Amelia and her four fellow students live trapped at a rigid British boarding school where something feels fundamentally wrong. While they remain frozen in time, the outside world ages around them. When Amelia begins manifesting fourth-dimensional abilities, her companions reveal their own strange powers. Victor manipulates matter at the molecular level. Vanity opens passages through solid walls. Colin reads minds. Quentin practices warlock magic. Each ability operates under different natural laws that should not coexist. The five orphans realize they have been stolen from their true families and stripped of their full potential by captors who are themselves supernatural beings. Pagan gods, fairy queens, cyclopes, sea monsters, and witches all play roles in their imprisonment. The students must master their emerging abilities while uncovering the truth about their origins. Their powers represent different ways of understanding reality itself. As they experiment with their capabilities, they prepare for an escape that will pit them against forces far beyond human comprehension. The five orphans face a choice between remaining safe prisoners or risking everything to reclaim their stolen identities and return to families they have never known.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, fantasy, young-adult
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, found-family
Setting: Britain, Boarding School
Period: Contemporary
Library Binding · Paw Prints 2008-05-09