Magic, mystery and darkness - a gripping fantasy adventure for lovers of Philip Pullman's Northern Lights. In this page-turning debut, one girl must figure out why she is the key to two worlds, before time itself falls under the control of the powerful and the greedy.

'This imaginative historical fantasy has something for everyone- mystery, magic, secrets, time snatchers, alternate worlds and more. Ginnane deftly combines well drawn characters, masterful world building and a highly original plot with family at its core for a thoroughly entertaining, insightful and satisfying read.' Reading Time

'Karen Ginnane's writing is deeply imaginative, and totally immersive.' Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of the Aurora Cycle series and The Illuminae Files

It's 1858, and there are two queens on the throne. Victoria reigns over London, the biggest city the world has ever known. But London has a secret shadow city, called Donlon, where another queen, the Green Witch, rules her own domain - time.

London is in turmoil. The Thames is at the height of the Great Stink; a blazing comet is searing the sky; technology is moving so fast it seems otherworldly; and the city is exploding with more people than it can hold. Darwin is about to publish his theory of evolution and humanity's very place in the world is in question. On top of all this, people are disappearing into thin air. If they return, it is with empty eyes and torn souls, never to be the same again. Ava, a fourteen-year-old Londoner, feels trapped by the limited life of a young Victorian woman and by her watchmaking apprenticeship with her father. Her predictable world is turned upside down when she discovers that the body in her mother's grave is not her mother, but a stranger.

When Ava goes in search of her real mother and her true identity, she is thrust into the dark world of Donlon and must fight a battle to save those she loves and the future of both worlds . . .