisty, delightful read! Brimming with secrets, danger, and intrigue, The Frame Up explores the lure of power, the bonds of friendship, and the legacy of family. Clever, suspenseful, and impossible to put down. -- MEGAN MIRANDA, New York Times bestselling author of The Only SurvivorsOcean's Eleven meets The Picture of Dorian Grey in this delightful magical heist novel. A quirky cast, a charming protagonist, and a fantastic dog. Plus art history, monsters, and family secrets-who can ask for more? -- T. KINGFISHER, bestselling author of NETTLE & BONEA thrilling, twisty, deliciously fun portrait of a magical art heist. Gwenda Bond has crafted a clever Knives Out-but-with-magic book to keep readers guessing where the con will take them next. -- MEGAN SHEPHERD, New York Times bestselling author of MALICE HOUSEI love a good heist novel, and I love a good magical heist novel even more. Gwenda Bond's The Frame-Up is fun and moving and full of delicious surprises and twists. I enjoyed it immensely. -- KAT HOWARD, author of the Unseen World duologyWho knew magic and art heists would go together like chocolate and peanut butter? The Frame-Up is a thoroughly delightful whirlwind of a read. -- ALMA KATSU, author of THE FERVOUR

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 1991 Commonwealth Writers'' Prize. Syl Cheney-Coker''s acclaimed debut novel, The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar traces the history of a nation''s rise and fall, as prophesied by an ancient sorcerer.A military general sits in one of Malagueta''s prison cells, awaiting his execution. He has just failed to overthrow the government. In the same land, over two centuries ago, the wife of a formerly enslaved man takes her first steps towards freedom.From the creation of Malagueta to its devastating fall, Alusine Dunbar, the wizened old diviner, has prophesied it all. And what he sees, he calls a tragedy.One of Sierra Leone's most renowned novelists and poets, Sly Cheney-Coker creates a world teeming with magical realism as he paints the journey from precolonial Africa to its shaky independence.Trade Review[A] passionate epic history of the small town of Malagueta on the Atlantic coast of Africa. * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ? Following their adventures in The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower, Vasya and Morozko return in this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Winternight Trilogy, battling enemies mortal and magical to save both Russias, the seen and the unseen.?A tale both intimate and epic, featuring a heroine whose harrowing and wondrous journey culminates in an emotionally resonant finale.??Publishers Weekly(starred review)NAMED ONE OF PASTE?S BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF THE DECADE Vasilisa Petrovna is an unforgettable heroine determined to forge her own path. Her gifts and her courage have drawn the attention of Morozko, the winter-king, but it is too soon to know if this connection will prove a blessing or a curse.Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers?and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasya will uncover surprising truths about herself as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all.Praise for TheWinter of the Witch?Katherine Arden?s Winternight Trilogy isn?t just good?it?s hug-to-your-chest, straight-to-the-favorites-shelf, reread-immediately good, and each book just gets better. The Winter of the Witch plunges us back to fourteenth-century Moscow, where old gods and new vie for the soul of Russia and fate rests on a witch girl?s slender shoulders. Prepare to have your heart ripped out, loaned back to you full of snow and magic, and ripped out some more.??Laini Taylor ?Luxuriously detailed yet briskly suspenseful . . . a striking literary fantasy informed by Arden?s deep knowledge.??Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

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Book SynopsisNATIONAL BESTSELLERA GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICKWith its countless epiphanies and surprises, Oona proves difficult to put down. USA TodayBy turns tragic and triumphant, heartbreakingly poignant and joyful, this is ultimately an uplifting and redemptive read. The GuardianA remarkably inventive novel that explores what it means to live a life fully in the moment, even if those moments are out of order.It's New Year's Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or remain at home in Brooklyn to pursue her passion for music and be with her boyfriend? As the countdown to the New Year begins, Oona faints and awakens thirty-two years in the future in her fifty-one-year-old body. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she's told is her own, Oon

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Book SynopsisFrom Hurston/Wright Legacy Award-winning author Rita Woods, The Last Dreamwalker tells the story of two women, separated by nearly two centuries yet inextricably linked by the Gullah-Geechee Islands off the coast of South Carolinaand their connection to a mysterious and extraordinary gift passed from generation to generation.In the wake of her mother''s passing, Layla Hurley unexpectedly reconnects with her mother''s sisters, women she hasn''t been allowed to speak to, or of, in years.Her aunts reveal to Layla that a Gullah-Geechee island off the shore of South Carolina now belongs to her. As Layla digs deeper into her mother's past and the mysterious island's history, she discovers that the terrifying nightmares that have plagued her throughout her life and tainted her relationship with her mother and all of her family, is actually a power passed down through generations of her Gullah ancestors. She is a Dreamwalker, able to inhabit the dreams of other

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Book SynopsisBold, iridescent . . . Dazzling and shocking . . . Ross's lyrical, rhythmic writing is something to be savored . . . [Her] voice sings out loud and pure. Eowyn Ivey, The New York Times Book ReviewAn uproarious, sensual novel, Leone Ross's Popisho conjures a world where magic is everywhere, food is fate, politics are broken, and love awaits.Everyone in Popisho was born with a little something-something, boy, a little something extra. The local name was cors. Magic, but more than magic. A gift, nah? Yes. From the gods: a thing so inexpressibly your own. Somewhere far awayor maybe right nearbylies an archipelago called Popisho. A place of stunning beauty and incorrigible mischief, destiny and mystery, it is also a place in need of change. Xavier Redchoose is the macaenus of his generation, anointed by the gods to make each resident one perfect meal when the time is right. Anise, his long-lost love, is on a

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Book SynopsisAn ingenious pocket universe. Caitlin Horrocks, The New York Times Book Review Gunnhild Øyehaug is a magician of the highest rank. Catherine LaceyOn an ordinary day in Bergen, Norway, in the late 1990s, Anna is reading in the garden while her two-year-old daughter, Laura, plays on her tricycle. Then, in one startling moment, Anna misreads a word, an alternate universe opens up, and Laura disappears. Twenty years or so later, life has gone on as if nothing happened. In each of the women's lives, however, something is not quite right.Both Anna and Laura continue to exist, but they are invisible to each other and forgotten in each other's worlds. Both are writers and amateur pianists. Both are married; Anna had two more children after Laura disappeared, and Laura is expecting a child of her own. They worry about their families, their jobs, the climateand whether this reality is all there is.In the exquisite, wistful, slyly profoun

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Book SynopsisA National Indie BestsellerWinner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Story Prize, and a Windham-Campbell Literature PrizeA Best Book of the Year at The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue, Houston Chronicle, Roxane Gay's The Audacity, Mashable, Polygon, Kirkus Reviews, and Library JournalA New York Times Book Review Editor's ChoiceUncanny and haunting . . . Genius. Michele Filgate, The Washington PostDazzling. Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh AirWhat happens when fantasy tears the screen of the everyday to wake us up? Could that waking be our end?In Bliss Montage, Ling Ma brings us eight wildly different tales of people making their way through the madness and reality of our collective delusions: love and loneliness, connection and possession, friendship, motherhood, the idea of ho

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Book SynopsisA gorgeous debut, laced through with magic, following four generations of women as they seek to chart their own futuresTrade Review"With language richer than the matriarch’s famed chowder and nautical descriptions so vivid you can taste the salt spray, Roberts offers a new and refreshingly feminine perspective on one of American literature’s most masculine classics." -- Oprah Daily

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Book SynopsisMachado de Assis’s iconic novel, now considered a progenitor of twentieth-century South American fiction, is finally rendered as a stunningly modern work.Trade Review"The most modern, most startlingly avant-garde novel I read this year was originally published in 1881. Jull Costa and Patterson offer a peerless translation of this comic masterpiece, narrated from beyond the grave by a feckless, pretentious, impossibly winning aristocrat. The Brazilian novelist Machado was besotted with the license afforded by fiction and the social critique permitted only by comedy. Read this witty, wildly inventive work and how conservative, how painfully corseted so much modern fiction will suddenly seem." -- Parul Sehgal, 'Times Critics' Top Books of 2020' - The New York Times"One of the wittiest, most playful, and therefore most alive and ageless books ever written." -- Dave Eggers"The book’s invigorating style, as much as its backdrop of racial and social injustice, makes it ideal reading for this morbid, insurgent summer... Sprinkled with epigrams, dreams, gags and asides, the story teases, dances and delights... [Machado']s worldly, bruised voice reaches out to touch readers today with its rueful comedy and wry sensuality." -- The Economist"A great ironist, a tragic comedian... In [De Assis] books, in their most comic moments, he underlines the suffering by making us laugh." -- Philip Roth"The greatest writer ever produced in Latin America." -- Susan Sontag

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Book Synopsis* SOON TO BE A MINDY KALING TV SERIES ** A Book of the Month pick by CNN, Bustle, PopSugar, Entertainment Weekly and Vox ** One of The Washington Post's 10 Best Books of 2021 ** Longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize *‘Achingly familiar and marvellously inventive… a dizzyingly original, fiercely funny, deeply wise novel’ Celeste Ng‘Completely original, utterly absorbing, complex and confident’ Karen Joy Fowler‘Truly funny, insightful, smart and filled with wonderful characters… unmissable’ Ann NapolitanoANYONE CAN BE EXTRAORDINARY. BUT IT COMES AT A PRICE… Neil Narayan’s parents moved to America for a better life, and his perfect older sister is now headed to an elite university. Neil is funny and smart, but he is not living up to his parents’ dream. While he tries to want their versiTrade Review'In a perfect alchemical blend of familiar and un-, Gold Diggers takes a wincingly hilarious coming-of-age story, laces it with magical realism and a trace of satire, and creates a world that's both achingly familiar and marvelously inventive. Written with such assurance it's hard to believe it's Sanjena Sathian's debut, this is a dizzyingly original, fiercely funny, deeply wise novel about the seductive powers – and dangers – of borrowed ambition' Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere 'In an alchemic blend of modern American ambition and ancient myth, this sometimes fiercely funny caper, sometimes heart-breaking coming of age story, is a truly immersive read. In the end, Gold Diggers is a beautifully crafted, strange, and deeply touching story about the search for national and personal identity. A gorgeous and gripping read' Nydia Hetherington, author of A Girl Made of Air 'Is the American dream about hard work and sacrifice or is it about the lure of the Gold Rush, of quick riches there for the taking? Greed, regret and love are all at work here in Sathian’s completely original, utterly absorbing, complex and confident debut novel. A bravura performance from an exciting new voice' Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves 'A work of 24-karat genius… Sathian has created a funny, compassionate, tragic novel of astonishing cultural richness… The result is a novel of Indian magic and modern technology, a parody of New World ambition and an elegy of assimilation' Washington Post 'In some ways, Gold Diggers is a delightful concoction of the best of South Asia’s literary offerings, reminiscent of Hanif Kureishi’s irreverent humour in The Buddha of Suburbia and the magic realism of Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West. But Sathian has forged a narrative path entirely her own... she tackles issues of mental health, the "model minority" trap and the generation gap with a fresh literary toolkit and voice' Guardian '[A]chingly real reminders of what it was like to be an adolescent in post-9/11 America, feeling the weight of your parents’ dreams on your shoulders... The tension Sathian builds is one of teenage insecurity swelling into adulthood, until disillusion overthrows the tyranny of American perfectionism... exquisite prose humming with contagious anxiety' New York Times Book Review 'This terrific debut novel uses heists and alchemy to deconstruct immigrant ambition, striving and sin... what makes the novel so compelling is the playfulness with which Sathian deconstructs it. You feel for the characters and the ways they have been warped by their pursuit of greatness and the ways they are haunted by their sins – but also, there are heists and alchemy. It’s a blast' Vox 'The coming-of-age genre meets magical realism meets heist caper… Funny and exciting, it’s an entertaining new twist on the immigrant experience' CNN 'Deftly weaves together magic and history to produce a compelling coming-of-age story' New Yorker 'Upends our ideas of what it takes to make it in America. Smart, funny and completely engrossing' Andrew Ridker, author of The Altruists 'Gold Diggers is so many things – truly funny, insightful, smart and filled with wonderful characters. I loved reading this novel, and loved watching Neil Narayan grow up and grapple with the America his immigrant parents believed in. Neil's journey to figuring out what he believes, which includes a multi-layered exploration into the properties of gold, and his strange and wonderful friendship with his next door neighbor, Anita, make this story unmissable' Ann Napolitano, bestselling author of Dear Edward 'Rollicking, at times painful and ultimately intensely satisfying... twines historical fictions and truths and family histories into the main narrative, exemplifying how time both does and does not make a linear kind of sense, how past, present and future's paths collide at times in unexpected ways' NPR 'A dazzling and delightful work of fiction by an exciting new literary talent... Sathian has produced a beguiling elixir with Gold Diggers, skilfully stirring myth into a playful yet powerful modern-day examination of the American dream and the second-generation citizens who pursue it. A fabulist amalgam of The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye, it’s an engrossing cautionary tale as well as a shrewd appraisal of what we consider success – and the moral sacrifices we make to achieve it. Imaginative and intoxicating, Gold Diggers richly rewards its readers' BookPage 'Filled with pathos, humor, slices of American history and an adrenaline-pumping heist, Sathian's spectacular debut also highlights the steep costs of the all-American dream... Pure gold' Booklist ‘A sprawling tale of magical realism, gold heists and the quest to attain the American dream’ PopSugar ‘A feast of a story… breaks apart the mythology of monolithic culture with the perfect alchemy of humour, magic and irresistible albeit flawed people. Let it sweep you off your feet’ BuzzFeed 'A sweeping tale that combines the classic coming-of-age and teenage rebellion genre with magic realism and social satire... a riveting read... Sathian's prose potently captures the weight of the model minority myth and the constraints it places on a certain subset of Asian Americans' Huffington Post 'Sathian’s satire is pitch perfect… She captures not only the melancholia of the immigrant’s social estrangement, but also the painful expectation that this melancholia should be worth it somehow, that one should achieve and then achieve some more… The heist is magnificent – canny and moving and just plain fun… Her prose lifts off: there’s a delight she takes in writing humorously about magic that shows off the scope of her immense talent.' LA Review of Books

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Book SynopsisWINNER - NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2021AN ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY ''MUST READ''A TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK* * * * *Discover this astonishing work of fiction from award-winning, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Jason Mott.''Powerful, timely and provocative'' ABI DARÉ, author of GIRL WITH A LOUDING VOICE''Jason Mott truly has written one hell of a book.'' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS, author of QUEENIEThis is a true story.An author goes on a book tour for his new bestseller which, as people keep telling him, is one hell of a book.This is a coming-of-age story. One morning, he meets The Kid: a young Black boy who looks just like the one he keeps seeing on the news. And The Kid wants him to tell his story.This is a sad story. It''s the story of a boy who spent most of his life trying to hide. And it may not be that different fTrade ReviewBrilliant and inventive ... You'll cry tears of laughter. * The Sunday Times *Beautiful and deeply moving . . . I'd go as far as to say it's an important book and everyone should read it. * Imran Mahmood *For all its moments of levity, Mott has written a deadly serious story ... Hell of a Book offers a disturbing portrait of a nation that's been lying to itself all its years. In this way, the novel feels like a plea - intense, moving, urgent, and vital. * Washington Independent Review of Books *In a structurally and conceptually daring examination of art, fame, family and being black in America, Mott somehow manages the impossible trick of being playful, insightful and deeply moving, all at the same time. A highly original, inspired work that breaks new ground * National Book Award Judges *How to possibly describe Mott's fourth novel without simply borrowing from its moniker? It is, after all, a hell of a book. * Entertainment Weekly *Hell of a Book more than lives up to its title. Playful, searching, raw and necessary, this writing, this voice, this novel twisted me up and turned me inside out, dazzled me, surprised me and moved me * Charles Yu, author of Interior Chinatown *A black author embarks on a cross-country book tour to promote his new book, but he's followed by a (possibly imaginary) child. The author's story is intertwined with the narrative of Soot, a young black boy living in a rural town. Mott has written a clever meditation on race and violence in America. * New York Post *Maddening, disorienting and illuminating * Booklist *Powerful, timely and provocative * Abi Daré *Hell of a Book consistently proves itself to be more than the sum of its parts: a farce that provokes contemplation, a publishing parody that rings true; an honest and emotive meditation on systematic racial injustice and the myriad ways in which it breaks the human soul. Sharp, funny, evocative and never anything less than utterly poignant, Mott's novel chronicles the experience and cost of racism for black Americans with a clarity that is justifiably unsettling. Hell of a Book is distinctly American tale of racial trauma told with a dry, almost painful humour that scrapes at the reader's heart. * Irish Times *A twisty and startling narrative about the blurry lines between reality and fiction * TIME Magazine *Hilarious and moving, thoughtful and madcap . . . a hell of an accomplishment. * Jonathan Evison, author of West of Here and Small World *A dizzying yet dazzling exploration of exploration itself. * Kiese Laymon, author of How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America *A profound exploration of love, friendship, and racial violence . . . A story that is at once a paean to familial love and friendship and a reckoning with racism and police violence. By turns playful and surprising and intimate, a moving meditation on being Black in America. * Kirkus Reviews *Stunning . . . Mott's poetic, cinematic novel tackles what it means to live in a country where Black people perpetually "live lives under the hanging sword of fear." Absurdist metafiction doesn't get much better. * Publisher’s Weekly *

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Book Synopsis''Charming and endearing . . . a moving story about the past and the shadow it forever leaves on the present''Huma Qureshi, author of Things We Do Not Tell the People We Love''Sublime . . . A fantastic debut from a promising new literary voice''Nick Bradley, author of Four Seasons in JapanDelhi, 1997: It is India''s fiftieth year of independence, the year of Hindu nationalists and atomic bombs. But twelve-year-old Adi has a bigger problem: his Ma has gone missing - again. Left with an ailing grandmother, a raging father and no answers, he finds an unlikely ally: a talking vulture who reveals itself to be a bureaucrat from the ''Department of Historical Adjustment''. The Department holds Adi''s family files, which will take him on a journey through time and memory, through fifty years of India''s history, uncovering the darkest secrets of his Ma''s past. But first, he must unlock them by facing his greatest fearTrade ReviewCharming and endearing . . . There's a lyricism to A.P. Firdaus's writing, and I admire how he blends a touch of lightness with the book's heavier exploration of partition, loss and family tragedy to create a moving story about the past and the shadow it forever leaves on the present -- Huma Qureshi, author of Things We Do Not Tell the People We LoveSublime. A wonderful book that employs playful and magical elements in order to explore the past's hold over the present. A fantastic debut from a promising new literary voice. -- Nick Bradley, author of Four Seasons in Japan

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Book Synopsis2023 Target Book of the Year FinalistPerfect for fans of Rebecca Serle''s One Italian Summer and Josie Silver''s The Two Lives of Lydia Bird.Can the entire course of a life be traced back to a single instant? And can hope be found in every moment after?On a coveted two-week beach vacation, working mom Kate Baker''s nine-year-old daughter, Olivia, vanishes suddenly among the waves--a heart-dropping incident that threatens to uproot her entire reality. But in the next moment, Olivia resurfaces, joyously splashing.What would I do if she didn''t come up? Kate wonders. How would I live without her?In another set of circumstances that hold a different fate, Kate doesn''t have to wonder. Because in that other world, in the pulse-pounding seconds after Olivia goes under, she doesn''t come back up.Told in parallel timelines, Kate begins to live two lives--one in whTrade ReviewIntriguing, thought-provoking . . . Rea Frey breathes life into universal themes concerning love, family, parenthood, forgiveness, grief, and second chances. * The New York Journal of Books *

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG BREAKTHROUGH AUTHOR AWARDKae Tempest's critically acclaimed debut novel, the literary companion to their Mercury-Prize nominated album Everybody Down, takes us into the beating heart of the capital in this multi-generational tale of drugs, desire and belonging''Soaring Tempest's flair for language is tempered by their sense of rhythm and pace Deeply affecting: cinematic in scope; touching in its empathic humanity Tempest's voice by turns raging and tender never falters'' New York TimesYoung Londoners Becky, Harry and Leon are leaving town in a fourth-hand Ford Cortina with a suitcase full of money. They are running from jealous boyfriends, dead-end jobs, violent maniacs and disgruntled drug dealers, in the hope of escaping the restless tedium of life in south-east London the place they have always called home.______________Trade ReviewWonderful * Lauren Laverne *Soaring … Tempest’s flair for language is tempered by [their] sense of rhythm and pace … Deeply affecting: cinematic in scope; touching in its empathic humanity … Tempest’s voice – by turns raging and tender – never falters * New York Times *This is a bold, bright, beguiling novel; a lustrous pageant that dazzles and grips … An irresistible, immersive snapshot of a changing world, delivered in woozy, staccato sentences … There’s great pleasure to be taken from Tempest’s debut … [They] may well be unstoppable * Sunday Telegraph *One of the leading wordsmiths of our time … [They] turn [their] raw, observational skills in book form to the urban young growing up poor – sex, drugs and increasing poverty amid the looming threat of gentrification * Jon Snow *It’s hard not to be blown away by Tempest … A stirring, post-Dickensian lens trained on London’s lonely underbelly * Evening Standard *This book is almost everything I hoped it would be. That is praise indeed, as I had high hopes ... As lyrical as it is gritty, and as devoted to (south-east) London as it is to humanity, with all its foibles * New Statesman *Tempest has a knack for the devastating throwaway line – a skill-honed, no doubt, from years of rapping and spoken-word performances. [Their] work is rich with underlinable lines … Captivating * New Yorker *Everything Tempest does comes from the same gnawing desire to tell stories and change the world ... The book covers come-ups, comedowns, gender identity, parents torn apart by activism and the brutal, beautiful face of survival against the odds ... Blistering **** * NME *Explosive … Fresh and vivid visions of a familiar world … It recalls two other great, recent, experimental novels about being young: Jon McGregor’s If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things and Eimear McBride’s A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing. There’s the same sense of daring and linguistic inventiveness, the same feeling of language pushed to its limits … It fairly flies off the page * Observer *A story of accidental adventure and loss in what feels like London’s boiling crucible of race, class and sexuality … This novel requires giving oneself over to its linguistic world … It seems not just to describe a contemporary world but chart the migratory and class movements that has led it to its current state * Andrew McMillan, Independent *Angst-ridden lyricism captures the energy and loneliness of London life in this dizzying, genre-busting debut ... A remarkable piece of writing, filled with verbal echoes and half-rhymes ... [One reads] for the pinpoint evocation of a milieu, its texture and contours, all delivered with an intensely gathered and focused energy ... Transformative * Guardian *The passion, pace and pulsing narrative of [their] novel is like an extended Arctic Monkeys track … London emerges as the beating heart, a melting pot of race, class, sexuality and drugs. Tempest is a clearly talented writer with a distinctive and engaging voice … Passionate and political * Irish Times *Tempest is a worthy champion for a generation of disillusioned youth … [Their] lyrical talent comes through * Sunday Times *Tempest’s words really soar from the grime of London … Smart, lyrical observations of city life won me over … Tempest proves [their] witty, unique take on the world **** * Stylist *Tempest is brilliant at capturing a distinctly contemporary state of mind, one hollowed out by drugs, ennui and too many late nights, but also one bursting with frustrated feeling and desire. [They] have a poetic sensibility that feels physically hewn from London's unloved corners ... [Their] writing has a startling, unmediated freshness reminiscent of Jack Kerouac ... Full of beauty * Metro *[Their] characters sing … This is yet another impressive achievement for Tempest, and one which leaves this Generation Xer understanding the woes of millennials much better * Scotland on Sunday *A novel of discontentment, rage and good intentions … Tempest sharpens [their] tongue to good effect * The Times *A startling debut novel … The call-to-arms urgency with which Tempest writes about the issues affecting [their] generation – from social prejudice and unemployment to modern love and selfies – has earned [their] comparisons to the Beat poets * Vogue *A whirlwind journey through modern city life ... You'll be gripped from start to finish * Elle *There’s plenty of inspiration and perspiration in the literary world, but Tempest’s sense of urgency is rare ... Tempest does come across as an enemy of beige prose … [They] depict their interior worlds as roiling; the intensity of their inner lives explodes on the page * National Post *Tempest portrays the lives of generations of Londoners with an unflinching but sympathetic eye * Big Issue *A lager-stained, rain-soaked love letter to London … Flows like a prose poem about drugs, dual carriageways and desire * Red *A novel about youth and drugs and desire and dancers … It’s also about the changing face of the capital city. About gentrification and its costs * Herald *Tempest has a gift for making you feel you’re walking on the edge of something: between text and sound, or between a great night and the worst one … Many bursts of lyrical prose, heavy and kaleidoscopic * Saturday Paper *Tempest gets at foundations: If families are houses, then each family member is a cracked brick … This might be Tempest’s first novel, but it’s also poetry … By artfully intertwining the stories of people who are broken by the city they love, The Bricks That Built the Houses creates a complex narrative that rarely falters and eventually coheres into a strong and lyrical whole * The Millions *

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Book SynopsisA captivating, magical and haunting debut novel of breathtaking imagination, from the winner of the 2014 Costa Short Story AwardLONGLISTED FOR THE 2019 INTERNATIONAL DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE''That rare thing: genuinely unique'' OBSERVER''Will win you over ... Magical'' THE TIMES''Absolutely stunning. I loved it'' MADELINE MILLER, AUTHOR OF CIRCEOn the remote island of Neverness, the villagers'' lives are entwined with nature: its enchantments, seductions and dangers. There is May, the young fiddler who seeks her musical spirit; Madden Lightfoot, who flies with red kites; and Verlyn Webbe, born with a wing for an arm. Over the course of a generation, their desires, gossip and heartbreak interweave to create a staggeringly original world, crackling with echoes of ancient folklore.Trade ReviewAn extraordinary debut novel … It feels both ancient – drawing on deep seams of myth and folklore – and strikingly contemporary, pushing at the edges of what we mean when we call a book a novel. In Folk, Zoe Gilbert has made a thing of strange and enduring beauty -- Alex Preston * Financial Times *Folk is a special book: immersive and dripping with life, each story a spell, an allegory, a dark, smoky poem divined from the landscape of our ancient kingdom … It reads like a dream that, once visited, is difficult to leave behind -- Ben Myers * Guardian *Genuinely original, disturbing, beautiful and gripping ... Folk can be read as a map of the British mythic imagination: of the river under the river. Starkly original and expertly written, it draws you, like a faerie song, into a kingdom from which you may never escape, and may not want to * New Statesman *Dazzling and unsettling, much like the best and darkest of fairy tales * Times Literary Supplement *A dark, often discomforting debut … Gilbert’s sensuous prose conjures fantastical figures including a man born with a wing for an arm, and a girl who’s abducted by a water bull … Bewitching -- The Best New Fiction * Mail on Sunday *Folk is absolutely stunning. I loved it. With gorgeous, incantatory prose, it submerges you in a mysterious and utterly compelling world. Its illumination lingers long after you close the book * Madeline Miller, Orange Prize-winning author of The Song of Achilles *I was thoroughly absorbed. Zoe Gilbert’s invented folk-world is sensuous and dangerous and thick with magic * Tessa Hadley, author of The Past *That rare thing: genuinely unique. It’s part-myth, part-allegory, wholly wonderful -- The Best Fiction of 2018 * Observer *A captivating mythical, magical and haunting debut which draws on fascinating folklore -- Ten Debut Novels to Watch Out For * i *Wild, domestic, powered by elements both natural and weird, Folk hauls us into a past where there’s room for magic and for mystery. Give in and go there * Margo Lanagan, author of Tender Morsels *An utterly tantalising new voice. With Folk, Gilbert casts a powerful spell, creating a world on the page that feels as old as the hills and yet exquisitely alive ... To read Folk is to find oneself rapt * Alison MacLeod, author of All the Beloved Ghosts *There are themes of desire and longing, loss and mourning, and the rites of passage that must be undertaken to reach adulthood ... Folk has a powerful sense of mythology, reminiscent of Angela Carter -- Hannah Beckerman * Observer *With gorgeous, incantatory prose, Folk submerges you in a mysterious and utterly compelling world. It stayed with me long after I turned the last page -- Madeline Miller * Cosmopolitan *As delightful and as dark as the collected Brothers Grimm. The village of Neverness is misted with secrets and sticky with magic. But as mystical as their circumstances might be the villagers are neither Cinderellas nor wicked-witches ... These tender portraits are, perhaps, Zoe Gilbert’s greatest act of conjuring * Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Harmless Like You *Brilliant. It’s visceral and savage, but the savagery always comes with a light touch ... The stories all have a beautiful fairytale quality that makes them look like they were spun out of one of Neverness’s half-magic mists. It’s a gorgeous, uneasy siren of a book * Natasha Pulley, bestselling author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street *The tales in Folk by Zoe Gilbert could have been ripped straight from the darkest pages of the Brothers Grimm. These intertwined fairy-tale-inspired stories are heavy with symbolism, lyrical and hypnotic * Good Housekeeping *A haunting portrait of a community steeped in folklore. Gilbert is a fine storyteller, and this is skilful, potent writing * K J Orr, author of Light Box *

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Book SynopsisA mind-bending time heist novel that will appeal to fans of V.E. Schwab''s ''Shades of Magic'' series.There was no murder . . . Because they never existed.The Geneva branch of Interpol - the international agency tasked with policing magic and the arcane arts - is where careers go to die. Action is rare as Switzerland banned magic seven hundred years ago. That''s how Agent Jackson Burnett likes it. But then reports of an explosion lead Jackson to the home of businessman Bernard Bouchon. What''s there is unfathomable: The family and their possessions have vanished into ash.Jackson''s enigmatic new partner Luca Tami, a blind Talent able to perform magic, suspects powerful supernatural forces are at play. The family weren''t killed . . . they''ve been erased from time. With all traces of the family disappearing, the case is hours away from being forgotten. How can Jackson solve a crime no one remembers happening? He must find

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Book SynopsisA mind-bending time heist novel that will appeal to fans of V.E. Schwab''s ''Shades of Magic'' series.The Geneva branch of Interpol - the international agency tasked with policing magic and the arcane arts - is where careers go to die. Action is rare as Switzerland banned magic seven hundred years ago. That''s how Agent Jackson Burnett likes it. But then reports of an explosion lead Jackson to the home of businessman Bernard Bouchon. What''s there is unfathomable: The family and their possessions have vanished into ash.Jackson''s enigmatic new partner Luca Tami, a blind Talent able to perform magic, suspects powerful supernatural forces are at play. The family weren''t killed . . . they''ve been erased from time. With all traces of the family disappearing, the case is hours away from being forgotten. How can Jackson solve a crime no one remembers happening? He must find a way to remember. He must discover who is behind the spell and why.

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Book Synopsis''A delicious, diverse, genre-bending gothic, as smart as it is spooky'' Chloe Benjamin During your three years at Catherine House you will have no contact with those in the outside world.Each of our students has been selected as someone who belongs here. You will give to Catherine and Catherine will give to you.We will not let each other down.Catherine House is a university like no other. Into its celebrated world steps Ines, a young woman who welcomes the school''s isolation rather than its illustrious past. As the gates close and Ines finds herself start to be inevitably seduced by its magnetic power, she begins to realise the question isn''t why she chose to come to Catherine House; but why Catherine House chose her.''A brilliantly observed tale brimming with subtle malevolence'' Irenosen Okojie''Echoes of The Secret History and Never Let Me Go''Trade ReviewA delicious, diverse, genre-bending gothic, as smart as it is spooky -- Chloe BenjaminCatherine House is a deliciously sinister novel that bristles with an unsettling glamour. It's almost impossible not to be seduced by Elisabeth Thomas's beautiful writing and the intoxicating world she has created * Louise O'Neill *[A] delicious literary gothic debut * New York Times *Echoes of Donna Tartt's The Secret History and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go contribute an intriguing undercurrent to this unsettling gothic concoction * Daily Mail *This has to be one of the most gripping books I've read this year... The read feels claustrophobic, decadent, extreme and sad in equal measure, and I was amazed by the plot * Woman's Way *This suspenseful read is a terrific debut * Woman's Weekly *Gothic horror provides the architecture for an arrestingly strange melange of speculative fiction and teen trauma in this atmospheric debut novel . . . nibbling menace spurs the plot onwards * Observer *A brilliantly observed tale brimming with subtle malevolence. An atmospheric, hypnotic delight * Irenosen Okojie *Thomas's debut novel is a dark, delicious gothic read that hits all the right spots in the best way. If you want a book you can't put down for even a second, this is it * Forbes, 10 most anticipated books of 2020 *Spellbinding... Surreal imagery, spare characterization, and artful, hypnotic prose lend Thomas's tale a delirious air, but at the book's core lies a profound portrait of depression and adolescent turmoil. Fans of Donna Tartt's The Secret History will devour this philosophical fever dream * Publisher's Weekly *Moody and evocative as a fever dream, CATHERINE HOUSE is the sort of book that wraps itself around your brain, drawing you closer with each hypnotic step * Washington Post *Catherine House is a haunting, atmospheric reflection on the discovery of self and others. At times terrifying, always gorgeously captivating, Thomas' debut is one not to be missed, and perhaps to be revisited frequently * Booklist *

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Book SynopsisGetting a life isn''t always easy. And hanging on to it is even harder . . . Discover this funny, heart-warming tale of self-discovery from Jodi Taylor, author of the internationally bestselling Chronicles of St Mary''s series.Nobody ever notices little Jenny Dove. Even her family call her the Nothing Girl. Isolated and alone, Jenny is about to end it all when she is rescued by Thomas, a giant golden horse only she can see.Under his mischievous guidance, Jenny begins to think she might one day become someone. And when the charmingly chaotic Russell Checkland erupts into her life - together with his tumbledown farmhouse - and proposes a marriage that will save them both, Jenny is ready to take a chance.Sadly, her new life at Frogmorton Farm doesn''t exactly sweep Jenny off her feet. There are leaking roofs, unpaid bills and so many buckets. And then, as a series of apparent ''accidents'' unfolds, Jenny begins to worry this might noTrade ReviewTakes readers on a carnival ride through laughter and tears with a bit of time travel thrown in for spice * Publishers Weekly Starred Review *A true page-turner * SF Revu *I've never seen time travel handled this way. I like it * Wethenerdy.com *[An] appealing cast of characters... [with] with plenty of humour, lots of action, and even a touch of romance * Library Journal *

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Book Synopsis''This is definitely up there as one of the best books that I have read. It''s got a special place in my heart. Just amazing!'' 5* reader review''Gorgeous! Exuberant writing, convincing, adorable characters, romance and a little whimsy'' TRACY REESLove will always find a way . . .Discover the intriguing secrets of Hawthorn Place in this heartfelt dual-time novel, filled with warmth and charm, perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley and Cecelia Ahern.''An intriguing dual timeline tale that weaves together interesting characters and history, with an added touch of magic'' BELLA OSBORNE''An exquisitely detailed and enchanting love story'' HEIDI SWAIN''An epic love story, mixed with gorgeous settings, a great deal of mystery and intrigue, lots of laughs, a few tears and fabulouscharacters, made this an absolute delight to read'' KIM NASH''An absolutely wonderful dual time story that captivated me . . . and kept me spellbound'' CHRISTINA COURTENAY''A beautifully intriguing love story, that . . . stays with you long after the last page'' ROSIE HENDRY''Unforgettable and unique, the twists and turns of this enchanting book are woven together with threads of love and magic. I loved it!'' CLARE MARCHANT........................................................................Two houses, hundreds of miles apart . . . yet connected always.When life throws Molly Butterfield a curveball, she decides to spend some time with her recently widowed granddad, Wally, at Hawthorn Place, his quirky Victorian house on the Dorset coast. But cosseted Molly struggles to look after herself, never mind her grieving granddad, until the accidental discovery of an identical Arts and Crafts house on the Norfolk coast offers her an unexpected purpose, as well as revealing a bewildering mystery. Discovering that both Hawthorn Place and Acacia House were designed by architect Percy Gladwell, Molly uncovers the secret of a love which linked them, so powerful it defied reason. What follows is a summer which will change Molly for ever . . .........................................................................''One of those wonderful, magical stories that appear rarely and stay in your heart forever'' CELIA ANDERSON''A marvellous dual-time novel filled with mystery, fabulous detail and an enduring love story'' MADDIE PLEASE''A wonderful, page-turning story full of intrigue and romance'' VICTORIA CONNELLY''I found the book enchanting'' SUZANNE SNOW''An enchanting storyline and engaging characters make this book a delight to read'' LYNNE SHELBY''A beautifully written timeslip . . . Highly recommended. Five stars'' ERIN GREEN''The perfect mix of mystery, magic, and romance'' KATE G. SMITHReaders are captivated by The Secrets of Hawthorn Place:''A sweeping five stars from me for this novel that defies time but trusts in love''''A sheer delight to read and can highly recommend''''Utterly brilliant. The storyline is riveting, you never quite know what could be about to happen as it''s constantly twisting and turning . . . such a beautiful book''

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Book Synopsis''I am truly dazzled'' TRACY CHEVALIER''A rich tapestry of African mythology and magic'' CHERIE JONES''Bursting with magic, bright and visceral'' JENNIFER SAINT''One of the brightest stars in the literary world'' KIRSTY LOGAN''A feast of shimmering, beautiful prose'' CHIKA UNIGWESoon you will become the thing all other beasts fear.Treasure and her mother lost everything when Treasure''s daddy died. Haggling for scraps in the market, Treasure meets a spirit who promises to bring her father back - but she has to do something for him first. Ozoemena has an itch in the middle of her back that can''t be scratched. An itch that speaks to her patrilineal destiny, to defend her people by becoming a leopard. Her father impressed upon her what an honour this was before he vanished, but it''s one she couldn''t want less. But as the two girls reckon with their burgeoniTrade ReviewI am truly dazzled. Emelumadu has revealed surprising layers of our world and given me the eyes to see them. -- Tracy Chevalier, author of GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING and A SINGLE THREADAn otherworldly vision of Nigeria . . . lit up by wisecracks, folk wisdom, the idiosyncrasies of boarding-school life, and those quirky turns of phrase Nigerians have given to the rest of humanity. * Guardian *Rich in Nigerian mythology and treading into the sphere of magical realism, Dazzling is a deeply immersive, feminist read about heritage, girlhood, and justice. With a strong narrative and vivid prose, this new release is sure to keep you entranced from start to finish. * Bookstr *On starting Chikodili Emelumadu's Dazzling, I was immediately impressed by her virtuosic facility with language and fierce imagination. Enchanted by both Ozoemena and Treasure, I wondered how their parallel stories would come together. As the novel progressed, I became increasingly intrigued with its magical realism and folklore. The storylines converge in an unexpected, explosive, and deeply satisfying conclusion that had me turning right back to the beginning to appreciate all that I missed the first time round. Bravo! I envy other readers their first and subsequent reads. -- Melissa Fu, author of PEACH BLOSSOM SPRINGDazzling is a feast of shimmering , beautiful prose. Dark and humorous in places, it is an incessantly pleasurable read. Emelumadu has gifted us a thing of beauty. -- Chika Unigwe, author of ON BLACK SISTER STREET and NIGHT DANCERI struggled to come up with a line that captures the magic within. Emelumadu's singular debut is uncanny and affecting in equal measure. -- T. L. Huchu, author THE HAIRDRESSER OF HARARE and THE LIBRARY OF THE DEADA vibrant, immersive read that takes the reader on a dizzying journey through Nigerian mythology - Emelumadu does what I love best in this novel: she lays bare human weaknesses and celebrates female strength; she builds a world bursting with magic, bright and visceral; she has created two immensely memorable protagonists and woven a story that will linger in my mind for a long time. -- Jennifer Saint, author of ARIADNE, ELEKTRA and ATALANTAChikodili Emelumadu has written one hell of a book. Dazzling is bold, funny, louche, smart, shocking and very, very addictive. It seizes you by the scruff of the neck & plunges you into a world packed with juicy characters, macabre magic and plotting to die for. I loved it. -- Meg Clothier, author of THE BOOK OF EVEThis book is a masterful storm. The voices are so precise and clear they cut you. Reading through the pages took me deep into the dappled world of Ozoemena and her leopard, and I will never be able to leave. -- Doreen Cunningham, author of SOUNDINGSDazzling is an erudite, original and beautifully written first novel. Chikodili Emelumadu is a writer to watch. -- Christie Watson, author of THE COURAGE TO CARE: A Call for CompassionEmelumadu's novel is a magnificent coming of age story, empathetic in its exploration of character and culture within a rich tapestry of African mythology and magic. -- Cheries jones, author of HOW THE ONE-ARMED SISTER SWEEPS HER HOUSEI've just turned the final page of Dazzling and my heart is still thumping. This is an absolute tour de force: rich and tender, tinged with fire. The characters are alive, every page is pulsing with magic, and it has a python-like plot, so coiled and clever. Prepare to be moved and gripped and utterly invested in the story of Treasure and Ozoemena. I'm desperate to see what Chikodili Emelumadu writes next... -- Alex Hay, author of THE HOUSEKEEPERSThis book deserves its title; an extraordinary debut packed with supernatural wonders, human emotion and fiercely drawn, visceral characters. . . Gripping, otherworldly and unforgettable, this excellent novel means Emelumadu is definitely one to watch. * Cambridge Edition *An incredible debut novel about two girls on the cusp of womanhood in Nigeria. . . Vivid, compelling and original. * Big Issue *Chikodili Emelumadu is one of the brightest stars in the literary world right now. I loved Dazzling and can't wait to see her continue to ascend. -- Kirsty Logan, author of NOW SHE IS WITCHEvocative and a little mysterious, this literary fantasy is immersive and full of Nigerian mythology. Recommend this lustrous coming-of-age story to those who like to read across genres. * Library Journal *I was bewitched... I would not have guessed this was first novel; Emelumadu seems to have writing naturally in the blood -- Tracy Chevalier, author of THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING

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Book SynopsisDan Rhodes is one of the most successful and beloved YouTubers in the world. Here, in his debut book, Dan brings together the love and joy he has continually derived from magic - from the very first moment he received a magic kit from his parents when he was six years old, to trying out his own early illusions, through to his journey from amateur magician to global TikTok star - and shows you how you can become a social media inspiration too.With striking illustrations throughout and clear 'trick guides' to help young magicians get started - along with some really impressive sleights of hand for the more experienced illusionist - Dan's book also contains a fascinating history of the craft of the magician, highlighting the skill and dedication it takes to become a true master of magic.Part memoir, part how-to, this is the perfect gift for any budding social media star.

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Book Synopsis''Compulsive reading . . . rich, strange, beautiful'' Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk''A strange, new and captivating look at a magical realm . . . Lavishly entertaining'' Independent''Enthralling . . . a literary feast'' StylistThe world had forgotten Mr Crowe and his mysterious gifts. Until he killed the poet. He lived a secluded life in the fading grandeur of his country estate. His companions were his faithful manservant and his ward, Clara, a silent, bookish girl who has gifts of her own. Now Dr Chastern, the leader of a secret society, arrives at the estate to call Crowe to account and keep his powers in check. But it is Clara''s even greater gifts that he comes to covet most. She must learn to use them quickly, if she is to save them all.Trade Review[With much] in common with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell ... a tale about magic and art, power and responsibility ... [that will] keep the reader enfolded * DAILY MAIL *It would not be surprising if the public clamours for a second instalment of this vividly imagined and deeply pleasurable gothic fantasy - not to mention a film. * FINANCIAL TIMES *The prose in O'Donnell's first novel is glorious, combining an ear for deep cadences of language with a phenomenal acuity of vision ... O'Donnell is clearly a major talent * THE GUARDIAN *Poetic and strange, this Gothic novel is a dark, elegant celebration of the power and beauty of words and the spells they weave. * SUNDAY EXPRESS *Strange and new and captivating * THE INDEPENDENT *A charming, lyrical read even when tension is high. I admired the depth of O'Donnell's imagination, which allowed him to conjure up this enthralling tale . . . A literary feast * STYLIST *A powerful thriller * VOGUE *Wonderfully dark, magical * ELLE *Strange and beautiful - one of Stylist's Essential Reads for 2016 * STYLIST *A fabulously assured, elegant Gothic-flavoured tale * WOMAN AND HOME *A peculiar and beautiful tale of art and magic * STYLIST.CO.UK *An oddly beautiful tale of magic and art, this reminded me of Alain-Fournier's Le Grand Meaulnes * Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of THE LAST ACT OF LOVE *Compulsive reading . . . rich, strange, beautiful * Helen Macdonald, author of H IS FOR HAWK *I devoured this book and it kept me guessing right to the very end . . . Line by line, Paraic's writing contains some of the most beautifully turned phrasing I've read in a long while * Laura Barnett, author of THE VERSIONS OF US *Dazzlingly inventive, compelling * Jane Casey, author of THE BURNING *Exquisite * Liz Nugent, author of LYING IN WAIT *The Maker of Swans combines through-the-looking-glass enchantment with Nabokovian dexterity. O'Donnell has written a mesmerizing book whose prose absolutely soars * Sandra Newman, author of THE COUNTRY OF ICE CREAM STAR *Sonorous, beautifully made, disquieting * THE SPECTATOR *

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