Description

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In a post-human Victorian world, science and magic mean danger in this sequel to The Unnaturalists that School Library Journal called “an intricate melding of fantasy and steampunk” that “features carefully crafted settings and scores of intriguing characters.”

After Vespa, Syrus, and Bayne defeated the Grue and restored order to their world in The Unnaturalists, they thought their future was secure. Empress Olivia, committed to peace and equality for humans and Elementals alike, was a fair and just ruler. And the Creeping Waste had vanished, giving them hope for the first time.

But rebellion is brewing in the far-off city of Scientia, and dark Elementals are plotting war in the ruins of New London. Before they know what’s happening, Vespa, Syrus, and their friends are plunged into a new swamp of intrigue, deception and magic—and the cost of survival may be more than any of them are willing to pay.

About the Author

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Tiffany Trent is the author of The Tinker King and The Unnaturalists, which won a Green Earth Book Honor. She is also the author of the Hallowmere series and the recipient of a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Work-in-Progress Grant. Her short stories have appeared in Magic in the Mirrorstone, Corsets and Clockwork, Willful Impropriety, and Subterranean magazine. She lives with her family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Visit her at TiffanyTrent.com.

Praise For…

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"Lush, with a nice touch of Victorian post-humanism for an original twist."
— Kirkus Reviews

“An intricate melding of fantasy and steampunk.”
— School Library Journal

"Trent moves multiple romantic subplots along smartly while stirring plenty of chases, ambushes, escapes, reversals of fortune, clever schemes, and startling revelations into her Chinese-inflected, gas-lamp fantasy."
— Booklist