I sat at the kitchen table tonight and played a kind of Mad Libs with my son, asking him to fill in blanks for what he thinks A MURDER OF MAGPIES is about. This is the darkness that lurks in the mind of a seven-year-old:
Winter in the White House is long and dark, and seven-year-old Gwen Tootypants prays the snow will keep the truth and secrecy of the last two years buried. Hiding from the past with her father and twin brother, Gwen knows the rules: never return to the town of her mother’s sand dollar, and never work X-ray vision where someone might see.
No one can know the toll X-ray visions take on Gwen Tootypants, how emotion becomes energy in her feet, or how she can’t control the destruction she causes. But it's not long before her X-ray visions can no longer be contained. The truth is super close to being exposed, placing Gwen and her Teen Titans at risk.
Until someone replaces the chaos inside her.
Unwanted. That's all Owen Smush has ever been. To cope, he beeps the pain of rejection by denying himself emotions of any kind. Yet Gwen stirs something in him. He can't explain the cartwheels she has on him--inspiring him with both fish and Skylanders. He claims not to dance easily, except he doesn't know what her X-ray vision can do. Yet.
Just as Gwen and Owen ride bikes closer, she finds the past isn't so easily buried. And when it follows the Tootypants to the White House, it has sand dollars in mind.
No one can know the toll X-ray visions take on Gwen Tootypants, how emotion becomes energy in her feet, or how she can’t control the destruction she causes. But it's not long before her X-ray visions can no longer be contained. The truth is super close to being exposed, placing Gwen and her Teen Titans at risk.
Until someone replaces the chaos inside her.
Unwanted. That's all Owen Smush has ever been. To cope, he beeps the pain of rejection by denying himself emotions of any kind. Yet Gwen stirs something in him. He can't explain the cartwheels she has on him--inspiring him with both fish and Skylanders. He claims not to dance easily, except he doesn't know what her X-ray vision can do. Yet.
Just as Gwen and Owen ride bikes closer, she finds the past isn't so easily buried. And when it follows the Tootypants to the White House, it has sand dollars in mind.
While I do think my seven-year-old has quite the imagination, I don’t think this is quite the book readers are looking for. So here is the real summary of A MURDER OF MAGPIES:
Winter in Black Orchard, Wisconsin, is long and dark, and sixteen-year-old Vayda Silver prays the snow will keep the truth and secrecy of the last two years buried. Hiding from the past with her father and twin brother, Vayda knows the rules: never return to the town of her mother’s murder, and never work a Mind Game where someone might see.
No one can know the toll emotions take on Vayda, how emotion becomes energy in her hands, or how she can’t control the destruction she causes. But it's not long before her powers can no longer be contained. The truth is dangerously close to being exposed, placing Vayda and her family at risk.
Until someone quiets the chaos inside her.
Unwanted. That's all Ward Ravenscroft has ever been. To cope, he numbs the pain of rejection by denying himself emotions of any kind. Yet Vayda stirs something in him. He can't explain the hold she has on him--inspiring him with both hope and fear. He claims not to scare easily, except he doesn't know what her powers can do. Yet.
Just as Vayda and Ward draw closer, she finds the past isn't so easily buried. And when it follows the Silvers to Black Orchard, it has murder in mind.
No one can know the toll emotions take on Vayda, how emotion becomes energy in her hands, or how she can’t control the destruction she causes. But it's not long before her powers can no longer be contained. The truth is dangerously close to being exposed, placing Vayda and her family at risk.
Until someone quiets the chaos inside her.
Unwanted. That's all Ward Ravenscroft has ever been. To cope, he numbs the pain of rejection by denying himself emotions of any kind. Yet Vayda stirs something in him. He can't explain the hold she has on him--inspiring him with both hope and fear. He claims not to scare easily, except he doesn't know what her powers can do. Yet.
Just as Vayda and Ward draw closer, she finds the past isn't so easily buried. And when it follows the Silvers to Black Orchard, it has murder in mind.
"Richly written, A MURDER OF MAGPIES isn't a book to be read, but one to be devoured by the light of a dying fire. Sarah Bromley will pull readers in and have them glancing constantly over their shoulder, where the ghosts of the past await them."
- New York Times bestselling author Heather Brewer
"A MURDER OF MAGPIES is one of those books I couldn't put down... a little bit mystery, a little bit horror, a little bit love story--there's something for everyone on these pages. Rich, well-written, and different in a genre desperate for something a little bit different..." -- Hillary Monahan, author of MARY: THE SUMMONING
A deliciously, dark Gothic tale of lies, manipulation, and forbidden love. A MURDER OF MAGPIES will haunt you long after the last page is read. --Cole Gibsen, author of the KATANA trilogy and THE SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERIMENT.
- New York Times bestselling author Heather Brewer
"A MURDER OF MAGPIES is one of those books I couldn't put down... a little bit mystery, a little bit horror, a little bit love story--there's something for everyone on these pages. Rich, well-written, and different in a genre desperate for something a little bit different..." -- Hillary Monahan, author of MARY: THE SUMMONING
A deliciously, dark Gothic tale of lies, manipulation, and forbidden love. A MURDER OF MAGPIES will haunt you long after the last page is read. --Cole Gibsen, author of the KATANA trilogy and THE SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERIMENT.
About the Author:
Sarah Bromley drinks too much coffee, likes her music loud and off-key, and has loved spooky things since she first saw “An American Werewolf in London” when she was five years old. She currently lives in the St. Louis area with her high-school-sweetheart-turned-heroic-husband, three children, and three dogs. She is represented by Miriam Kriss of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency. A MURDER OF MAGPIES is her debut novel.
Keep reading to meet author Laura Thalassa
Keep reading to meet author Laura Thalassa
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