The Threads of Magic

By Alison Croggon

A pickpocket's theft of a cursed heart ignites a magical battle for a kingdom's fate.

3.7/5 Goodreads · 301 ratings

384 pages

$18.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Pip, a streetwise pickpocket in Clarel, steals a mysterious heart in a silver casket, unwittingly entering a deadly power struggle. Pursued by assassins and haunted by the heart's whispers, Pip and his sister El delve into forbidden magic. They must ally with secret witches and rebellious Princess Georgette to challenge a tyrannical king, a scheming cardinal, and an ancient evil. As they navigate a city of contrasts, from opulent palaces to grimy slums, Pip faces a choice that could alter the kingdom's destiny. Will courage and unexpected alliances be enough to overcome the darkness?

From the publisher

In a gripping stand-alone fantasy from the acclaimed Alison Croggon, a pickpocket steals the cursed Stone Heart and is propelled into a power struggle, woven with witchcraft, that will change the kingdom forever. Pip lives by his wits in the city of Clarel. But when he picks the wrong pocket, Pip finds himself in possession of a strange dried heart in a silver casket–and those who lost it will stop at nothing to get it back. With assassins on his trail and the ominous heart beginning to whisper to him, Pip and his childlike older sister El are drawn deeper into the forbidden world of magic. Now they must seek the help of the secret witches of Clarel and Princess Georgette–who is sick of being a pawn in everyone else’s game–to wage revolution against a chilling king, a power-hungry church cardinal, and an ancient evil they don’t truly understand. A beautifully written adventure full of courage and kindness, The Threads of Magic transports readers to a magical city of airy palaces and rotten slums, of agents of the Office of Witchcraft Examination and midsummer dancing in the Weavers’ Quarter, of dangerous fathers and chosen family.

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