Sacrifice by Sarah Singleton

by Sarah Singleton

At the time of the Crusades, in the desert of North Africa, a band of knights received a lily from an angel to help them defeat their enemies in a holy war. But over the centuries, the lily's mysterious powers have warped and darkened, leaving madness and death in its wake.Now it is 1890 and Miranda, in Victorian London, is obliged to live with her cold grandparents when her mother is committed to an asylum. French Jacinth lives alone in a tower in a Bohemian forest, where she develops her magical talents, and Jack, who lives in Ireland, discovers a mysterious old man in an abandoned house. The three young people are connected, and only by combining forces can they turn around the curse that has befallen their families for generations.Each is linked to a descendant of the crusader knights - and each has a duty to unravel the mystery of the lily, which gave the knights such amazing powers. But another family is determined to retain the lily's power and influence - whatever the cost. The adventure takes them on a journey across Europe and North Africa as they try to find out the truth about the lily and bring about an end to the curse.

Genres: Fantasy

Paperback

First published April 1, 2007

About the author

Sarah Singleton was born in Thornbury in 1966. She was educated at the University of Nottingham and has travelled in Europe, India and Nepal. She has two daughters, Fuchsia and Poppy.

She worked as a reporter for local weekly newspapers, including the Wiltshire Gazette & Herald, before becoming a writer and freelance journalist in 2007. A novella, In The Mirror (Enigmatic Novellas #4), was reprinted by Cosmos Books in 2001. Her first novel (for adults), The Crow Maiden, was published by Cosmos in 2000 and was short-listed for the IAFA Crawford Award. She has had short stories published in various magazines and anthologies, including Black Static, QWF magazine, Enigmatic Tales and Interzone.

Reviews

[Evelina Bylund · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2,5*

[Reuben · Rating 1 out of 5]

i wanted to dnf this more times than i can count

[Vincent McKean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A,really good teen novel. Fast paced, good characterisation and an excellent plot.

[Stevie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very interesting read. I loved the diversity of the characters (particularly liked Jacinth) and the questions this story evoked about humanity...both it's cruelty and greed as well as it's love and sacrifice.

[Rachel]

Nominated for the Carnegie Medal (UK)