by Emma Törzs
First published 2023
Joanna Kalotay lives alone in Vermont's woods, protecting her family's collection of magical books. These volumes grant extraordinary powers. They let readers walk through solid walls or steal another person's appearance. But they also kill. Magic murdered her mother years ago. Her half-sister Esther knows this danger well. She runs from their family legacy, never staying anywhere longer than a year. Now she works as an electrician in Antarctica, far from magical influence. She has found love on the research base. She believes she has escaped. Then someone begins using magic in Antarctica. Esther realizes distance means nothing. The sisters reunite after years apart. They must uncover the secrets their parents buried. These mysteries stretch across centuries and continents. Other libraries hold pieces of the truth. The Kalotay women face their inheritance together, confronting the deadly power that shaped their fractured family.
Genres: mystery, fantasy, magical-realism, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: estranged-siblings, found-family
Setting: Vermont, Antarctica
416 pages · Paperback · CENTURY
Content warnings: death