Escape to Witch City
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
In a world ruled by fear of witches, some secrets are deadly. A thrilling new fantasy adventure set in historical London for fans of V.E. Schwab's City of Ghosts and Serafina and the Black Cloak.
Emmaline Black has a secret. She can hear the rhythm of heartbeats. Not just her own, but others' too. It's a rhythm she's learned to control, and that can only mean one thing . . . Emma's a witch.
In a world where a sentence of witchcraft comes with dire consequences and all children who have reached the age of thirteen are tested to ensure they have no witch blood, Emma must attempt to stamp out her power before her own test comes. But the more she researches, the more she begins to suspect that her radically anti-witch aunt and mother are hiding something -- the truth about their sister, her Aunt Lenore, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances years ago.
The day of the test comes, and Emma's results not only pair her up with strange new friends, but set her on a course to challenge everything she's ever been taught about magic, and reveal long-buried family secrets. It seems witches may not have been so easy to banish after all. Secret cities, untapped powers, missing family members -- Emma is about to discover a whole new world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Employing careful detail throughout this tale of survival, Latimer (Witches of Ash and Ruin) conjures the sensibilities of an alternate early 19th-century London, one in which magic exists and witches are vilified. Queen Alexandria Black, who staunchly set out on an anti-witch crusade after reclaiming the throne post–witch uprising, rules with a campaign of fear and surveillance. Emmaline Black, her niece, lives in the castle with her mother Isolde; both have the dark hair and pale skin of the family line. As Emma's 13th birthday approaches, she becomes increasingly restless, especially as she'll be Tested for witch blood—something every child, even Crown Prince Edgar, must undergo. While at the Testing, Emma meets two other 13-year-olds, dark-skinned Eliza, who has tight curls, and freckled, light blue–eyed Maddie. But things soon go awry, leading the trio, and Edgar, to flee the city in search of answers—and others like them. This pulse-pounding adventure will engage readers with its sense of wonder grounded by relatable, age-appropriate experiences, including arguments with parents, fear of not fitting in, and a burgeoning search for self. Ages 10–up.