THE RAVEN'S EYE RUNAWAYS

A gripping, beautifully-told fantasy quest set in a parallel medieval world.

Three young people and a one-eyed raven join forces to fight against the oppressive regime that restricts the gift of reading to an elite few and aims to squash magic.

Getwin is a bookbinder working from dawn till dusk with her mother at Raven's Eye Bookbindery. Lea is a scribe, living in a monastic-style castle, where she and other girls are forced to copy manuscripts until their fingers bleed. Buckle is Getwin's loyal and close friend.

When Lea escapes her prison-like life and the soporific tea that drugs her, she is rescued by Getwin and Buckle. They go in search of Getwin's mother, who has been taken by the regime.

They encounter many dangers and must travel through a fearful city and a magical forest.

Will they find her safe? And what is the terrible truth behind everything they think they know about their world?

Claire Mabey is the founder of Verb Wellington, LitCrawl Wellington and Loemis. She is also books editor at The Spinoff, book critic at RNZ and co-curator of the writers' programme at the Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts.