Crow: Thief of Magic
Fiona Dixon
Harper Collins Children’s Books

Twelve year old Crow is a thief who barely makes a living working for the Reavers of the underworld, robbing the wealthy ruling class who live in the city. However, one day a seemingly mundane delivery takes him to a mysteriously quiet building wherein resides Viktor who says he’s a Dreamcatcher, a kind of sorcerer and he offers Crow a role as his assistant. Crow says he can’t accept but doesn’t forget the offer.

Then days later a planned heist goes horribly wrong, there’s a terrible fire and Crow is left alone, his friends gone and he’s nowhere to go except perhaps … the Dreamcatcher’s manor house. The Dreamcatcher discovers him asleep on his doorstep curled up with his cat, Nekima, takes him in and there, after drinking a herbal infusion, Crow falls asleep once more. Now Viktor is sure that this is the boy he’s been searching for, the one he wants for an apprentice.

At the start everything seems to be going well with the enigmatic Viktor who says among other things, that a Dreamcatcher has a responsibility to keep the balance between good and evil. But can this new master be trusted? Who is he really and what secrets is he hiding? What about the ghost that Crow keeps seeing. And what happens behind the door of the Nightmare Room? Then here’s the cat, Nekima, that the boy seems able to communicate with.

It’s not long before Crow learns of an ancient strain of nightmare magic that could devastate Stargard itself and everyone therein. With All Soul’s Eve fast approaching and the appearance of a new comet in the sky, Crow realises that he has to make a difficult decision: who can he really trust?

A thrilling, thought-provoking fantasy for older readers and a terrific debut novel for its author.