About this item
The year is 1779, and Carlo Morelli, the most renowned castrato singer in Europe, has been invited as an honored guest to Eszterhza Palace. With Carlo in Prince Nikolaus Esterhzy's carriage, ride a Prussian spy and one of the most notorious alchemists in the Habsburg Empire. Already at Eszterhza is Charlotte von Steinbeck, the very proper sister of Prince Nikolaus's mistress. Charlotte has retreated to the countryside to mourn her husband's death. Now, she must overcome the ingrained rules of her society in order to uncover the dangerous secrets lurking within the palace's golden walls. Music, magic, and blackmail mingle in a plot to assassinate the Habsburg Emperor and Empress--a plot that can only be stopped if Carlo and Charlotte can see through the masks worn by everyone they meet.
About the Author
Stephanie Burgis grew up in America but now lives in Wales with her husband (fellow writer Patrick Samphire) , their two young sons, and their extremely vocal tabby cat. In between those two points, she spent time playing in orchestras, studying music history in Vienna, and editing the website of an opera company in Leeds. She writes fun, funny MG fantasy adventures for kids and wildly romantic historical fantasy novels for adults.You can keep up with her new releases, read exclusive short stories and get sneak peeks at upcoming works by signing up to her newsletter: www.stephanieburgis.com/newsletterHer first book, A MOST IMPROPER MAGICK, won the 2011 Waverton Good Read Children's Award for Best Début Children's Novel by a British Author, and it was followed by two more novels and a novella ("Courting Magic") in the Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson series. Her book THE DRAGON WITH A CHOCOLATE HEART (published by Bloomsbury in the UK, Australia, the US and Canada) marked the beginning of a sparkling new chocolate-infused fantasy adventure series for children.She is also the author of a series of wildly romantic historical fantasy novellas for adults, THE HARWOOD SPELLBOOK (which begins with SNOWSPELLED) , as well as two full-length novels for adults, MASKS AND SHADOWS and CONGRESS OF SECRETS (published by Pyr Books in the US and Canada) , and she co-edited the anthology THE UNDERWATER BALLROOM SOCIETY. She has had over thirty short stories published in various magazines and anthologies.
