Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit

Ista Flit has come to the mysterious town of Shelwich in search of her missing father and has to come to know it’s winding, mist-filled streets very well, after being tricked into stealing for one of the town’s most notorious residents. For the majority of residents in this world are born with a Tide-blessing or magic gift, some more powerful than others and Ista can adopt the appearance and face of any person she has ever come across, something that can be used for a multiple of reasons.

As the tide ebbs and flows, so do the Shelwich’s residents’ powers, but something strange is happening in the town, with many townsfolk mysteriously disappearing and it seems to be happening more frequently. When Ista meets Nat and Ruby who are also on their own searches, they must work together to uncover the mystery and save the town, but soon find themselves in much more trouble than they ever expected.

Author Harlow has created a unique and clever fantasy world populated by a host of interesting characters, with a plot that keeps you guessing from page to page and an exciting mystery to uncover from the many twists along the way. Full of dark magic, potential villains at every turn and a heart-racing quest, where the children constantly outwit the adults, Tidemagic is the perfect magical adventure story for all middle grade readers. As not everything is neatly concluded by the end of the book, there is hopefully another outing for Ista in store and I can’t wait to see what she does next.