Frances Hardinge

The leaves were cold and slightly clammy. There was no mistaking them. She had seen their likeness painstakingly sketched in her father's journal. This was his greatest secret, his treasure and his undoing. The Tree of Lies. Now it was hers, and the journey he had never finished stretched out before her. When Faith's father is found dead under mysterious circumstances, she is determined to untangle the truth from the lies. Searching through his belongings for clues, she discovers a strange tree. A tree that feeds off whispered lies and bears fruit that reveals hidden secrets. But as Faith's untruths spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter...

Twelve-year-old Mosca Mye hasn't got much. Her cruel uncle keeps her locked up in his mill, and her only friend is her pet goose, Saracen, who'll bite anything that crosses his path. But she does have one small, rare thing: the ability to read. She doesn't know it yet, but in a world where books are dangerous things, this gift will change her life. Enter Eponymous Clent, a smooth-talking con man who seems to love words nearly as much as Mosca herself. Soon Mosca and Clent are living a life of deceit and danger -- discovering secret societies, following shady characters onto floating coffeehouses, and entangling themselves with crazed dukes and double-crossing racketeers. It would be exactly the kind of tale Mosca has always longed to take part in, until she learns that her one true love -- words -- may be the death of her. "Fly by Night" is astonishingly original, a grand feat of the imagination from a masterful new storyteller.

In Caverna, lies are an art — and everyone's an artist... In the underground city of Caverna the world's most skilled craftsmen toil in the darkness to create delicacies beyond compare. They create wines that can remove memories, cheeses that can make you hallucinate and perfumes that convince you to trust the wearer even as they slit your throat. The people of Caverna are more ordinary, but for one thing: their faces are as blank as untouched snow. Expressions must be learned. Only the famous Facesmiths can teach a person to show (or fake) joy, despair or fear — at a price. Into this dark and distrustful world comes Neverfell, a little girl with no memory of her past and a face so terrifying to those around her that she must wear a mask at all times. For Neverfell's emotions are as obvious on her face as those of the most skilled Facesmiths, though entirely genuine. And that makes her very dangerous indeed...

The first things to shift were the doll's eyes, the beautiful grey-green glass eyes. Slowly they swivelled, until their gaze was resting on Triss's face. Then the tiny mouth moved, opened to speak. 'Who do you think you are? This is my family.' When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows that something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry; she keeps waking up with leaves in her hair, and her sister seems terrified of her. When it all gets too much and she starts to cry, her tears are like cobwebs... Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined, and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest find the truth she must travel into the terrifying Underbelly of the city to meet a twisted architect who has dark designs on her family - before it's too late...

The gods of The Myriad were as real as the coastlines and currents, and as merciless as the winds and whirlpools. Now the gods are dead, but their remains are stirring beneath the waves . . . On the streets of the Island of Lady's Crave live 14-year-old street urchins Hark and his best friend Jelt. They are scavengers: diving for relics of the gods, desperate for anything they can sell. But there is something dangerous in the deep waters of the undersea, calling to someone brave enough to retrieve it. When the waves try to claim Jelt, Hark will do anything to save him. Even if it means compromising not just who Jelt is, but what he is . . .

Mosca Mye and Eponymous Clent are at it again. Escaping disaster by the skin of their teeth, they find refuge in Toll, a strange gateway town where visitors may neither enter nor leave without paying a price. By day, the city is well-mannered and orderly; by night, it’s host to rogues and villains. Wherever there’s a plot, there’s sure to be treachery, and wherever there’s treachery, there’s sure to be trouble—and where there’s trouble, well, Clent, Mosca, and Saracen can’t be far behind. But as past deeds catch up with them and old enemies appear, this time, it seems as if there’s no way out.  

Discover a world where words have untold power in Fly By Night , a thrilling fantasy adventure from award-winning author Frances Hardinge. Everybody knew that books were dangerous. Read the wrong book, it was said, and the words crawled around your brain on black legs and drove you mad, wicked mad. Mosca Mye’s father insisted on teaching her to read—even in a world where books are dangerous, regulated things. Eight years later, Quillam Mye died, leaving behind an orphaned daughter with an inauspicious name and an all-consuming hunger for words. Trapped for years in the care of her cruel Uncle Westerly and Aunt Briony, Mosca leaps at the opportunity for escape, though it comes in the form of sneaky swindler Eponymous Clent. As she travels the land with Clent and her pet goose, Saracen, Mosca begins to discover complicated truths about the world she inhabits and the power of words. “Through rich, colorful language and a sure sense of plot and pacing, Hardinge has created a distinctly imaginative world full of engaging characters, robust humor, and true suspense.” — School Library Journal (Starred Review) Books by Frances Fly By Night Fly Trap

Verdigris (n.): a blue-green rust that tarnishes ageing and forgotten copper coins, altering them entirely . . . One evening, Ryan and his friends steal some coins from a well. Soon after, strange things begin to happen. Peculiar burn marks appear on Ryan's knuckles and light bulbs mysteriously explode. Then the well witch appears, with her fountains for eyes and gargled demands. From now on the kids who've stolen from her must serve her--and the wishes rotting at the bottom of her well.

A dark YA fantasy about learning to use your power and finding peace, from award-winning author Frances Hardinge In a world where anyone can create a life-destroying curse, only one person has the power to unravel them. Kellen does not fully understand his talent, but helps those transformed maliciously—including Nettle. Recovered from entrapment in bird form, she is now his constant companion and closest ally. But Kellen has also been cursed, and unless he and Nettle can remove his curse, Kellen is in danger of unravelling everything—and everyone—around him . . .

We see ghosts. And they are drawn to us. Sometimes, when a person dies, their spirit goes looking for somewhere to hide. Some people have space within them, perfect for hiding. Makepeace has learned to defend herself from the ghosts that try to possess her in the night, desperate for refuge - but one day a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard. Now she has a spirit inside her. The spirit is wild, angry and strong, and it may be her only defence when she is sent to live with her father's cruel and powerful ancestors. But as she plans her escape to a country torn apart by civil war, Makepeace must decide which is worse: possession - or death.

On an island of sandy beaches, dense jungles, and slumbering volcanoes, colonists seek to apply archaic laws to a new land, bounty hunters stalk the living for the ashes of their funerary pyres, and a smiling tribe is despised by all as traitorous murderers. It is here, in the midst of ancient tensions and new calamity, that two sisters are caught in a deadly web of deceits. Arilou is proclaimed a beautiful prophetess one of the island's precious oracles: a Lost. Hathin, her junior, is her nearly invisible attendant. But neither Arilou nor Hathin is exactly what she seems, and they live a lie that is carefully constructed and jealously guarded. When the sisters are unknowingly drawn into a sinister, island-wide conspiracy, quiet, unobtrusive Hathin must journey beyond all she has ever known of her world and of herself in a desperate attempt to save them both. As the stakes mount and falsehoods unravel, she discovers that the only thing more dangerous than the secret she hides is the truth she must uncover.

An enchanting underground world hides sinister secrets in A Face Like Glass , a YA fantasy from award-winning author Frances Hardinge. An ALA/ALSC Notable Children’s Book In the underground city of Caverna, the world’s most skilled craftspeople toil in the darkness to create delicacies beyond compare—wines that remove memories, cheeses that make you hallucinate, and perfumes that convince you to trust the wearer, even as he slits your throat. On the surface, the people of Caverna seem ordinary, except for one Their faces are as blank as untouched snow. Expressions must be learned, and only the famous Facesmiths can teach a person to express (or fake) joy, despair, or fear—at a steep price. Into this dark and distrustful world comes Neverfell, a girl with no memory of her past and a face so terrifying to those around her that she must wear a mask at all times. Neverfell’s expressions are as varied and dynamic as those of the most skilled Facesmiths, except hers are entirely genuine. And that makes her very dangerous indeed . . .

Mosca Mye and Eponymous Clent are in trouble again. Escaping disaster by the skin of their teeth, they find refuge in Toll, the strange gateway town where visitors may neither enter nor leave without paying a price. By day, the city is well-mannered and orderly; by night, it's the haunt of rogues and villains. Wherever there's a plot, there's sure to be treachery, and wherever there's treachery, there's sure to be trouble and where there's trouble, Clent, Mosca and the web-footed apocalypse Saracen can't be far behind. But as past deeds catch up with them and old enemies appear, it looks as if this time there's no way out ...

In una notte cupa e fredda, Makepeace viene costretta a dormire nella gelida cappella di un cimitero: lì nessuno potrà sentirla gridare terrorizzata nel sonno. Perché lei è molto diversa dalle ragazze che, nell'Inghilterra della metà del Seicento, vivono nel suo villaggio. Makepeace ha un dono, che è anche una maledizione: può accogliere gli spiriti dei morti che vagano alla ricerca di un nuovo corpo. E una sera, per la prima volta, è il fantasma di un orso a trovare rifugio dentro di lei. Quando intorno scoppia la guerra civile e Makepeace viene rapita da una famiglia nobile e misteriosa, l'orso diventa l'unico amico di cui può fidarsi. Insieme potrebbero cambiare le sorti del conflitto. Ma altri spiriti malvagi e potenti vorrebbero piegarla alla loro crudele volontà, per annientare il re e sconvolgere tutta l'Inghilterra… A volte credo che noi fantasmi non siamo che... ricordi. Echi. Imitazioni. Sì, pensiamo, proviamo cose. Abbiamo rimorsi e rimpianti del passato e temiamo il futuro. Ma siamo davvero le persone che crediamo di essere? Dall'autrice de L'albero delle bugie vincitore del Costa Book Award

Uważaj na sekrety, które kryją się pod falami... Bogowie Miriad nie żyją. Kilkadziesiąt lat temu zaczęli walczyć między sobą. Nikt nie wie dlaczego. Ale czy tak naprawdę odeszli na zawsze? Kiedy piętnastoletni Hark znajduje bijące serce przerażającego bóstwa, ryzykuje wszystko, by uchronić je przed przemytnikami, naukowcami i fanatykami. Chce użyć serca, aby uratować życie swojego najlepszego przyjaciela, Jelta. Jednak z sercem Jelt stopniowo i niesamowicie się zmienia. Jak długo Hark pozostanie lojalny wobec przyjaciela, który staje się potworem? Co chłopak jest skłonny poświęcić, aby go uratować?

A dark YA fantasy about learning to use your power and finding peace, from award-winning author Frances Hardinge In a world where anyone can create a life-destroying curse, only one person has the power to unravel them.Kellen does not fully understand his talent, but helps those transformed maliciously—including Nettle. Recovered from entrapment in bird form, she is now his constant companion and closest ally.But Kellen has also been cursed, and unless he and Nettle can remove his curse, Kellen is in danger of unravelling everything—and everyone—around him . . .

Nagle poruszyły się jej piękne, zielonoszare, szklane oczy. Przesuwały się powoli, jak na osi, aż spojrzenie lalki spoczęło na twarzy Triss. I wtedy otworzyły się maleńkie usteczka. – Co ty sobie wyobrażasz, że kim jesteś? To jest moja rodzina. Triss budzi się po wypadku i wie, że coś jest nie tak. Dręczy ją głód nie do opanowania, raz po raz budzi się z liśćmi we włosach, ma wrażenie, że śmiertelnie przeraża młodszą siostrę. Kiedy już nie może tego wytrzymać i zaczyna płakać, jej łzy są jak pajęczyna… Wkrótce odkrywa, że to, co się z nią stało, jest dziwniejsze i straszniejsze, niż sobie wyobrażała i że dosłownie nie jest sobą. Pragnąc zrozumieć, co się dzieje, rusza w podróż do Podbrzusza miasta spotkać się z ekscentrycznym Architektem, który knuje i spiskuje przeciwko jej rodzinie. Musi wszystko wyjaśnić, zanim będzie za późno…

Τα φύλλα ήταν κρύα και ελαφρώς νοτισμένα. Δε θα μπορούσε να κάνει λάθος. Ο πατέρας της τα είχε απεικονίσει προσεκτικά στα σκίτσα του στο ημερολόγιό του. Αυτό ήταν το μεγαλύτερο μυστικό του, ο θησαυρός του και η καταστροφή του. "Το Δέντρο των Ψεμάτων". Τώρα ήταν δικό της, και το ταξίδι που δεν κατάφερε ποτέ εκείνος να τελειώσει την περίμενε. Όταν ο πατέρας της πεθαίνει υπό μυστηριώδεις συνθήκες, η Φέιθ είναι αποφασισμένη να ξεχωρίσει την αλήθεια από τα ψέματα. Ψάχνοντας στα υπάρχοντά του για στοιχεία, ανακαλύπτει ένα περίεργο δέντρο. Ένα δέντρο που τρέφεται με ψιθυριστά ψέματα και είναι γεμάτο καρπούς που αποκαλύπτουν κρυμμένα μυστικά. Όμως, καθώς η κατάσταση ξεφεύγει, η Φέιθ ανακαλύπτει ότι εκεί όπου τα ψέματα γοητεύουν, οι αλήθειες γίνονται κομμάτια...

Ryan and his friends don't think twice about stealing some money from a wishing well. After all, who's really going to miss a few tarnished coins? The well witch does. And she demands payback: Now Ryan, Josh, and Chelle must serve her . . . and the wishes that lie rotting at the bottom of her well. Each takes on powers they didn't ask for and don't want. Ryan grows strange bumps--are they eyes?--between his knuckles; Chelle starts speaking the secrets of strangers, no matter how awful and bloody; and Josh can suddenly--inexplicably--grant even the darkest of wishes, the kind of wishes that should never come true. Darkly witty, wholly unexpected, and exquisitely sinister, Frances Hardinge's Well Witched is one well-cast tale that readers didn't know they were wishing for.

The award-winning, bestselling Frances Hardinge and Emily Gravett unite for the first time to conjure up a thrilling fairy tale of ghosts and magic, highly illustrated throughout with a luscious blue ink. On the island of Merlank, the Dead must not be allowed to linger. The very sight of their ghosts can kill you. When young Milo is thrust into the role of Ferryman following his father’s sudden death, he is the one who must carry away the Dead. Pursued by a vengeful lord and two malignant magicians, Milo must navigate strange and perilous seas where untold threats whisper in the mist. Does he have the courage and imagination to complete his urgent mission? From the Costa Book Award-winning Frances Hardinge, author of The Lie Tree and Unraveller, with spectacular illustrations from double Kate Greenaway Medal winner Emily Gravett, this riveting coming-of-age tale will sweep you away on an unforgettable journey. Island of Whispers is a beautiful hardback glittering all over with shining silver moths, making the most exquisite gift for anybody who loves mysterious fantasy worlds, and for fans of Neil Gaiman and Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Costa Award-winning Frances Hardinge's gripping story of a young girl's daring mission through a natural world intent on her destruction. With stunning two-colour illustrations by superstar illustrator Emily Gravett on every page, this richly atmospheric book is perfect for fans of David Almond and Kiran Millwood Hargrave. The hungry Forest is moving forward like an army, a green and constant threat to the humans living in and on an increasingly crumbling Wall. Feather, accompanied only by her scaled ferret, Sleek, must avoid the Forest's tentacles, and the many dangerous creatures it shelters, to return the community's precious spyglass to its rightful place. Along the way, she develops her resilience, and meets other people living on the Wall, whose stories and experiences open her mind, and those of her community, to new horizons. A compelling story filled with adventure, emotional intensity and the rawness of nature.

On Gullstruck Island the volcanoes quarrel, beetles sing danger and occasionally a Lost is born... In the village of the Hollow Beasts live two sisters. Arilou is a Lost – a child with the power to depart her body and mind-fly with the winds – and Hathin is her helper. Together they hide a dangerous secret. Until sinister events threaten to uncover it. With a blue-skinned hunter on their trail and a dreadlocked warrior beside them, they must escape. Can the fate of two children decide the future of Gullstruck Island? Discover a dazzling world, a breathtaking heroine... and an incredible adventure. For on the island of Gullstruck nothing is exactly as it seems! With a cast of larger-than-life characters, this is a richly imagined adventure no child will be able to put down – or ever forget!

Às vezes, quando uma criatura morre, o espírito dela parte em busca de outra pessoa para habitar... Makepeace é uma jovem valente, com um passado misterioso, que aprendeu a se defender dos fantasmas que tentam possuí-la à noite. Um dia, um acontecimento terrível faz com que ela baixe a guarda. E agora há um espírito dentro dela. O espírito é indomado, bruto e forte, e pode ser sua única defesa quando ela é enviada para morar com os parentes ricos e poderosos de seu pai. Há rumores de que uma guerra civil pode eclodir, e eles precisam de pessoas como ela para proteger um segredo sombrio de família. Enquanto planeja sua fuga e resolve partir para um país assolado pela guerra, Makepeace precisa decidir o que é pior: a possessão ou a morte. Uma aventura emocionante, As Crônicas das Sombras, de Frances Hardinge, é a mistura perfeita de ficção histórica e sobrenatural. Macabro e cheio de intrigas políticas, o livro traz a Guerra Civil Inglesa (1642–1649) como pano de fundo em uma realidade em que espíritos circulam livremente no nosso mundo. Assim como as Crônicas de Amor e Ódio, de Mary E. Pearson, As Crônicas das Sombras é uma jornada ao lado de personagens que nos encantam com histórias de lealdade e amizade. A narrativa convincente da autora pega o leitor pela mão para conduzi-lo por um mundo fantástico e repleto de magia. O livro ganhou o prêmio Dracula Society’s Children of the Night Award na categoria de ficção gótica e foi um dos finalistas em premiações literárias como o Waterstones Book of the Year e o Independent Booksellers’ Week Book Award. As Crônicas das Sombras chega para integrar a marca DarkLove, da DarkSide® Books, que publica histórias escritas por mulheres com vozes poderosas e narrativas encantadoras.