1882. North of Edinburgh, on the edge of an isolated loch, lies an institution of crumbling stone, where a strange doctor collects orphans with unusual abilities.
In London, two children with such powers are hunted by a figure of darkness a man made of smoke. Charlie Ovid discovers a gift for healing himself through a brutal upbringing in Mississippi, while Marlowe, a foundling from a railway freight, glows with a strange bluish light. When two grizzled detectives are recruited to escort them north to safety, they are confronted by a sinister, dangerous force that threatens to upend the world as they know it. What follows is a journey from the gaslit streets of London to the lochs of Scotland, where other gifted children the Talents have been gathered at Cairndale Institute, and the realms of the dead and the living collide. As secrets within the Institute unfurl, Marlowe, Charlie and the rest of the Talents will discover the truth about their abilities and the nature of the force that is stalking them: that the worst monsters sometimes come bearing the sweetest gifts.
ISBN 9781526650078
'Cat didn't notice a shadow slinking into the room and leaning in closer ... as if it were listening.'
When Cat finds out that her cool new neighbour, Dr Becca Ryan, is a witch, she's fascinated. Cat already loves magic - she has The Sight - and she's sure she can learn loads from Becca. But Cat has other things on her mind - her mum has a boyfriend and Cat's not happy. When she turns to Becca for advice, she gets more than she bargained for. Cat and her friend Shane are sent off on a perilous quest for an ancient harp that, when played, can influence the thoughts of anyone who hears it - and it seems like Cat will go to any lengths to find it. As they face shape-shifting wolves, demons and magic on the island of Hy-Brasil, Cat and Shane learn many things about themselves - and prepare to battle an ancient and terrifying power.