
Release date: 29th January 2026
Cover Art: Laura Tolton https://www.instagram.com/lauratoltonart/
Page count: 300 (approx.)
Age range: 10 -14 years
Genre: middle grade fantasy/upper middle grade fantasy
Book format: Ebook, paperback, hardback & audio book.
Internal illustrations by I Murphy I Murphy Art
Blurb
A grieving girl in need of a friend. A magical creature with a secret task. Can they end the ancient curse threatening their new home?
13-year-old Lianna has lost everything: her home, her friends, and most devastatingly, her beloved Papa. Sent to live with her uncle, Lianna is certain he will be cruel and unkind, for why else would Papa have run away when he was young? Robbed on arrival of her precious keepsakes, Lianna receives a worse-than-expected welcome from her uncle. His servants are hostile and even her grandparents seem to glare at her from their portraits over the fire.
When a magical creature resembling a small glass bird bursts into her life in a mix of sparks and fire, Lianna is eager to assist the hombit with its secret mission if it helps her return home. Which leads to Lianna undertaking a risky dive near perilous sea stacks known as ‘living rocks’.
When her dive goes wrong, she awakens a creature that wishes to rob her of her humanity.
To survive, Lianna must uncover the dark secrets of her father’s past. Now she faces a stark decision: does she save herself or the town that rejects both her and her father?
A story of the healing power of friendship when all seems lost.
About the Author

Valinora Troy is a Children’s Fantasy writer, living in Ireland. She has an MA in Creative Writing, specialising in Children’s & Young Adult Fiction. Her short stories for adults have been published in numerous publications. She has served as a panellist/judge in the CYBILS award, in the elementary/middle grade Speculative Fiction category. Valinora has recently been short-listed in The Staróg Prize and has been a Reading Ambassador for Louth Libraries. She is the author of The Lucky Diamond trilogy middle grade fantasy series. Find out more at www.Valinoratroy.com




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