The Midnight Game

A young-adult fantasy novel by Cecilia Dart-Thornton When red-haired Alizarin Hall leaves the city to join her brother far away in the countryside, she has no idea what extraordinary adventures she will encounter. The isolated seaside town of Port Angel, seemingly locked in a nineteenth century time-stasis, harbours secrets beyond imagining. Dark are the clothes of the populace, as if they dwell perpetually in mourning. Dark are their superstitions and mysteries - in particular the mysteries surrounding the wealthy Devlin clan, whose chieftain is a young man so handsome that beholding him is like falling under a spell. But why do the villagers dread the coming of the winter solstice? And why do they bedeck their houses with charms to ward off evil? As the first tendrils of evening mist glide across the lake, and the sea birds give their piping calls from the dunes, Alizarin discovers something incredible. And the bells begin to toll for the Midnight Game…