Tower of Thorns

Award-winning author Juliet Marillier's "lavishly detailed"(Publishers Weekly) Blackthorn & Grim series continues as a mysterious creature holds ancient Ireland in thrall... Disillusioned healer Blackthorn and her companion, Grim, have settled in Dalriada to wait out the seven years of Blackthorn's bond to her fey mentor, hoping to avoid any dire challenges. But trouble has a way of seeking them out. A noblewoman asks for the prince of Dalriada's help in expelling a creature who threatens the safety and sanity of all who live nearby from an old tower on her land-one surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of thorns. With no ready solutions to offer, the prince consults Blackthorn and Grim. As Blackthorn and Grim put the pieces of this puzzle together, it's apparent that a powerful adversary is working behind the scenes. Their quest soon becomes a life-and-death struggle-a conflict in which even the closest of friends can find themselves on opposite sides.

Juliet Marillier is the author of the Sevenwaters series and the Blackthorn & Grim novels. Her historical fantasy novels and short stories are published internationally and have won a number of awards. She was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, a town with strong Scottish roots. She graduated from the University of Otago with degrees in languages and music, and has had a varied career that includes teaching and performing music as well as working in government agencies. Juliet now lives in a hundred-year-old cottage near the river in Perth, Western Australia, where she writes full-time. She is a member of the druid order OBOD. Juliet shares her home with a small pack of waifs and strays.