King of Dead Things

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Magical contemporary London. Two lives about to collide. A journey of self-discovery.

For fans of dark fantasy like Cemetery Boys, Noughts and Crosses and Threads that Bind from major new YA talent Jamaican British author Nevin Holness


The first time Eli had tried taking magic that wasn’t his, it had wrapped around his palms like razor wire, tight enough that he’d needed stitches. Since then, Eli had bled magic from a soul enough times that he knew the rhythm of it. He knew what kinds of magic to stay away from and which he could upsell, which would get stuck beneath his fingernails and which would crumble and turn to ash if he held on too tightly.

Eli doesn't know who he is or where he came from. What he does know is that he can pluck the magic from a soul like a petal from a flower. And he knows there is nothing he wouldn't borrow, steal or destroy in order to discover his past.

Malcolm knows he can raise the dead with a wave of his hand but all he really wants is to be able to save his mother.

When Eli is sent to track down the legendary fang of the leopard god Osebo, he finds himself entangled with an old and ancient power. Forced to team up, Malcolm and Eli must weave through the cracks of London, unearthing magic that should have stayed buried.

Until finally, they face a power greater than either of them could have imagined: the daughter of Death herself . . .

Raising the dead is easy, living is harder.

©2024 Nevin Holness (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

  • An immersive, adventurous debut.

    Holness has created a fantasy London that feels incredibly real. Richly peppered with Caribbean folklore, creatures from African diasporic mythology, death and life magic, wrapped up in a high stakes plot that impacts friendships, found family, and preservation of culture.

    Eden Royce

  • The magic in this book is so alive. It snaps, crackles and pops, sometimes threaded into the everyday – as small as a wink – and at other times pounding through the streets – vast, deadly and godly. An entrancing debut with heartfelt, laugh out loud characters and big questions of identity, belonging and how to hold onto the stories that matter.

    Cari Thomas

  • King Of Dead Things is a delicious tale of magic and sacrifice set in a modern London that blends the real and the fantastical. The ingenuity shown in combining Caribbean spirituality and creatures with teenagers lives today make it a perfect blend of dangerous adventure, high stakes, and exploration of friendship. Both flawed and tangibly real, I loved every character. There had better be a sequel!

    Natasha Bowen

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