The Seventh Magpie
Sometimes you must give up what you value most
to gain what you want even more. A queen's disappearance. A priceless magical book. A lost love. A deadly mistake. Can Princess Catrin complete seven impossible tasks and regain all she's lost, or will the riddles of the seven Magpies cost her the only thing she still values?
Princess Catrin is just a child when her mother vanishes, leaving her a cryptic legacy: a priceless magical book and the warning that if Catrin ever loses it, she’ll surely die. But she is a young woman on the brink of a whole new life when, in a moment of defiance, she forgets that warning and triggers a catastrophe that shatters all her hopes. Stricken with grief and guilt, and seeking a way to correct her terrible mistake, Catrin risks everything on a dangerous bargain. Too late, she realizes just how much more she has to lose. With advice from a half-mad witch and help from companions she meets along the way, Catrin embarks on a desperate quest to defeat seven riddling Magpies—magical tricksters who can shapeshift into anything or anyone—and win back her book or face losing everything she holds dear. With each step the stakes get higher, and there are secrets she still doesn’t suspect. How much is Catrin willing to sacrifice to finally unmask the Seventh Magpie? A dark fairy tale of loss and renewal.
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Illustrations
The Seventh Magpie's glorious cover art and beautiful interior illustrations were all created by English mythic artist Katrina Sesum specifically for this book. The cover concept was my own, and the actual cover design and layout was done by Brian Leavitt.
Below is just a sampling of some of the visual delights awaiting inside.
Below is just a sampling of some of the visual delights awaiting inside.
Book Trailer
Reviews
“An irresistible dark fairytale. Captivating
and flawless.” Rebecca Tyndall, The Literary Connoisseur (Read full review here)
“A wonderful, heartbreaking, and ultimately rewarding tale. Remarkably different and fresh.” Satis, author of The Redemption of Erath (Read full review here) “Beautifully liquid prose. The ending [is] riveting and just right.” Lee S. Hawke, author of Division (Read full review here) “This is a storyteller’s magic at work. A rich tapestry of a world [instilled] with a vivid originality.” Nils Visser, author of Escape from Neverland (Read full review here) “A beguiling work that lures the reader in and locks at least a fragment of them away forever.” E.V. Greig, author of Blood and Ashes (Read full review here) “A lyrically-told fairy tale, poignant and bittersweet to the end.” Intisar Khanani, author of Thorn (Read full review here) “A bewitching, enchanting tale! If you enjoy thoughtful, evocative prose, magical quests, mysterious books and puzzles, then you'll love The Seventh Magpie.” Eldritch Black, author of The Book of Kindly Deaths (Read full review here) |