Traitors' Nest

Discover Traitors' Nest, the spellbinding fantasy from award-winning Frances Hardinge, author of The Lie Tree. Perfect for fans of Naomi Novik, Laini Taylor, Ava Reid and Erin Morgenstern.



Castles traded places sometimes. Everyone knew that. It was always something that might happen, except that it never had.

Until all of a sudden it did.

Far above the valleys and villages of the Kingdom of Thaletal, a Great Game is played. Players move castles around the realm like chess pieces - and the ordinary villagers are mere pawns at the whim of their tactics.

When 15-year-old Burr's peaceful village is disrupted by the arrival of an ominous new castle, he decides he's had enough. But what starts as a plucky coup soon escalates - and soon the castle is wrenched away to a far-flung corner of the kingdom, where whispers mount of a mysterious ancient maiden whose magpies collect her debts at dangerous prices.

Here, the stakes are higher than the tallest turrets, and every move counts. Burr must work with his sisters and friends - and rely on the unexpected help of a strange and intriguing heiress - to unravel the secrets of the Magpie Maiden and the origins of the Great Game before he becomes just another casualty of the Players' deadly contest.

Review

An epic, multi- layered, totally engrossing, medieval inspired fantasy, that combines the magic of Diana Wynne Jones, the mythmaking of Alan Garner, the world building of Patrick Ness and the philosophical depth of Philip Pullman. -- LoveReading

Absorbing, thought-provoking and full of twists that will keep fans gripped ― Daily Mail

Humane, complex and inimitably inventive, this magnificent 12+ fantasy is yet another barnstormer from the Costa-winning Hardinge -- The Guardian

Unique world building and quirky, complex characters propel a thrilling story of power and morality -- The Observer

Wildly inventive worldbuilding, gentle humor, and indomitable, kindhearted characters . . . a joy from start to finish. ― Publishers Weekly

Layered and lush; an expertly woven tapestry. ― Kirkus

Frances Hardinge... has pulled off a wildly inventive trick in this unusual and ambitious fantasy...
the writing is sensational

― The Times' Children's Book of the Week

About the Author

Frances Hardinge spent a large part of her childhood in a huge old house that inspired her to write strange stories from an early age. She read English at Oxford University, then got a job at a software company. However, a few years later a persistent friend finally managed to bully Frances into sending a few chapters of Fly By Night, her first children's novel, to a publisher. Macmillan made her an immediate offer. The book went on to publish to huge critical acclaim and win the Branford Boase First Novel Award. She has since written many highly acclaimed children's novels including, Fly By Night's sequel, Twilight Robbery, as well as the Carnegie shortlisted Cuckoo Song and the Costa Book of the Year winner, The Lie Tree.