by Steven Price
First published 2022
Charlie Ovid bears no scars despite years of childhood violence. His body repairs itself whether he wants it to or not. Marlowe was found as an infant in a train car and radiates blue light that can melt or heal skin. A bold detective receives orders to escort these two teenagers to a mysterious institute where they will find safety. Their journey takes them from London's gray streets through wooden theaters in Meiji-era Tokyo to a chilling garden outside Edinburgh. There other "Talents" live with abilities that mark them as different. The trip brings chases, reunions, painful memories, and unexpected betrayals. At the institute, a corrupted Talent works to merge the worlds of the living and dead, threatening to release malevolent darkness. Charlie, Marlowe, and their fellow Talents must discover the truth about their powers and understand what makes others see them as monsters. They face the question of what truly creates a monster while searching for belonging in a world that fears them.
Genres: science-fiction, fantasy, thriller, young-adult
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: chosen-one, found-family
Setting: London, Tokyo, Edinburgh
Period: 19th-century, Meiji-era
624 pages · Paperback · Crossbooks (Editorial Planeta)
Content warnings: violence