AustLit

'Which is more dangerous - a future you can't see - or one that you can?

'London, 1913

'Twelve-year-old Maud Mulligan knows there's no future for her in London, in the rat-infested slum where she grew up. But in the tunnel under the river are fortune tellers, Seers, who will tell your fortune for a few pennies. And then there is Mr Mandalay, Seer to the king and anyone else rich enough to afford him.

'When Mr Mandalay sees Maud in a foretelling for a wealthy factory heiress, she believes Maud can save her family from financial ruin. But how? And why?

'In a world shaken by suffragettes, scientists, and the threat of war, what could a girl like Maud do to change anyone's future - or even her own?' (Publication summary)

'Cara has grown up in the shadow of the Wall, in a closed world of food shortages and high security. Her parents are dedicated to their secret work for the government, and it’s only a matter of time before her gifted younger sister, Lilith, follows in their footsteps.

'It’s all Cara has ever known, until she meets siblings Ava and Leon. Bold, adventurous Ava doesn’t care for rules or forbidden territory – but she does care for Cara. Together the three children escape each day to the green and summery world of the canal, a lost paradise that runs through the city. Then one day Ava questions the government’s authority, and Cara makes a choice that she might regret forever.' (Source: Author's website)