Publishers Weekly
11/07/2022
The Craft gets a Gen Z update in Thomas’s uneven contemporary fantasy debut, the first in the Language of Magic series. Anna Everdell, 16, has lived with her abusive aunt Vivienne ever since her father killed her mother and then himself in a crime of passion. Vivienne, who believes magic is sinful, wants Anna to become a Binder like her, a witch who ties up her magic in a knotted cord that will strangle the wearer if she tries to use it. But when new-girl-at-school Effie invites Anna to join her coven, social “nobody” Anna can’t resist having friends for the first time. The coven fractures, however, when a curse against the school’s mean-girl clique goes too far, and secrets from Anna’s and Effie’s pasts threaten their futures. While the different types of witchcraft are fascinating, the prose is uneven, and the plot drags in the school sections. The ending is especially frustrating, leaving so many mysteries unsolved that it reads less like a cliffhanger and more like Thomas just stopped writing. It will successfully get readers invested in book two, but at a steep cost to the present volume. Still, Thomas’s dark supernatural teen drama has promise. Readers will hope she finds surer footing in the next installment. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
‘An enthralling and original fantasy, woven inside a magical web of lies’Jay Kristoff, Sunday Times bestselling author of NEVERNIGHT and EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE
‘The magic both gleams and threatens. There are riddles and puzzles to be solved and there’s a library – trust me, it’s a good one. You’ll want to give this a try.’Sunday Times bestselling author Robin Hobb
‘In this beautiful coming-of-age book, Thomas tackles big issues, family secrets and heartbreak in a brilliantly imagined, yet authentic world.’Woman’s Weekly
‘There’s magic in every nook and cranny – as well as shops selling memories – in this fantastical novel that stalks the streets of London’s underbelly’METRO
‘A bewitching tale of magic, family secrets and twisted affections, of finding your true self in a world of treacherous mystery. Prepare to be charmed!’David Wragg, author of THE BLACK HAWKS
‘THREADNEEDLE had me spellbound – a luminous, captivating fantasy that left me longing to return to Thomas’s vividly imagined magical world. With teen witches, hidden libraries, secrets and lies, it’s a dream of a book, and I loved it.’Katie Lowe, author of THE FURIES
‘The first in a new fantasy trilogy, Anna's aunt has always warned her of the dangers of magic and now, aged 16, she is counting down the days to a ceremony that will bind her magic forever. That is, until her eyes are opened to a London she never knew existed one with a shop that sells memories, a secret underground library and nightclubs full of magic.’Woman Magazine
‘An enthralling and inventive story you’ll enjoy getting lost in’Woman & Home
Library Journal
12/01/2022
DEBUT Anna was born into a family of witches, but was orphaned as a baby and raised by her Aunt Vivenne. Vivienne belongs to a coven known as the Binders, who believe that magic is a sin and must be controlled and bound, lest it draw the attention of the Hunters—who have tracked and killed witches for centuries. Vivienne trains Anna to follow in her footsteps as a Binder, and her fanatical protectiveness ultimately becomes abusive. Anna has mostly resigned herself to this fate, but when her mother's friend Selene, along with her daughter Effie and her friend Attis, arrive they cause Anna to question everything—and to change all of their lives forever. The joy and wonder of magic, including an enchanting world of magical places concealed from humans, is tempered with the horror of the consequences of its misuse. That coupled with the trials of high school, full of bullies and cliques, makes this story fascinating but dark. VERDICT Already a bestseller in the UK, Thomas launches an engrossing, magic-filled series that follows the coming-of-age of a witch against the backdrop of modern London.—Melissa DeWild
