Welcome to the Witherward, and to a London that is not quite like our own. Here, it's summertime in February, the Underground is a cavern of wonders and magic fills the streets. But this London is a city divided, split between six rival magical factions, each with their own extraordinary talents - and the alpha of the Changelings, Gedeon Ravenswood, has gone rogue, threatening the fragile accords that hold the city together.
Ilsa is a shapeshifting Changeling who has spent the first seventeen years of her life marooned in the wrong London. Alone, she scratched out a living as a stage magician's assistant, dazzling audiences by using her Changeling talents to perform the impossible. When she's dragged through a portal into the Witherward, Ilsa finally feels like she belongs. Yet her new home is on the brink of civil war: pulled into the fray, Ilsa must use all the tricks up her sleeve simply to stay alive.
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Ilsa did not need to pick pockets anymore, but some people deserved it. 1
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(@TitanBooks, 16 February 2021, 421 pages, ebook, copy from the publisher via # NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed)
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This is a new author for me. The blurb made the book sound amazing and I really wanted to read. I couldn't wait to get lost in it. The book opens well, set in Victorian London focusing on a magician's assistant scraping a living. After this the book moves to a Parallel London plagued by warring magical factions. The transaction isn't as smooth as it could have been and it took a few pages for me to ground myself. I loved the historical detail and world building which really bring the book to life. The characters are all developed really well. I had a great time with Witherward. It's supposed to be the first in a series and I look forward to reading more.
