Chris Soul

Zohra Nabi's excellent debut 'The Kingdom Over the Sea' absolutely blew me away as a spellbinding fantasy with nods to the real world. In 'Deep Dark' she takes a new direction, creating a new brilliant character in Cassia Thorne who investigates mystery and weird goings-on in Victorian London. Oozing with atmosphere and attention to detail, this is an absorbing and tantalising tale!

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Cassia Thorne leads a double life. In one she is a respectable young music teacher for the children of the elite. In another, she sells ballads on the streets and spends her evenings locked up in Fleet Prison. When the Bartholomew Fair comes to town, it brings joy to the city but also rumours of children going missing off the streets of London. With the help of a young pickpocket, Teo and her friend Felix, Cassia starts to investigate these disappearances. She soon discovers a darkness at the heart of the city and a beast that lives in the deep, dark tunnels under it. Can Cassia save the children when the conspiracy goes all the way to the top?

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https://www.waterstones.com/book/deep-dark-volume-1/zohra-nabi/9781398532922