Star Locket

Ostermark #2

by Natalie Jane Prior

"One of you is Esther Trier's daughter," said Anna quietly. "The other is a magical copy. She is flesh and blood, she lives, she thinks, she breathes - but when the star locket is rejoined or destroyed, she will simply cease to exist." Identical in appearance, yet raised as strangers on opposite sidesof the world, Estee Merton and Sally Taverner share a perilous inheritance: a broken half of a mysterious star-shaped locket, a magical talisman that could control the destiny of millions. Aided by a renegade secret society and a young man who loves one of them too much, Sally and Estee are drawn into a terrifying struggle on the murky streets of nineteenth-century Starberg. As torn loyalties threaten everyone's safety, the star locket is fated to decide which twin will live and which will be lost. The problem is, there is no way of telling who is real and who is not. A COMPANION NOVEL TO Fireworks and Darkness

Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Family, Childrens, Adventure

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Prior was born in 1963 in Brisbane, Australia, where she also currently lives with her husband and daughter. Her first fiction book, 'The Amazing Adventures of Amabel', was published in 1990 and her internationally successful children's fantasy series, 'Lily Quench', has been published in more than twenty countries. Prior's work has been a finalist at the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards as well as being honoured and named as notable. Her work, 'Fireworks and Darkness', won the 2003 Davitt Awards for best young-adult novel and her work, 'Lily Quench and the Lighthouse of Skellig Mor' won the 2003 Aurealis Award for best children's short fiction. She has also been nominated for an Aurealis Award on three other occasions for best short fiction, long fiction and young-adult novel.

Reviews

[Hollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was a teenager, when it first came out, and reading it again as an adult, I know why my younger self never forgot about this. This story has both hope and sadness, and reading about Sally and Estee, and Esther, I can feel the pain they went through. I love this book and I doubt I will ever forget about it.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great concept, a book full of original ideas. I especially loved the idea of magic having a particular, evil-smelling scent.

[Corina Lilith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could barely finish it. Interesting idea, bad execution.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this - it looked like it was going to be a kinda fluffy younger sort of fantasy from the cover, but then it was a lot darker and not as young as expected. And I loved the ending- I was so certain they were going to find some happily ever after kind of work around, to have both girls survive and we'd never know who was the copy. And then nope, they join the locked and Estee just winks out of existence! And doesn't come back either. I mean obvs that was sad, but I like that the author didn't shy away from having a devastating outcome.

[alex 🐏 · Rating 4 out of 5]

when i first approached this book, it struck me almost suddenly in how it ended. there’s a sense of confidence to be gained by readers in a premise such as this - surely there is a way to save both of girls, surely it doesn’t end as it is foreshadowed. and yet it does.

i read this many years ago but i still think about it although the details are a bit hazy! perhaps that is a testament to the intricacies of the plot.

[Cutesy Nay · Rating 3 out of 5]

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