Heather finds herself in yet another children’s home. Moving from one set of bricks and mortar to another, she finds it hard to settle, constantly questioning her ability to love and be loved. There’s something magical about Fablehouse though, something that she can’t quite put her finger on. A feeling perhaps. An inkling that all is not quite what it seems. Mysterious and intriguing she roams her new home with one eye on the door, just in case.
Determined to fit in, Heather soon becomes friends with other children as she finds her place in her new world. A cairn sits high on a hill, the place where her and friends meet and play. They relish the time outside the house, away from chores and school work. Their tight knit group give call themselves ‘The Roamers’ – destined to always investigate and learn about the world as they go.
When some of the other children start to go missing, Heather and her friends are clueless as to what’s going wrong. A green mist appears to have descended through the village, plucking the life and soul out of those around her. Gone are the loving cuddles and genuine interest in her well-being, now replaced by cold stares and physical changes in her guardians as they become infected with fae spells. The corridors of Fablehouse are prickly with dark energy, the likes she’s never felt before.
At the cairn, their world changes forever when the earth opens up around it and a knight from King Arthur’s realm, Pal, greets them from the mist. He is looking for warriors, true and bold to help fight the fae. Heather, Nat, Lloyd and Arlene are exactly whom he’s looking for! Pal explains to The Roamers that people are being consumed by the dark energy from the fae, creatures that have lived in this land for a long time. Ruled by The Champion, the fae are intent on dominating not only Fablehouse but the rest of the world.
Determined to stop more children going missing but also to return Fablehouse to the safe haven they know and love, they search for clues within the house and beyond. An ancient tome, the Grimoire, holds all the answers within its powerful pages, only when they steal this and get it to Pal, do they have any chance of stopping the spread of evil. Heather is drawn to the tome, the unknown magic within her coming to the surface as they go on a quest to save Fablehouse once and for all. Together, The Roamers realise that they were warriors all along, they just had to believe in themselves and work together to defeat enemies they’d only ever seen in their nightmares. Can they win the battle against The Champion? Will the dark magic consume them as they fight for their lives and those they love? Will Fablehouse survive the epic surge of magic that threatens its very existence?
Emma Norry has created a fantastical world of drama, magic and intrigue as the steadfast friends battle the demons they meet along the way, as well as their own internal struggles for acceptance and belonging. Bringing children’s care homes to the fore, Fablehouse is a wonderful, honest insight into the lives of children in care, the emotional and physical struggles they have, regardless of their race or gender, it also shows the strong force of good that friendship and inclusion brings. With beautiful illustrations by Thy Bui, Fablehouse will never leave you, even after you’ve turned the last page. The characters and their determination to succeed are outstanding in every way.
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