Arkspire (Arkspire, 1)

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Soon Juni, Cinder and everyone she loves are pulled into an extraordinary world of magic, power and prestige - but also grave danger. It seems the world Juni thought she knew is nothing but a lie - and now only Juniper and Cinder can bring it down. welcome to the world of Arkspire. Arkspire is a city obsessed by magic. The five Arcanists - a group of all-powerful magicians - have protected the great city for as long as anyone can remember. Within the hustle and bustle of these cobbled streets lives Juniper Bell, a thief who'd do anything for her family - even her unbelievably annoying sister, Elodie. Then one night, something incredible happens. A mysterious stolen relic (nothing to do with Juni, ahem...) explodes, revealing a mysterious creature, Cinder - who appears to 'bond' with Juni. Arkspire is a city obsessed by magic. The five Arcanists - a group of all-powerful magicians - have protected the great city for as long as anyone can remember. Within the hustle and bustle of these cobbled streets lives Juniper Bell, a thief who'd do anything for her family - even her unbelievably annoying sister, Elodie. The story is absolutely captivating and I have already marked my calendar for next July to see where he will take us with the next installment of Arkspire.

Welcome to the world of Arkspire. Arkspire is a city obsessed by magic. The five Arcanists – a group of all-powerful magicians – have protected the great city for as long as anyone can remember. Within the hustle and bustle of these cobbled streets lives Juniper Bell, a thief who’d do anything for her family – even her unbelievably annoying sister, Elodie. Then one night, something incredible happens. A mysterious stolen relic (nothing to do with Juni, ahem…) explodes, revealing a mysterious creature, Igna – who appears to ‘bond’ with Juni. A triumph . . . The magic is mesmerising, the humour masterful and the adventure magnificent.' A. F. Steadman, bestselling author of Skandar and the Unicorn ThiefThen one night, something incredible happens. A mysterious stolen relic (nothing to do with Juni, ahem…) explodes, revealing a mysterious creature, Cinder – who appears to ‘bond’ with Juni. The only creatures like that are allegedly dangerous enemies of the Arcanists . . . and it’s not long before they turn their attention to Juni. Some of that awkwardness is unfortunately a bit too keen to build up in the middle quarter, where the book loses some drive, and introduces a character only worth disliking – happily they aren't nearly as prominent as I feared. This is married to an effort to show the socialist side of this story, the complaint of the heroine Juniper and all those like her, about life in the undercity. Let's just say this carries through into the final third in a way so much better than it might have been done by lesser hands. If your child is at one of the schools, please DO NOT select any postage as the books are delivered to the schools on the day. It seems the world Juni thought she knew is nothing but a lie – and now only Juniper and Cinder can bring it down.

And so I am beyond thrilled to be able to continue to tell stories, especially with Puffin Books, who’ve given me the most enthusiastic, caring publishing home. Arkspire is a very different world to Frostheart and yet in many ways it’ll feel familiar to readers of Frostheart for it’s a world of adventure, excitement and monsters. It’s a very personal story to me, one of two inseparable siblings who grow up to take very different paths in life and must search for the connections that still bind them. With the wizard-like editorial guidance of Naomi Colthurst and the passionate team at Puffin, Arkspire couldn’t be in better hands.”A triumph…the magic is mesmerising, the humour masterful and the adventure magnificent’ – A. F. Steadman, bestselling author of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief Littler is an expert at pushing reluctant readers from one chapter to the next via strategic cliffhangers and this freezing world should warm the hearts of young readers' - The Times

A thrilling adventure and astonishingly illustrated new fantasy series, from the bestselling author of Frostheart. Two sisters, Juniper and Elodie, born fifteen minutes apart, are growing to be chalk and cheese. Juniper is an eager hunter and trader in illicit magic, including relics from prior major wars left out in the Badlands. Elodie is intent on getting closer to power in one of the religious districts of Arkspire, perhaps even to become the child in line to inherit the power of the Watcher, the closest to a ruler the district has, and one of the five major victors in said earlier war. Being trained in the magic that only five people can use would definitely change the status of the whole family. But in finding something oddly magical, Juniper might just be able to gain some power of her own – for good, or for very, very bad… Within the hustle and bustle of these cobbled streets lives Juniper Bell, a thief who’d do anything for her family – even her unbelievably annoying sister, Elodie. Juni and her family live in the area called the Dregs, which is controlled by the Watcher, only no one has seen this person for many years. As time grows near for a potential replacement to be chosen, strange things start happening in the city of Arkspire. Magic seems to be getting free and Juni finds that an artefact that she has ‘liberated’ suddenly explodes and she becomes linked to the creature that is released from its prison. What follows is a desperate attempt to uncover the hidden agendas of the Arcanists, whilst also trying to save Juni’s sister from possibly being chosen as a replacement.

A hilarious and astonishingly illustrated new fantasy series, from the bestselling author of Frostheart. About This Edition ISBN: A triumph . . . The magic is mesmerising, the humour masterful and the adventure magnificent.' - A. F. Steadman, bestselling author of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief The five Arcanists – a group of all-powerful magicians – have protected the great city for as long as anyone can remember. The only creatures like that are allegedly dangerous enemies of the Arcanists . . . and it’s not long before they turn their attention to Juni. Soon Juni, Igna and everyone she loves are pulled into an extraordinary world of magic, power and prestige – but also grave danger. It seems the world Juni thought she knew is nothing but a lie – and now only Juniper and Igna can bring it down. There is a touch of the steampunk about this, giving it something straighter fantasies don't always have. That said there is an ageless magical ability too, controlled by a few for the benefit of the many, and a class system yet to deliver from its lower ranks anyone to be one of the few. Principal, however, in reading this is a boundless energy that makes it seriously worth your attention.

If you enjoyed his Frostheart then you will love this book. I found this book to have many more moments of some lighthearted comedy while still not losing those sweet tender moments you can to love in Frostheart. His mix of the two truly make for some great moments between his characters. Colthurst added: “Jamie is one of the most exciting author-illustrators working in the UK, and we are absolutely delighted to be launching another fantastic fantasy adventure series with him. Jamie’s brilliantly funny stories are always incredibly child-focused, with unforgettable characters, extraordinary world-building, and a pace that never lets up. Then one night, something incredible happens. A mysterious stolen relic (nothing to do with Juni, ahem...) explodes, revealing a mysterious creature, Cinder - who appears to 'bond' with Juni. The only creatures like that are allegedly dangerous enemies of the Arcanists . . . and its not long before they turn their attention to Juni. Arkspire is a city obsessed by magic. The five Arcanists – a group of all-powerful magicians – have protected the great city for as long as anyone can remember. The publisher said the epic adventure would introduce young readers to a new fantasy world and cast of characters centred around the magical and mysterious city of Arkspire.The heroine, Juniper Bell, is wonderfully feisty and creative and the book is peopled with vivid characters. Arkspire, the city setting for the story, is a richly imagined world, with real social divides and class issues that ring true for the present day. The magic is both scary and fantastic and the reader sees the glamour fall away from Juniper’s eyes and experience her new understanding that the way things are is not necessarily the way they should be. The heroine is flawed, she argues with her sister and does not always do the right thing. She challenges authority and the ‘religion’ of the city and that is why the reader is drawn to her. The love/hate relationship between siblings was well observed. Arkspire is a city obsessed by magic. The five Arcanists - a group of all-powerful magicians - have protected the great city for as long as anyone can remember. Within the hustle and bustle of these cobbled streets lives Juniper Bell, a thief who'd do anything for her family - even her unbelievably annoying sister.