Unraveller

If you must travel to the country of Raddith, then be prepared. Bring a mosquito net for the lowlands, and a warm coat for the hills or mountains. If you mean to visit the misty marsh-woods known as the Wilds, you will need stout, waterproof boots. (You will also needs wits, courage and luck, but some things cannot be packed.)

You have of course heard that some people in Raddith are able to curse their enemies. It sounded so picturesque when you were reading about it at home, like a fairytale.

Perhaps you will decide that all the stories of the Wilds and the Raddith cursers were invented to entertain tourists. And at night, when you see a many-legged shape scuttle across the ceiling of your bedchamber, you will tell yourself that it is a spider, and only a spider . . .

. . . It is not.

This multilayered, humane and brilliant YA fantasy is the Costa-winning Hardinge’s best yet.Extraordinary. Exquisite and compelling. Sheer perfection.It’s gothic and twisty and witty and gripping: dark and delicious and fresh and I loved it.One of the most mesmerising journeys I’ve ever taken within the pages of a book.A gloriously creepy, intricate masterpiece full of tangles and knots for the reader to get caught up in.Hardinge is an extraordinary writer for teenagers.. atmospheric illustrations add to the ghostly dramaA fabulously eerie tale that boldly confronts mortality.. the stunning illustrations by Emily Gravett cleverly capture the narrative's haunting mood.. the book is deceptively multi-layeredAn epic fantasy world awaits, from Costa Award-winning author Frances Hardinge.

Welcome to your new fantasy obsession . . .

In a world where anyone can create life-destroying curses, only one person has the power to unravel them. Kellen does not fully understand his talent, but uses it to help those who have been cursed, including his ally and closest friend, Nettle. But Kellen himself is cursed, and unless he and Nettle can release him, he is in danger of unravelling everything - and everyone - around him.

For fans of Leigh Bardugo and Neil Gaiman comes Frances Hardinge’s spectacular novel Unraveller. Called her ‘best yet’ by the Guardian, Hardinge expertly weaves together mythology and mystery in a richly-detailed world besieged by curses.

‘Exquisite . . . sheer perfection’– Liz Hyder, author of The Gifts

‘Instantly engrossing, effortlessly clever, and completely magical’ – Freya Marske

Frances Hardinge spent a large part of her childhood in a huge old house that inspired her to write strange stories from an early age. She read English at Oxford University, then got a job at a software company. However, a few years later a persistent friend finally managed to bully Frances into sending a few chapters of Fly By Night, her first children's novel, to a publisher. Macmillan made her an immediate offer. The book went on to publish to huge critical acclaim and win the Branford Boase First Novel Award. She has since written many highly acclaimed children's novels, including Fly By Night's sequel Twilight Robbery, as well as the Carnegie-shortlisted Cuckoo Song and the Costa Book of the Year winner, The Lie Tree