A female villain origin story, encompassed by rich new mythology and set in a fantasy world fans of Sarah J. Maas will devour.
Diana speaks. Gods answer.
Aedlynn strikes. Enemies fall.
In the realm where gods dance with mortals, Diana’s prayers wield unimaginable power. But when a deadly sickness threatens to consume her, she strikes a desperate bargain with an unlikely ally, invoking a journey of vengeance and deceit.
Aedlynn is a lethal weapon forged in darkness. She feels no pity, no guilt . . . no love. So when a beautiful spy finds a hidden way into Aedlynn’s heart, even the gods won’t stand in her way.
As Fate weaves its intricate tapestry, betrayal and revelation collide, plunging them all into a maelstrom of passion and peril, and a battle for power will threaten to consume them all.
Because there’s a fine line between love and hate . . .
And a woman’s heart is a dangerous thing.
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Crimson Moth (published as Heartless Hunter in North America) weaves an epic love story of a magical girl, the boy she left behind, and a deadly curse.
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Crimson Moth (published as Heartless Hunter in North America) weaves an epic love story of a magical girl, the boy she left behind, and a deadly curse.
‘Lush, dark, and romantic. I could have remained lost in the woods forever’ Isabel Ibañez, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What the River Knows
‘A tale comprised of deep emotion, sizzling romance, and a gripping mystery’ Tricia Levenseller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Shadows Between Us
Sing us a song of the forest, of the Wood King who rules there, and the tithe he demands…
No matter how far Emeline Lark runs, the song of the forest reaches her, luring her away from her dreams of the stage and back to her small town and its superstitions.
But every superstition is rooted in truth, and when her grandfather goes missing Emeline will be forced to return to Edgewood and the forest beyond.
There, even Hawthorne Fell, a brooding tithe collector, cannot dissuade her from her path – a path that will lead her into the court of the fabled Wood King himself – and into a bargain with the deadliest price.
Featuring a bonus chapter exclusive to print and digital editions.
‘Darkly gorgeous and moving… full of curses and fae magic that will capture your heart and wrap it in thorns before setting you free again, forever changed’ Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s Game
Originally published in North America as Edgewood.
The Sunday Times bestseller!
FINALIST FOR THE LODESTAR AWARD
In the start of an all-new trilogy, the bestselling author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver introduces you to a dangerous school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death – until one girl begins to rewrite its rules.
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Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered.
There are no teachers, no holidays, friendships are purely strategic, and the odds of survival are never equal. Once you’re inside, there are only two ways out: you graduate or you die.
El Higgins is uniquely prepared for the school’s many dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out untold millions – never mind easily destroy the countless monsters that prowl the school.
Except, she might accidentally kill all the other students, too. So El is trying her hardest not to use it . . . that is, unless she has no other choice.
With flawless mastery, Naomi Novik creates a heroine for the ages – a character so sharply realized and so richly nuanced that she will live on in hearts and minds for generations to come.
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‘Hilarious and wild! Take any fictional magic school, make it as over-the-top dangerous as possible, and populate it with a bunch of snarky teenagers; the result is pure batshit fun.’
N.K. Jemisin, three-time Hugo Award winner and author of The Fifth Season
‘Novik deliciously undoes expectations about magic schools, destined heroes, and family legacies. A gorgeous book about monsters and monstrousness, chockablock with action, cleverness, and wit.’ Holly Black, #1 New York Times bestselling author
‘The Scholomance is the dark school of magic I’ve been waiting for, and its wise, witty, and monstrous heroine is one I’d happily follow anywhere-even into a school full of monsters.’
Katherine Arden, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale
‘The wonderful cast of characters will grab a hold of your heart and you’ll never want to leave this deadly school … a fantasy that delights on every level. I loved this brilliant book.’
Stephanie Garber, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Caraval series
‘Eyeball-meltingly brilliant. Novik is, quite simply, a genius.’
Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken
‘Sharp, witty, and darkly effervescent, A Deadly Education is Naomi Novik’s fresh take on the concept of the magic school. One of my favorite reads of the year.’
Rory Power, New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls
‘Fresh, smart, and delightfully unique. It’s Hogwarts with higher stakes and sharper claws, and I absolutely loved it.’
Alix E. Harrow
‘A nightmare from which I never wished to wake. Savage, inventive, and soulful, Novik grasps the totems of childhood that linger in your mind-schools of magic, curses, cutthroat classmates, monsters-only to twist them into a grand new tale that’ll make you believe in magic again.’
Pierce Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Age
A Deadly Education, Sunday Times bestseller – October 2020
Australian BookTok star Stacey McEwan’s stunning new slow-burn romantasy duology traces a fated pair who stumble upon a world-changing secret in youth and are catapulted into a violent class war in adulthood, finding each other amidst love, loss, and devasting betrayals.
‘This book is a pressure-cooked vial crafted with perfect romantic tension and pure gangster-style grit … I loved every chapter’ RAVEN KENNEDY, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Plated Prisoner series.
Australian BookTok star Stacey McEwan’s stunning new slow-burn romantasy duology traces a fated pair who stumble upon a world-changing secret in youth and are catapulted into a violent class war in adulthood, finding each other amidst love, loss and devasting betrayals.
Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson are only twelve years old when they are whisked from their disenfranchised mining towns to dazzling Belavere City to test for magical abilities. Nina’s lifelong dream is to become an Artisan, a powerful elemental mage who fulfills the city’s grand ambitions, while Patrick wants only to reunite with his family of Craftsmen in the mines.
But together, they discover a devastating secret: Artisans aren’t born, they’re chosen.
With this information, they part ways. Patrick returns home, while Nina finds her place as one of the rarest, most coveted types of Artisan.
When a Craftsman revolution ignites years later, Nina is captured by Patrick’s rebel group – and he hasn’t forgotten her. In fact, he needs her help for a mission that could shift the tides against Belavere City. She reluctantly agrees to aid him, battling the sparks between them. But when Nina’s first love reappears, asking her to betray Patrick for the Artisans, she faces an impossible choice that will determine the fate of their world.
A concoction of all the best romantasy tropes:
Elemental magic
Found family
Tension & Slow burn
Political Intrigue / Class War
What readers and authors have been saying about A Forbidden Alchemy:
‘This book will haunt me … storytelling on this level is just remarkable’ KATHERINE HEIGL, actress
‘If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would … This story has the morally gray characters of my dreams!! … I will be telling everyone that I know to read this book. I NEED MORE!!’ READER REVIEW, 5 stars
‘I’m never going to shut up about this book … the romantasy book you’ll never get over’ HANNAH NICOLE MAEHRER, internationally bestselling author of Assistant to the Villain
‘It catapults readers into an immersive romance, a rustic setting, dynamic characters, a world of secrets, ghastly betrayals … I am obsessed with this book … this is the best romantasy I’ve read’ READER REVIEW, 5 stars