Mia grapples with the responsibility of her new powers and uncovers even more of Nubis’s secrets in this thrilling second book in the Umbra Tales middle grade series that’s Keeper of the Lost Cities meets The Golden Compass. The Reaper King’s attempt to break free and thrust the rest of the Kingdom of Lunis into darkness has been thwarted, but all is still not well in Nubis, Mia’s moonlit kingdom home. The whole city is on guard for another attempt to resurrect the Reaper King. Though imprisoned, his followers, the Elite, are still inside the city, and tensions among the population are at an all-time high. Meanwhile, Mia struggles to cope with her new Lightcaster powers and to fit in with the rest of the tamers, many of whom are skeptical of her abilities. But it’s the appearance of old friends and new maybe-enemies that will truly put Mia’s abilities—and the loyalties of everyone she trusts—to the test.

Keeper of the Lost Cities meets Pokémon in this riveting first book in a middle grade series about a girl who embarks on a treacherous journey with her mystical animal companions to save her family—and the entire kingdom. Twelve-year-old Mia McKenna has grown up in the darkness. It’s all she’s ever known, and she finds comfort in it. Like nearly all the cities in the Kingdom of Lunis, her home of Nubis was plunged into a forever night years ago by the shadowy Reaper King—a figure now only known in nightmares, a cautionary tale warning children to stay safe inside the tall city walls. But all that changes when a mysterious cult storms Nubis, capturing everyone with the ability to protect it—including her parents, the rest of the umbra tamers, and their mystical, powerful creatures made of shadow and starlight. Now, Mia and her brother, Lucas, are the city’s only hope of survival, and Mia must learn to harness her umbra taming abilities to stand any chance of saving her city and rescuing her parents. If she can’t, she’ll lose her soul, and her family, to the Darkness forever.

'Enchanting and heart-lifting.' Sophie Anderson 'Bursts with glimmering magic.' Jasbinder Bilan 'A delight . . . funny, heartfelt and packed full of magic.' Abi Elphinstone 'Magical and empowering.' G M Linton 'A magical, cosy, spellbinding treat!' Kieran Larwood ' Utterly charming.' Lizzie Huxley-Jones 'The perfect mix of heart and magic.' Rachel Faturoti ' A heart warming read with a blast of magic!' Janelle McCurdy Alyssa must save the magical spell garden with her new unreliable powers. When 11-year-old Alyssa is forced to spend the summer holiday with her mum's family, who she's never met before, her latent magical powers explode into life. Her great aunt runs a secret magic school in her spell garden where local kids can hone their power. The garden grows magical spell ingredients that have protected their family and the wider neighbourhood for decades - ever since they arrived from Jamaica with their mother Effie in the 1960s. But something is going wrong and the magic is running out! Can Alyssa use her new, unpredictable magic to set things right? A contemporary fantasy set in a small community in North London facing eviction and gentrification with a magical garden at the centre of it. Stunningly illustrated by Bex Glendining.