Menna van Praag

The critically acclaimed author of The House at the End of Hope Street combines love, mystery, and magic with her first foray into bewitching fantasy with a dark edge evocative of V.E. Schwab and Neil Gaiman. Once upon a time, a demon who desired earthly domination fathered an army of dark daughters to help him corrupt humanity . . . As children, Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea dreamed of a strange otherworld: a nightscape of mists and fog, perpetually falling leaves and hungry ivy, lit by an unwavering moon. Here, in this shadowland of Everwhere, the four girls, half-sisters connected by blood and magic, began to nurture their elemental powers together. But at thirteen, the sisters were ripped from Everwhere and separated. Now, five years later, they search for one another and yearn to rediscover their unique and supernatural strengths. Goldie (earth) manipulates plants and gives life. Liyana (water) controls rivers and rain. Scarlet (fire) has electricity at her fingertips. Bea (air) can fly. To realize their full potential, the blood sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. But Everwhere can only be accessed through certain gates at 3:33 A.M. on the night of a new moon. As Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea are beset with the challenges of their earthly lives, they must prepare for a battle that lies ahead. On their eighteenth birthday, they will be subjected to a gladiatorial fight with their father’s soldiers. If they survive, they will face their father who will let them live only if they turn dark. Which would be fair, if only the sisters knew what was coming. So, they have thirty-three days to discover who they truly are and what they can truly do, before they must fight to save themselves and those they love.

A Novel

The Sisters Grimm

Invited into a house where women are allowed to stay for 99 days while they turn their lives around, Alba, who has been struggling with a stalled academic career, learns about the refuge's famous past visitors while embarking on a personal journey of healing.

The House at the End of Hope Street

All Hallows' Eve meets All Saints' Day in critically acclaimed author Menna van Praag's mesmerizing second book featuring the Sisters Grimm--a dark, contemporary fantasy that skillfully blends love, obsession, and dark magic. After the battle with their demon father ends in a devastating loss, the Grimm sisters are separated. But, now three years later, as their twenty-first birthday approaches, dark fate brings them together once more. For Goldie, this birthday is overshadowed by sorrow. She cannot forget the outcome of that battle, the devastating tragedy that has wreaked havoc on her already turbulent waking life. While her sisters have thrown themselves into their own endeavors, Goldie has grown distant and inconsolable. Driven by grief, she devises a diabolical plan using a human sacrifice to resurrect what she has lost. When Liyana unexpectedly discovers what Goldie intends to do, she agrees to help if Goldie will try another way, without sacrificing a life. Returning to Everwhere, they combine their powerful magic to bring back what Goldie has lost. But something goes terribly wrong, and Scarlet is showing signs of being possessed by an evil spirit. With their lives at stake, the sisters realize they must confront their personal trauma, make amends with the past, and once again prepare for a demonic fight to come. And on the night of their birthday, battle ensues . . . and tragedy strikes once more.

The Night of Demons and Saints

A Ballantine Books trade paperback original."--Title page verso.

The Witches of Cambridge

Jude is the owner of a rather special antiques shop in Cambridge. She finds all of the joy in her life matching people with the special something that they are missing, a talisman that will help bring them just what their heart most desires. Although Jude's life is certainly not overflowing with the love she would wish for ... when she 'inherits' a niece that she never knew existed, doubling her meagre family overnight, life is set to get a lot less empty and a lot more interesting. Viola is on a quest for perfection and the top job of Head Chef at one of Cambridge's most prestigious restaurants to the exclusion of all else. When her path continues to cross that of widower and food historian Mathieu, she starts to see that there's a lot to life beyond the kitchen that she's been missing out on.

The Patron Saint of Lost Souls

And then there were three . . . Three years ago, the sisters confronted their demon father in that strange other-world called Everwhere. It was a battle that ended in a devastating loss, and the scars they carry seem to have slowly pushed the sisters apart . . . One sister, still raw with grief, is now a near recluse but determined to use her powers to resurrect what she has lost. Another has made the journey to learn more of her family, her culture and her roots. And another seems to have turned her back on what she is and opted to lead a more normal life. But now the sisters are about to be brought together once more. Because when the clock strikes midnight, when October ticks into November, when autumn wilts into winter, when All Hallows' Eve becomes All Saints' Day, the sisters Grimm will turn twenty-one and reach the zenith of their powers. And on this night, at this time, in this place called Everwhere, anything is possible . . .

Night of Demons & Saints

Since her parents’ mysterious deaths many years ago, scientist Cora Sparks has spent her days in the safety of her university lab or at her grandmother Etta’s dress shop. Tucked away on a winding Cambridge street, Etta’s charming tiny store appears quite ordinary to passers-by, but the colourfully vibrant racks of beaded silks, delicate laces, and jewel- toned velvets hold bewitching secrets: With just a few stitches from Etta’s needle, these gorgeous gowns have the power to free a woman’s deepest desires.

The Dress Shop of Dreams

In a forgotten nook of Cambridge a little shop stands where thousands of sheets of beautiful paper and hundreds of exquisite pens wait for the next person who, with Clara Cohen’s help, will express the love, despair and desire they feel to correspondents alive, estranged or dead. Clara knows better than most the power a letter can have to turn a person’s life around, so when she discovers a cache of wartime love letters, she follows them on the start of on a profound journey of her own.

The Lost Art of Letter Writing

"'Well,' she began, 'it's, it is sort of autobiographical, about my journey from being lost in a world of thoughts and desires... my obsession with men, money and chocolate, to eventually finding my heart and soul... and discovering that true happiness doesn't come from any of those things, but from being the most glorious being you can be.'" Maya is a firmly stuck thirty-something who takes comfort in her cafe, her food and her unsuccessful relationships. A chance encounter with a customer leads to her transformation from gloomy to goddess, and the realisation that life, with all its pitfalls and problems, offers the opportunity to become so much more than who we are - to grow and be and above all love! Mirroring Menna's own experiences, Men, Money and Chocolate is the voice for every woman wanting to get out of the rut, find true love, and know we have - and have always had - the power to be blissfully, wonderfully happy! http://www.hayhouse.co.uk/LoveDeal15Off.aspx'id=lovedeal15off.aspx

Men, Money and Chocolate

Night of Demons and Saints

Menna van Praag Collection 3 Books Bundle

May Fitzgerald suddenly has everything she's ever wanted. After years of feeling fat and frumpy and looking for love in all the wrong places, she finally has the life and man of her dreams. It all should be so perfect - she had followed her inner voice and it led her to the magical life she had dreamt of. But as her new life as a successful author starts to take off, May's old demons start to creep back to haunt her. Her insecurities begin to kick in and she starts to fall for the praise and glitter of fame. Her behaviour pushes her boyfriend to the edge and looks set to destroy their relationship. Can she turn it all around and prove that it really is possible to have it all? This is a story about making choices and not losing yourself, but most importantly, this is a story about following your dreams!

Happier Than She's Ever Been...

The Dress Shop of Dreams is a captivating novel of enduring hopes and second chances.

Born of bright white wishing and black edged desire, the Grimm girls each command a single element and wield it with great power. But a child born of a Grimm and a fallen star has command of every element, and with infinite power . . . Goldie is nearly thirty. And Luna is her daughter. Eight-years-old, she is part star, part Grimm. With her father's scars marking body and her mother's powers at her fingertips, she is increasingly consumed by the struggle between the two opposing forces within her. When Luna's teacher notices the child's scars and summons social services, Goldie, facing the very real danger that she'll lose her daughter and goes on the run. But the fates are against her, her daughter is taken into care, and the only time and place they are able to meet at night is in the strange, haunted realm of Everwhere. Goldie is desperate to reclaim her daughter, but she notices her Luna's behaviour is becoming disconcertingly erratic. And in Everwhere, all is far from well: fresh leaves are falling once more and Grimm girls are dying. Fearing the return of her demonic father, Goldie stalks the shadows and glades of Everywhere, hoping to confront the killer. Then one night she is attacked . . . by her own child. Calling on the help of her sister Liyana and her Tarot cards, Goldie learns that to save Luna and curb the darkness growing within her, the connection between Everwhere and our world must be severed. But to do so would mean crippling the powers of the Grimm girls throughout the world. Is this a price Goldie is willing to pay? And, more significantly, will her daughter let her . . .

Child of Earth & Sky

For fans of Alice Hoffman, Sarah Addison Allen, and Adriana Trigiani, The Witches of Cambridge reveals an astonishing world where the heart’s deepest secrets give way to the magic of life-changing love. Be careful what you wish for. If you’re a witch, you might just get it. Amandine Bisset has always had the power to feel the emotions of those around her. It’s a secret she can share only with her friends—all professors, all witches—when they gather for the Cambridge University Society of Literature and Witchcraft. Amandine treasures these meetings but lately senses the ties among her colleagues beginning to unravel. If only she had her student Noa’s power to hear the innermost thoughts of others, she might know how to patch things up. Unfortunately, Noa regards her gift as a curse. So when a seductive artist claims he can cure her, Noa jumps at the chance, no matter the cost. Noa’s not the only witch who’s in over her head. Mathematics professor Kat has a serious case of unrequited love but refuses to cast spells to win anyone’s heart. Kat’s sister, Cosima, is not above using magic to get what she wants, sprinkling pastries in her bakery with equal parts sugar and enchantment. But when Cosima sets her sights on Kat’s crush, she conjures up a dangerous love triangle. As romance and longing swirl through every picturesque side street, the witches of Cambridge find their lives unexpectedly upended and changed in ways sometimes extraordinary, sometimes heartbreaking, but always enchanting. Praise for The Witches of Cambridge “Intriguing and original . . . The magic that works wonders for modern-day English witches also charms readers in this delightful and quirky romantic tale.”—Publishers Weekly “A lively and whimsical tale of romance, family, and friendship sure to delight her fans and newcomers alike.”—Booklist “Fans of Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic are sure to enjoy The Witches of Cambridge. . . . [Menna] van Praag’s writing is lyrical and the story sweetly affirming.”—BookPage Find your next book club pick, read special features, and more. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle.

Menna van Praag

About

Books

Join the club