Thirteen year-old Ivy is an expert when it comes to putting up tents and reading maps. Surrounded by hills near her Lake District home, she knows every turn on every path. The problem is… she’s scared to go outside.
When her brother, Callum, transforms into a kestrel when he enters a magical portal to another world, Ivy has no choice but to face her fears and leave the safety of her home if she’s ever going to see him again.
A rescue mission with a difference, Ivy begins to doubt her knowledge of the landscape she thought she knew so well as she struggles to get her bearings in the familiar but somehow different, realm of Underfell. Her anxiety heightens but she is soon joined by another seemingly lost soul, Kit, and his dog, Grendel and together they make a pact to help each other find their missing brothers. They need to learn to trust one another if they’re to survive their journey through magical sleep-inducing woods, enraged disgruntled fairies with bird wings of all shapes and sizes, and meeting mythical beings Ivy had only ever read about in fairy tales. Their mission is to rescue their brothers and reverse Callum’s bird spell but who can they trust in a land of dark magic? Why is a spectre following Ivy’s every move? Will they uncover the secrets that threaten their very existence in a world where they don’t belong?
“…sometimes there is no way to outrun the thing that pursues us; all we can do is turn around and face it head on…”
Alex Mullarky weaves the reader through every twist and turn imaginable as the two friends and the ever-faithful Grendel take us on their quest in this fantastic magical adventure full of hope, courage and a little sprinkle of magic when all seems lost. A stunning cover by @diana_renjina sets the scene for this wonderful novel that has OS grid references at every chapter heading – a map lovers dream!
