u003cpu003eAN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERu003c/pu003e u003cpu003eA KIRKUS BEST BOOKu003c/pu003e u003cpu003eA USA TODAY BESTSELLERu003c/pu003e u003cpu003eA NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLERu003c/pu003e u003cpu003e"A bone-chilling standalone . . . which fuses Shirley Jackson's gothic horror sensibilities with the warmth and dark whimsy of Neil Gaiman."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)u003c/pu003e u003cpu003e"Gripping worldbuilding, well-rounded characters, and fantastic horror."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)u003c/pu003e u003cpu003e"Unsettling and intriguing."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)u003c/pu003e u003cpu003eEverything casts a shadow. Even the world we live in. And as with every shadow, there is a place where it must touch. A seam, where the shadow meets its source.u003c/pu003e u003cpu003e#1 New York Times-bestselling author V. E. Schwab weaves a dark and original tale about the place where the world meets its shadow, and the young woman beckoned by both sides. The Secret Garden meets Crimson Peak in this stand-alone novel perfect for readers of Holly Black and Neil Gaiman.u003c/pu003e u003cpu003eOlivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for Girls, and all she has of her past is her mother's journal--which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home; it doesn't matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile, or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.u003c/pu003e u003cpu003eOlivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant--but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules over all. Now Olivia sees what has unraveled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from.u003c/pu003e u003cpu003eOlivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?u003c/pu003e u003cpu003eNew York Times-bestselling author V. E. Schwab crafts a vivid and lush novel that grapples with the demons that are often locked behind closed doors. An eerie, stand-alone saga about life, death, and the young woman beckoned by both. Readers of Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, Melissa Albert, and Garth Nix will quickly lose themselves in this novel with crossover appeal for all ages.u003c/pu003e
