Publication Date: 8 February 2018

Cover illustration by Sara Mulvanny

Emmeline’s childhood has been spent surviving the dangerous creatures her parents store in their home from research trips. Careful planning, risk avoidance and her survival satchel have enabled her to reach 12 years old, unable to trust anyone outside the walls of Widget Manor.

When she receives a letter telling her that her parents are dead and she must leave for Paris immediately, her carefully ordered life quickly descends into chaos. With her parents gone, only quick thinking Thing, who befriends her as soon as she boards the ship to take her to her new life, is there to help when her cabin is ransacked. Emmeline is in danger and she has absolutely no idea why.

A sinister scientist, and a nemesis as old as time itself test Emmeline and Thing to their limits as their journey turns into a race to save the world.

Packed with a eccentric characters and mythical creatures, Sinead O’Hart brings the far north chillingly to life in this fantastical, fast-paced adventure across sea and sky, and icy glaciers. The pace gathers with each turn of the page to a finale that had me balancing precariously on the edge of my seat.

Emmeline is considered, nervous and resourceful, while Thing is bold, determined and recklessly brave – his heart and humour shine as brightly as the Northern Lights.

Their world is a reimagining of our own, but with sea levels risen over decades to change the landfall, described in a way that fires the imagination and raises questions about global warming.

A dazzling debut that will be a must for my school bookshelf once published.

Great for fans of Mold And The Poision Plot, The Huntress: Sea, and Sky Chasers

ebook proof courtesy of Stripes Publishing.