Glassheart

This dark, magical fantasy novel makes perfect reading for a cold winter’s night, as it tells the story of Nona, orphaned in WW11, and her adopted uncle who travel to the wilds of Dartmoor to restore the stained-glass windows of a ruined church. In this remote landscape Nona discovers a powerful wild magic, mysterious spirit creatures and a dangerous foe, the sinister Soldier. Nona is both vulnerable and courageous and draws on her own inner strength and newly discovered magical power to battle the disturbing Soldier and his terrifying army of skeletal Rattlesticks.

This novel has a strong folkloric tone and the recurring imagery of glass, with its combination of strength and fragility, is powerful. Themes of grief, loss, love, healing, and restoration combine with the supernatural fantasy elements to create an atmospheric, imaginative, and intriguing read.