The gang have been hunting for Isabella for weeks, but there’s no sign of her in the Unlands. They can’t even find the portal through to Annwn. And Vivi hasn’t told the rest of the gang about what happened with the villainous Arawn appearing in her dream. She definitely hasn't mentioned how scared she is to fall asleep, in case he reappears. Even Nimue has been quiet. As much as Vivi wants to hope that it’s all over, part of her knows it isn’t...
On Dara’s birthday, an invitation comes from their cousin Violet; come stay on Bardsey Island for a week, stay at their cottage, and celebrate Halloween. And bring all your friends! Vivi can’t refuse an opportunity to go back to Wales, and her friends are immediately excited for star-spotting, foraging, hiking, and just general adventuring. Little do they know, they are about to be thrown into a huge high-stakes treasure hunt, with the fate of the world resting on them (again). And Vivi’s feeling that Arawn is just waiting to reappear is only growing stronger...
An amazing range of characters, and lots of references to ancient myth and legend make this a thrilling adventure, with all the classic elements of a traditional quest story: challenge, danger, bravery, overcoming against the odds, etc, but set in modern, contemporary times with the benefit of a compelling and diverse set of characters that modern readers will easily be able to find affinity with (my favourite is Gelert!).
A brilliant second book in the series, which is going from strength to strength....I'm excited to see what the final instalment in the trilogy will bring!
About the author:
Lizzie Huxley-Jones (they/them) is an autistic author and editor based in London. They are the author of the queer holiday rom-com Make You Mine This Christmas (2022) from Hodder Books, the summer romance Hits Different co-written with Tasha Ghouri (2024) from Hot Key Books, and Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend (2023) from Knights Of. They write joyful stories that centre queerness and disability. They are the editor of Stim, an anthology of autistic authors and artists, which was published by Unbound in April 2020 to coincide with World Autism Awareness Week.
They are also the author of the children’s biography Sir David Attenborough: A Life Story (2020) and a contributor to the anthology Allies: Real Talk About Showing Up, Screwing Up, And Trying Again (2021).They also work with writers and publishers as a sensitivity reader and editorial consultant, and were an editor at independent micropublisher 3 of Cups Press. In their past career lives, they have been a research diver, a children’s bookseller and digital communications specialist. They tweet too much at @littlehux, taking breaks to walk their dog Nerys. They are represented by Abi Fellows of DHH Literary Agency.
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