Splinters of Scarlet

In 19th century Denmark, Merit has a secret. She\’s an orphan with the power of magic, which she fears to reveal due to exploitation. Those with magic can only use so much. If they dig too deep, the blood turns into ice in their veins, killing them. After watching her own sister die that way, Merit has vowed to only use her magic for emergencies. But when the orphan she loves like a sister, Eve, gets adopted by a wealthy ballet dancer, Merit can\’t bear to let her go alone. Instead, she uses her magic to impress the woman and get hired on at her home. The woman\’s husband owned the mine where Merit\’s father died, and she struggles with her conflicting feelings about the family, even as her past helps her discover the family\’s biggest secret. I liked the tension between having this wonderful power, but if you use it too much, even to save yourself or someone you love, you could die. That made this book a page turner. At its core, this book is about the love between sisters, though Merit and a fellow servant, Jakob, share some romantic moments. I loved how real the relationship between Merit and Evie felt, even as they dealt with challenges and misunderstandings. This book combined my two favorite genres – historical and fantasy – and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was super excited to get my hands on another book by Emily Bain Murphy, as I loved The Disappearancesthis one was another excellent read! (Both books are standalones, not part of a series.) It\’s a beautifully written fantasy, and it\’s a combination of so many of my favorite things (in short: imagine Downton Abbey + Frozen + ballet + royalty + mystery, all set in 1800s Denmark!)! I loved the main character, and particularly enjoyed the bond she had with Eve, who\’s slightly younger and like a sister to her. The cover art is gorgeous, too (relatedly, I loved the UK version\’s cover so much I ordered a copy through BookDepository in addition to this English version)! Can\’t wait to read whatever Emily writes next.

A dandy fantasy set in 1800\’s Denmark. Marit lost her mother, then her father and finally her sister, leaving her an orphan. Dad was killed in a mining accident, her sister succumbed to Firn, a residue that crystallizes the blood, then the entire body when a person uses too much magic. After she ages out of the orphanage, her focus is on doing whatever she can to protect Eve, a girl she befriended and loves like a sister. On the night Eve is adopted by a wealthy former orphan and ballerina, Marit manipulates a tear, then uses her seamstress magic to fix the woman\’s torn coat and asks for a job as her seamstress in return. That leads to her joining a large staff of servants in the Copenhagen manor owned by the woman. At first, there\’s resentment, even hostility from the other servants, but as she begins to fit in and start probing in an effort to discover whether her father\’s death was really an accident, bonding happens and the more she learns, the more dangerous things become for all who live there. It\’s a great plot with intriguing magic, plot twists and plenty of action, particularly toward the end. That conclusion is particularly masterful and makes this a perfect story for YA fantasy lovers.

I did not think it would be possible for my heart to be captured by a book again the singular way that is was done so by Emily\’s first novel, The Dissapearances, but Splinters of Scarlet did that and more! Magical backdrop, magical writing, magical story – I could not get enough and have since recommended it to two friends\’ daughters (age 12) and they both devoured it in a few days, just as I did! I can\’t wait for Emily\’s next novel!!!!

Emily Bain Murphy creates a believable yet unique world that is so beautifully described. You really feel like you are seeing and smelling the flowers and food as you read. Murphy is so creative in her story telling and the concept of this book is one-of-a-kind. Mystery and love, ballet and magic…what more could you want?!

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