A Hunger of Thorns

February 6, 2023
In the fictional country of Anglyon, magic has been tamed into cheap, government-approved products: glamours hide acne, and enchanted tea bags never oversteep. Though her ancestors were all powerful witches, and most people retain some innate abilities, 16-year-old Maude Jenkins’s magic mysteriously dried up four years ago, leaving her with what she believes is an inconsequential gift for storytelling. But when her former best friend Odette goes missing while searching for forbidden magic near an abandoned power plant that only Maude seems to remember exists, Maude realizes that her stories might be prophecies. To pursue Odette, Maude pieces together the connections between the adventure tales she spun for Odette as children, the stories that Maude tells herself about her own banal life, and the ancient magical lore her mother used to share. Flashbacks to the teens’ childhood, peppered throughout, reveal the convoluted history of their friendship, while a slow unraveling imparts sustained mystery and intrigue. Wilkinson offers plenty of tantalizing surprises in this tangled volume featuring complicated familial connections, dangerous secrets, and even more perilous obsessions. One of Maude’s grandmothers cues as Korean; Odette reads as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Katelyn Detweiler, Jill Grinberg Literary.

February 28, 2023
Lili Wilkinson’s new YA novel is a dark and twisting tale that draws on a history of persecution and celebrates the power of women, even as it interrogates society’s fear of it. Maude is a storyteller from a family of witches, in a world where witches have been bridled by a society that fears them even as they exploit their abilities. A misfit loner without any real powers, she mourns her childhood friendship with the quixotic Odette. When Odette disappears, Maude sees her chance to redeem their relationship, but venturing into the forbidden Sicklehurst will cost Maude more than she can imagine. Wilkinson has built a fascinating world one step sideways of the one we inhabit. Maude and her associates are clear individuals, drawn with pathos and a deep understanding of the psyche of young people, as we have come to expect from Wilkinson’s experienced hand. The setting itself feels very contemporary yet is inextricably underpinned by the trappings of magic intertwined with the 'real’. Hunger of Thorns is not only a story of women and their journey to power but also an allegorical exploration of the perils of industrialism and the destruction of the natural environment. The background of the world building is an intrinsic element of the book, contributing much to the tension and atmosphere of the story. Recommended for fans of Holly Black and Brigid Kemmerer, aged 14 and up.