Briony Larkin was born at the stroke of midnight when church bells chimed across the Swampsea. The townspeople call her a chime child, marked by magic from her first breath. Briony knows she possesses the Old Magic, the power to harm with her words alone. She keeps her gift secret, terrified of what she might do to those she loves. When her stepmother falls mysteriously ill and her younger sister Rose faces danger, Briony must decide whether to use her forbidden abilities. The boggy marshlands of the Swampsea hold their own secrets, and dark forces stir in the mist. Briony struggles between protecting her family and protecting them from herself. Her magical words could save everyone she cares about, or they could destroy them all.
Genres: coming-of-age, fantasy, magical-realism, young-adult
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: chosen-one, found-family
Setting: Swampsea
Period: Midnight
206 pages · Hardcover · Atheneum
Content warnings: mental-illness