Shadows Over London

by Christian Klaver, Fiona Hardingham (Read by)

Overview

The Faerie have come to take London, and only one girl stands in their way.

Justice isn’t your average fifteen-year-old girl. She’s an irrepressible scoundrel, and she always has a plan. But her world falls apart when her father forcibly bundles the entire family into carriages in the middle of the night and carts them off to a strange mansion on the outskirts of Victorian London. The Faerie are invading, but the Kasric siblings can’t stay neutral in the ensuing war when they find their parents on opposing sides. Justice has no choice but to embrace her burgeoning magical powers to fight against the Faerie and save her family.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798228572560
Publisher:	Baker & Taylor
Publication date:	10/07/2025
Series:	The Empire of the House of Thorns , #1
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Christian Klaver has been writing for over twenty years, with a number of magazine publications, including Escape Pod, Dark Wisdom Anthology, and Anti-Matter. He’s the author of The Supernatural Case Files of Sherlock Holmes series, but has written over a dozen novels, both fantasy and sci-fi, often with a Noir bent. He's worked as book-seller, bartender and a martial-arts instructor before settling into a career in internet security. He lives just outside the sprawling decay of Detroit, Michigan, with his wife, Kimberly, his daughter, Kathryn, and a group of animals he refers to as The Menagerie. He’s also a part of the Untitled Writer’s Group based in Ann Arbor for the past decade or so with a bunch of equally starry-eyed dreamers and social misanthropes.

Editorial Reviews

Fantasy at its most fantastic. Monsters, mystery, and magic in a beautiful and frightening world all their own. Justice Kasric and her strange family are a delight from first to last.”  —Steven Harper, author of The Books of Blood and Iron series

“This first title in a new series slowly builds into a magical adventure in a world that is dark and unique . . . the plot and world building are sure to enthrall readers.” —School Library Journal

“Klaver dazzles with an adventure rooted in complex feelings about family loyalties, and magically full to the brim with faerie mystery.” —Tobias S. Buckell, World Fantasy Award Winner and New York Times Bestselling Author

“An enchanting and enthralling series opener.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Original, carefully crafted, and impressively entertaining from first page to last . . . an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to Middle School, High School, and community library YA Fantasy Fiction collections.” —Midwest Book Review

“Inside these pages, you will find war, betrayal, secrets, magic, and a fantastic start to an adventurous series.” —YA Book Central

From the Publisher

2021-03-13
A teen girl must save London from a Faerie invasion.

In an alternate Victorian era–esque England lives 15-year-old Justice Kasric. Unlike her properly behaved older sister, Faith, Justice longs for the excitement of sea life, intrigued by her often absent merchant father, Rachek. One fateful night, the entire Kasric clan is swept up and taken to Stormholt, a remote and mysterious estate that is guarded by magical cats. Striving to understand what is happening, Justice begins to piece together the fact that her family harbors many secrets and that no one is exactly who they seem. She finds herself traversing worlds, from smog-laden London to the high seas, trying to stave off an impending Faerie war while also struggling against the gender constraints of her time. Klaver’s worldbuilding is immersive and bursting with magic—including dragons, Goblins, ghosts, and zombie dogs, to name a few—but never feels overstuffed due to the thrilling pace. Those who appreciate period fantasies free of romantic intrigue will revel as deeply layered family secrets are revealed (although later in the book a flirtation is teased). With a decidedly Gothic feel of swirling fog and damp old estates, this first volume in a proposed series offers satisfying answers to some questions but leaves enough threads dangling to tantalize further adventures. Human characters default to White.

An enchanting and enthralling series opener. (Fantasy. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews