The House at the End of the Sea
Binding: Paperback
Imprint: Andersen Press
Age 9+
Fantasy & Magical Realism
Saffi discovers her family has a portal to fairyland, and a long, dark past of serving the Fairy Queen. Can she find the courage to break the spell that holds her family in the Queen's thrall?
Saffi doesn't want her new life, living with her dad, little brother and old-fashioned grandparents in their B&B by the sea. She is grieving for her mum and longs for things to go back to normal.
But this new home is anything but normal: the walls change colour, a face appears in the mirror, and the pantry is suddenly filled with fancy food. When a party of extraordinary visitors arrive at midnight, Saffi begins to realise that her family has a dark, magical secret. It will take all her bravery to discover the truth and find a way into another world ...
Creators
Victoria M. Adams spent her childhood between Cyprus, Canada, America and the UK, trying to achieve first place in the ‘Most Visas Acquired Before Age Eighteen’ sweepstakes. As an adult, she has carried on a nomadic family tradition by adding France and New Zealand to the mix, where she worked as an animator, copywriter, tutor and story coach, in no particular order. Somewhere along the way, she acquired a BA in Film and an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck College. She currently teaches Creative Writing at City Lit and shares her London home with two humans and a feckless cat.
Reviews
What a gorgeous story! The setting felt inventive, while leaning into traditional folktales. The family dynamic was complex and nuanced, but totally sympathetically done. I was gripped by the story and characters and raced through the final chapters. A brilliant book for young readers.
Set in a quiet English seaside town, this warm fantasy rises like a wave, with grief, family, and colonialism as backdrops to dangerous bargains with magic. Starring a brave young woman trying to both discover the truth and protect her younger brother, this delightful contemporary take on fairy legends also poses questions of how to recognize – and atone for – a troubled past.
Majestic, in the tradition of Garner and Cooper. A debut with real magic in its pages.
A delightfully eerie mystery that explores complicated family histories. A twisty tale of fairy folklore and what it means to stand betwixt and between.
The House at the End of the Sea has it all: characters to cheer for, worldbuilding that weaves together the fantastical and the everyday, and magic that is curious, double-edged, and fraught with consequence. Definitely a story that kept me reading!
