Kiran Millwood Hargrave

They say the thirst of blood is like a madness - they must sate it. Even with their own kin. On the eve of her divining, the day she'll discover her fate, seventeen-year-old Lil and her twin sister Kizzy are captured and enslaved by the cruel Boyar Valcar, taken far away from their beloved traveller community. Forced to work in the harsh and unwelcoming castle kitchens, Lil is comforted when she meets Mira, a fellow slave who she feels drawn to in a way she doesn't understand. But she also learns about the Dragon, a mysterious and terrifying figure of myth and legend who takes girls as gifts. They may not have had their divining day, but the girls will still discover their fate...

In this gripping historical novel, the internationally bestselling author of The Mercies weaves a spellbinding tale of fear, transformation, courage, and love in sixteenth-century France. Strasbourg, 1518. In the midst of a blisteringly hot summer, a lone woman begins to dance in the city square. She dances for days without pause or rest, and when hundreds of other women join her, the men running the city declare a state of emergency and hire musicians to play the Devil out of the mob. Outside the city, pregnant Lisbet lives with her husband and mother-in-law, tending the bees that are the family's livelihood. Though Lisbet is removed from the frenzy of the dancing plague afflicting the city's women, her own quiet life is upended by the arrival of her sister-in-law. Nethe has been away for seven years, serving a penance in the mountains for a crime no one will name. It is a secret Lisbet is determined to uncover. As the city buckles under the beat of a thousand feet, Lisbet becomes caught in a dangerous web of deceit and clandestine passion. Like the women of Strasbourg, she too, is dancing to a dangerous tune. . . . Set in an era of superstition, hysteria, and extraordinary change, and inspired by true events, The Dance Tree is an impassioned story of family secrets, forbidden love, and women pushed to the edge.

She was very tired. She lay down, her soft head on her soft paws. The sunset licked her face. The snow covered her like a blanket. Fox wakes, and begins to walk. She crosses ice and snow, over mountains and across frozen oceans, encountering bears and birds beneath the endless daylight of an Arctic summer, navigating a world that is vast, wild and wondrous. Meanwhile, Leila embarks on a journey of her own – finding her way to the mother who left her. On a breathtaking journey across the sea, Leila rediscovers herself and the mother she thought she’d lost, with help from a determined little fox. Based on the true story of an Arctic fox who walked from Norway to Canada in seventy-six days, a distance of two thousand miles, this compelling, emotional and beautifully illustrated story is the perfect gift for 9+ readers.

The spellbinding new novel from the bestselling author of The Girl of Ink & Stars, winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. In an Italian city ravaged by plague, Sofia's mother carves beautiful mementos from the bones of loved ones. But one day, she doesn't return home. Did her work lead her into danger? Sofia and her little brother Ermin are sent to the convent orphanage but soon escape, led by an enigmatic new friend and their pet crow, Corvith. Together they cross the city underground, following clues in bones up to the towers of Siena, where - circled by magpies - the children find the terrible truth ...

Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2017, and the British Book Awards' Children's Book of Year 2017 Forbidden to leave her island, Isabella Riosse dreams of the faraway lands her father once mapped. When her closest friend disappears into the island’s Forgotten Territories, she volunteers to guide the search. As a cartographer’s daughter, she’s equipped with elaborate ink maps and knowledge of the stars, and is eager to navigate the island’s forgotten heart. But the world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland – and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a legendary fire demon is stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to save the island itself.

The shark was beneath my bed, growing large as the room, large as the lighthouse, rising from unfathomable depths until it ripped the whole island from its roots. The bed was a boat, the shark a tide, and it pulled me so far out to sea I was only a speck, a spot, a mote, a dying star in an unending sky… Julia has followed her mum and dad to live on a remote island for the summer – her dad, for work; her mother, on a determined mission to find the elusive Greenland shark. But when her mother’s obsession threatens to submerge them all, Julia finds herself on an adventure with dark depths and a lighthouse full of hope… A beautiful, lyrical, uplifting story about a mother, a daughter, and love – with timely themes of the importance of science and the environment.

Mila and her sisters live with their brother Oskar in a small forest cabin in the snow. One night, a fur-clad stranger arrives seeking shelter for himself and his men. But by the next morning, they've gone - taking Oskar with them. Fearful for his safety, Mila and her sisters set out to bring Oskar back - even it means going north, crossing frozen wild-lands to find a way past an eternal winter.

Την παραμονή των Χριστουγέννων του 1617, μια τρομερή καταιγίδα ξέσπασε στη θάλασσα της απομακρυσμένης νορβηγικής νήσου Βάρντε. Η Μάρεν Μαγκνουσντάττερ στέκει και παρακολουθεί, ενώ τα κύματα καταπίνουν σαράντα ψαράδες, ανάμεσά τους τον πατέρα της και τον αδελφό της. Οι άντρες του χωριού χάνονται από τη µια στιγμή στην άλλη –το Βάρντε είναι πλέον τόπος γυναικών. Δεκαοχτώ μήνες αργότερα καταφθάνει στο χωριό µια απειλητική μορφή. O Αβεσσαλώμ Κόρνετ ήρθε από τη Σκοτία για να τιθασεύσει ένα μέρος άγριο, στην άκρη του πολιτισμένου κόσμου, και ξέρει τι πρέπει να κάνει για να υποτάξει τις γυναίκες του Βάρντε. Μαζί του ταξιδεύει και η νεαρή του σύζυγος, η Ούρσα. Στο Βάρντε, και στο πρόσωπο της Μάρεν, η Ούρσα βρίσκει κάτι που δεν έχει ξαναδεί – γυναίκες ανεξάρτητες. Ο Αβεσσαλώμ όµως δε βλέπει παρά ένα μέρος όπου ξεχειλίζει ανυπέρβλητο κακό, το οποίο πρέπει να ξεριζώσει πάση θυσία… Οι μάγισσες του Βάρντε, που είναι εμπνευσμένες από τα πραγματικά γεγονότα της καταιγίδας του Βάρντε και τις δίκες των μαγισσών που έλαβαν χώρα στο νησί, είναι ένα μυθιστόρηµα για το πώς η καχυποψία διαβρώνει έως εσχάτων μια κοινότητα και για το πώς η αγάπη μπορεί να αποδειχτεί επικίνδυνη αλλά και πανίσχυρη.

After a storm has killed off all the island's men, two women in a 1600s Norwegian coastal village struggle to survive against both natural forces and the men who have been sent to rid the community of alleged witchcraft. Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Bergensdatter stands on the craggy coast, watching the sea break into a sudden and reckless storm. Forty fishermen, including her brother and father, are drowned and left broken on the rocks below. With the menfolk wiped out, the women of the tiny Northern town of Vardø must fend for themselves. Three years later, a sinister figure arrives. Absalom Cornet comes from Scotland, where he burned witches in the northern isles. He brings with him his young Norwegian wife, Ursa, who is both heady with her husband's authority and terrified by it. In Vardø, and in Maren, Ursa sees something she has never seen before: independent women. But Absalom sees only a place untouched by God and flooded with a mighty evil. As Maren and Ursa are pushed together and are drawn to one another in ways that surprise them both, the island begins to close in on them with Absalom's iron rule threatening Vardø's very existence. Inspired by the real events of the Vardø storm and the 1620 witch trials, The Mercies is a feminist story of love, evil, and obsession, set at the edge of civilization.

1617, Vardø, au nord du cercle polaire, en Norvège. Maren Magnusdatter, vingt ans, regarde depuis le village la violente tempête qui s’abat sur la mer. Quarante pêcheurs, dont son frère et son père, gisent sur les rochers en contrebas, noyés. Ce sont les hommes de Vardø qui ont été ainsi décimés, et les femmes vont désormais devoir assurer seules leur survie. Trois ans plus tard, Absalom Cornet débarque d’Écosse. Cet homme sinistre y brûlait des sorcières. Il est accompagné de sa jeune épouse norvégienne, Ursa. Enivrée et terrifiée par l’autorité de son mari, elle se lie d’amitié avec Maren et découvre que les femmes peuvent être indépendantes. Absalom, lui, ne voit en Vardø qu’un endroit où Dieu n’a pas sa place, un endroit hanté par un puissant démon. Inspiré de faits réels, Les Graciées captive par sa prose, viscérale et immersive. Sous la plume de Kiran Millwood Hargrave, ce village de pêcheurs froid et boueux prend vie.

Le gemelle Lil e Kizzy stanno per compiere diciassette anni, ed entro poche ore arriverà per loro il giorno della divinazione: l'Anziana Charani svelerà alle ragazze quale destino le aspetta. Ma non faranno in tempo a partecipare alla cerimonia perché il crudele Boier Valcar le fa rapire per farne le sue schiave. Costretta a lavorare nelle cucine del castello, un luogo tutt'altro che accogliente, Lil trova conforto nell'incontro con Mira, una compagna di sventura verso cui si sente attratta in un modo mai provato prima. E lì sente parlare del Drago, che ricorda la terribile figura mitologica di cui raccontano le antiche leggende, un mostro a cui si portano in offerta giovani ragazze. Forse Lil e Kizzy non avranno la loro cerimonia di divinazione, ma le gemelle stanno per scoprire comunque il loro destino...

Nochebuena de 1617. Una tempestad se desata sobre la isla noruega de Vardø cuando los hombres de una pequeña aldea están en el mar pescando. Todos mueren. A partir de ese instante, Vardø se convierte en una isla de mujeres, entre ellas, Maren, que debe hacer frente a la muerte de su padre, su hermano y su prometido. Las mujeres de la isla tratan de hacer todo lo posible por salir adelante, pero, pronto, las noticias llegan a las autoridades. Dieciocho meses más tarde, una siniestra figura arriba a la isla desde Escocia para poner fin al anómalo gobierno de las mujeres: el comisario Absalom Cornet. Con él, viaja su joven esposa, Ursa, que ve en Maren algo que nunca ha conocido: una mujer independiente. Entre ambas surgirá una relación que lo cambiará todo. Pero, para Absalom, Vardø es el hogar de un mal terrible y oscuro, uno que debe erradicar a toda costa. Escrita con delicadeza y gran lirismo, Vardø es una novela atmosférica que nos habla de la verdadera naturaleza del amor y del mal, y del poder de las mujeres y la razón en un momento más necesario que nunca.

From bestselling, award-winning author Kiran Millwood Hargrave comes an epic new fantasy about the magic of nature, the lure of power and the strength of love. In the lakes, the wolf queen sharpens her spear. In the mountains, an ancient girl opens an eye. In the forest, an orphan is summoned by the trees. Our story has begun ... Ysolda has lived her life in the shadow of the wolf queen's tyrannical rule but, safe in her forest haven, she has never truly felt its threat. Until one day when a mysterious earthquake shakes the land and her older sister Hari vanishes in its wake. Accompanied by her loyal sea hawk, Nara, Ysolda embarks on a desperate rescue mission. But when she is forced to strike a bargain with the wolf queen herself, she soon finds herself embroiled in a quest for a magic more powerful - and more dangerous - than she could ever have imagined ... This is the first in the Geomancer trilogy, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Julia and the Shark, The Mercies and The Girl of Ink and Stars.

The thrilling second Geomancer book in the epic fantasy trilogy from the bestselling, award-winning Kiran Millwood Hargrave, for readers of Philip Pullman and Katherine Rundell. 'Destined to be a classic' - Garth Nix 'This tale of adventure and magic is as brave as it is exciting' - Independent 'A stunning adventure' - Cressida Cowell 'Fierce, lyrical ... an earth-shattering fantasy' Piers Torday Unlock a magic that could change the world ... or destroy it. Ysolda is on the run, travelling with a rebellious princess to the wilds of the Drakken Peak - on the back of a huge sea wolf. With her faithful sea hawk Nara by her side, her quest to find the fabled magic of the Geomancer is just beginning ... From the author of The Girl of Ink and Stars, Julia and the Shark and The Mercies, the Geomancer trilogy is a new modern classic for readers young and old.

1617, Norvegia nordorientale. In una funesta vigilia di Natale, il mare a Vardø si è improvvisamente sollevato e una folgore livida ha sferzato il cielo. Quando la tempesta si è acquietata in uno schiocco di dita, così com'era arrivata, le donne si sono raccolte a riva per scrutare l'orizzonte. Degli uomini usciti in barca non vi era, però, nessun segno. Quaranta pescatori, dispersi nelle gelide acque del Mare di Barents. Alla ventenne Maren Magnusdatter, che ha perso il padre e il fratello nella burrasca, e a tutte le donne di Vardø non resta dunque che un solo compito: mettere a tacere il dolore e cercare di sopravvivere. Quando l'inverno allenta la presa e le provviste di cibo sono quasi esaurite nelle dispense, le donne non si perdono d'animo: rimettono le barche in mare, riprendono la pesca, tagliano la legna, coltivano i campi, conciano le pelli. Spinte dalla necessità, scoprono che la loro unità può generare ciò che serve per continuare a vivere. L'equilibrio faticosamente conquistato è destinato, però, a dissolversi il giorno in cui a Vardø mette piede il sovrintendente Absalom Cornet, un fosco e ambiguo personaggio distintosi, in passato, per aver mandato al rogo diverse donne accusate di stregoneria. Absalom è accompagnato dalla giovane moglie norvegese, Ursa, inesperta della vita e terrorizzata dai modi sbrigativi e autoritari del marito. A Vardø, però, Ursa scorge qualcosa che non ha mai visto prima: donne indipendenti. Absalom, al contrario, vede solo una terra sventurata, abitata dal Maligno. Un luogo ai margini della civiltà, dove la popolazione barbara dei lapponi si mescola liberamente con i bianchi e dove una comunità di sole donne pretende di vivere secondo regole proprie.

Julia przeprowadza się z rodzicami na odludną wyspę, gdzie mają spędzić całe lato. Tata ma tam pracować, a mama chce znaleźć legendarnego grenlandzkiego rekina. Obsesja matki szybko zaczyna zagrażać całej rodzinie i Julia postanawia wyruszyć w podróż w najczarniejszą otchłań, którą rozświetli jej jedynie morska latarnia. Piękna, liryczna, podnosząca na duchu opowieść o matce, córce i miłości, a także o znaczeniu nauki oraz troski o środowisko.

Pełna przygód i magii, wciągająca opowieść o odwadze i przyjaźni! Arinta była bardzo odważną dziewczyną. Mieszkała w samym środku wyspy Moya tysiąc lat temu, kiedy wyspa unosiła się na powierzchni oceanu niczym żywy statek. Nie było lasu, nie było granic, nie było Zapomnianych Ziem, a na każdym drzewie śpiewały ptaki. Pewnego dnia jednak ognisty demon, który zamieszkiwał niespokojne dno morza, zauważył przepiękną pływającą wyspę i zapragnął jej dla siebie. Demon nazywał się Yote… Isabella ma trzynaście lat. Jest równie odważna co Arinta. Uwielbia słuchać legend opowiadanych przez Ta i studiować jego mapy, na których na pergaminie wyczarowuje dalekie kraje. Isa nie marzy jednak o podróży do egzotycznego Afrik, chce zwiedzić wzdłuż i wszerz rodzimą wyspę i narysować mapę Moya. Płonne nadzieje. Przyszło jej bowiem żyć w czasach terroru Gubernatora Adori, który odgrodził Gromerę od reszty wyspy, wygnał część mieszkańców, a reszcie broni dostępu do pobliskiego lasu i rozciągających się za nim Zapomnianych Ziem. Wszystko zmienia się, kiedy w tajemniczych okolicznościach znika córka Gubernatora i szkolna przyjaciółka Isabelli, Lupe. Adori szuka śmiałków do wyprawy poszukiwawczej. Przebrana za chłopca, uzbrojona w tusz, pergamin, wiedzę przekazaną przez Ta i mapę gwiazd, Isa zgłasza się do tej niecodziennej drużyny jako kartograf i przewodnik. Kierując się mapą, sercem i starożytnym mitem, Isabella odkryje w końcu prawdziwy cel swej podróży – musi ocalić wyspę Moya. Dziewczynka z atramentu i gwiazd uwodzi czytelnika pełnym kartograficznych znaków wnętrzem, przygodą i magią. Prawa do tego błyskotliwego debiutu literackiego niespełna trzydziestoletniej, a już uznanej i nagradzanej Kiran Millwood Hargrave sprzedano dotychczas do 20 krajów!