When Nona was only seven years old, she lost her
entire family and her home after a bomb destroyed it. Taken in by her Uncle
Antoni, Nona’s world totally changed, while the memories of that night continue
to haunt her dreams.
Not really related, Antoni Pilecki took Nona in as
an apprentice in stained glass windows. Together they travel the countryside
repairing broken or damaged windows.
One night, ensconced in his workshop, Nona hears voices and is stunned to learn one of the stained glass windows holds a woman’s reflection and is speaking with her Uncle.
The voice triggers memories of the night she lost her family and
sends her in search for the one item she managed to rescue from her home; a
shard of pinkish glass.
Clutching the shard of glass, Nona senses a warmth and a rush of familiar images that comfort her and enable her to sleep most nights.
Replacing
stained glass windows in war damaged buildings is their main source of work.
Their next job is for an old church building located in Dartmoor that takes
them across cold and desolate moors.
Upon
arriving at the old church, Nona notices her Uncle is behaving very strangely.
What Nona doesn’t expect is that the old church holds a mysterious energy and
an equally strange creature that calls the church home.
The
strange creature, Castor, can transform from a crow into an imp and is trapped
by a spell.
On
the outside the church appears abandoned, but the inside has been restored
except for the damaged windows. Nona soon discovers another enemy lurks in the
mists of the moors called Solider and he is coming for Nona.
But
why? Why is Nona so important? Soon a cast of characters emerge in the church,
including Aleesea, the woman in the reflection who has cast a spell on her
Uncle.
Nona
will discover the truth about her glass shard, the dangers of spirit magic and
why they have been brought to this old church. Will Nona and her friends be
able to lock in the good magic while warding off the evil intentions of their
enemies?
Katharine
Orton has weaved a spell with this story, that will ensnare and captivate the
reader – everyone has a secret and a past – are you ready to learn the truth?
Author: Katharine Orton
Publisher: Walker Books, $16.99
Publication Date: 5 November 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781406385236
For ages: 8 - 12
Type: Junior Fiction