First published 2017
Emmaline keeps a secret she won't tell Benny, Anna, or even Sister Constance. In December 1941, German bombs rain down on English cities. The sickest and most traumatized children get sent to special hospitals in the countryside. Emmaline is one of these children, evacuated to Briar Hill hospital. The building once housed a beautiful princess in elegant rooms. Now it shelters broken children. But Emmaline sees something the others cannot. Winged horses live in the mirrors throughout the hospital. This secret sets her apart from the other patients. While the world outside turns gray with war and suffering, Emmaline discovers she possesses something unique. Her vision allows her to find color where others see only darkness. Only a child's eyes can fight back against the shadows that threaten to consume everything.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, war, fantasy, magical-realism
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful, whimsical
Tropes: chosen-one, found-family
Setting: England, Briar Hill Hospital
Period: 1941
240 pages · Paperback · RBA Molino
Content warnings: war