First published 2015
Faith recognizes the distinctive leaves immediately. Cold and clammy to the touch, they match the careful drawings in her father's private journal. She has found the Tree of Lies, the secret that consumed him. Her father died under strange circumstances, and Faith refuses to accept the official explanations. While searching his possessions for answers, she uncovers this bizarre plant that thrives on whispered falsehoods and produces fruit containing hidden truths. Faith begins feeding the tree her own lies, desperate to learn what really happened to her father. Each deception makes the tree stronger and reveals more secrets. But Faith loses control of her web of untruths. The lies multiply and spread beyond her intentions. She discovers that pursuing truth through deception carries a terrible price. Where lies offer tempting shortcuts to knowledge, the truths they reveal can destroy everything.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, fantasy, young-adult, dark-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, haunting, introspective, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: consequences-of-deception, forbidden-knowledge, mystery-investigation, unreliable-narrator
Period: 19th-century
410 pages · Paperback · Macmillan Children's Books
Content warnings: death