Katharine Orton’s second novel Glassheart will first chill you then charm you with the story of Nona; a child whose life has been shattered by the bombs of World War II. With just a fragment of magical glass in the shape of a half-heart to remind her of the home she once shared with her mother and brother, Nona must pick up the pieces and build a new life for herself with a man she comes to know and love as ‘Uncle’; who has also suffered great personal losses. Under his protection and guidance, Nona finds solace in his stained-glass artistry and becomes a willing apprentice.
But when a journey to an enchanted Umbrafell puts Nona, Uncle and, ultimately, the fate of many others in her hands, she must face a disturbing villain and his army of spine-tingling rattlesticks, and an unsettling truth about herself and her destiny, to save her found family and budding friendship with the mysterious and magical Castor.
Steeped in the atmospheric mists and moors of Dartmoor, this tale shows us how grief and loss can set people on very different paths, and the picture we piece together at the end is as intricate and multi-faceted as the stained-glass windows that feature so beautifully in the tale itself.
Unlike the glass heart, Nona’s fragility has been tempered by her inner-strength and determination which, despite danger and heartache, leaves the reader with an uplifting sense of strength and empowerment!
