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 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 seeks to rob her of her humanity.
To survive, Lianna must uncover the dark secrets of her father’s past. Now she faces a stark does she save herself or the town that rejects both her and her father?
To survive, Lianna must uncover the dark secrets of her father’s past. Now she faces a stark does she save herself or the town that rejects both her and her father?
A heart-warming story of the healing power of friendship when all seems lost.
Middle Grade | Fantasy
29 January 2026
238 Pages
Valinora Troy is a children’s fantasy and horror writer from Ireland. She has a MA in Creative Writing, specialising in writing for children and young adults. She has acted as a panellist for the CYBILS awards in the middle grade speculative fiction category and served as a Reading Ambassador for Louth Libraries. Her short stories for adults have appeared in numerous publications. She is the author of The Lucky Diamond trilogy, a middle grade children’s fantasy adventure series. In 2023 she was short-listed for the Staróg Prize. When not writing, she loves visiting schools and libraries to talk to children about books and writing.
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