The Book of the Dead

There’s a price to pay for magic. Whose blood will be shed?

For centuries, the Briar family has ruled the town of Silverton, protecting its inhabitants with their powers and spells, and earning their trust. Ordinarily, witches would be persecuted and burned, but the Church has granted them an exception because they guard the border with the neighbouring Darklands, from where there is a threat of attack by enemies who drink the blood of their victims.

Ellie Briar is troubled. She is the first in her family for centuries to be born without the ability to perform magic. She therefore becomes an excellent administrator of the town, and one of her many tasks is to ward off the perpetual threat from the Church. When her grandmother dies suddenly, the position of the Briar witch passes to Ellie's cousin, Audra. At her grandmother's funeral, Ellie suddenly discovers that she can see the dead of Silverton and speak to their ghosts. Thanks to her perceptiveness and intelligence, she gradually uncovers terrible family secrets and learns the truth about the burned witches, the lost spellbooks, and the crimes of many of the town's residents.

Like the other members of her family, Ellie knows full well that there’s a price to pay for magic, but the question is whose blood will be shed. A difficult decision awaits her—who among Silverton's living and dead she will choose to trust when their world is on the brink of destruction.