The Secret of the Moonshard - Struan Murray

Dominio has lived her whole life on a tiny island just off the mainland, in a laboratory with the Science Barons who have told her that she is allergic to magic.  However, when she discovers that everything she's been told is a lie, Domino escapes and heads to Abzalaymon, a city full of magic and wonder that holds the promise of a better future for her.  It doesn't take long for the Science Barons to follow her though, as they are determined to bring her back to the lab.  With a war brewing between science and magic, could Domino be the one who can save everyone?

Struan Murray became renowned for his world building in Orphans of the Tide and his skills are most definitely evident in The Secret Of The Moonshard. Abzalaymon is a city you will very quickly become immersed in, whether that's wandering the streets with Calvin, discovering the Diner or coming face to face with a thunder lizard, and I personally found myself reluctant to leave at the end of the book. 

Domino was somebody I adored from the very beginning: fiercely independent (some may say wild), she is a character who is full of anger and hatred (what she does to poor Mrs Honeywinkle is unthinkable) and seems determined to cause trouble wherever she goes.  Despite that though, there is something incredibly endearing about her and I found myself routing for her at every possible moment.  She makes the most unlikely of heroes and one who is adamant that her voice will be heard - I love that about her. 

With plot twists that will leave you speechless, The Secret Of The Moonshard is a deliciously dark and  epic page-turner of a book that you will find impossible to put down.  It's brilliantly original, utterly absorbing and the perfect combination of science and magic.   Publishing on the 7th March, this is a book that is begging to be pre-ordered.