Yesterday Crumb and the Storm in a Teacup
Andy Sagar
Orion

Born with fox ears, and nothing of her own except The Pocket Book of Faeries bearing her name found by her side, Yesterday Crumb has spent the first part of her life trapped in a cage, a curiosity for visitors to the travelling circus.

Then one day, with the aid of a raven familiar she escapes, having first learned that she’s actually a witch herself, albeit now without her magic; but she meets the sinister Mr Weep, demon in charge of the world of the Dead and he puts a shard of ice into her heart. Happily though she is then taken in by Miss Dumpling, a tea witch who runs the magical tea shop with legs, Dwimmerly End, where the raven familiar and a boy with a wolf’s nose also dwell. However unless she can remove that shard of ice before the winter solstice just a month away, Yesterday’s blissful new existence with its sense of belonging as a trainee witch will be very short-lived.

Meanwhile that new nurturing learning environment with its fantastical customers, flying teapot turtle Pascal and magic in every teacup, along with supportive Miss Dumpling’s ‘where there’s a witch there’s a way” attitude, Yesterday begins to believe in the possibility of finding the all important spell ingredient needed to break that curse of the shard. Before that she has to face a visit from the College of Witches and the test on her magic skills; that and learn to deal with her anger.

Both wonderfully whimsical and sometimes, surprisingly spooky and sinister, this is a truly spellbinding adventure quest and there’s a twist in its tail. With a touch of genius Andy Sagar has created a wonderful world full of teapots, tea and brewing, not to mention scrumptious cakes and a little coffee, as well as a cast of amazing characters, (and the occasional rogue) to populate it. Prepare to be swept away; it’s absolutely superb and I can’t wait for the next brew.