Emily Bain Murphy

"In nineteenth-century Copenhagen, an orphaned seamstress goes to work for a retired ballerina and uses her magic to investigate her father's mysterious death while working for the same family years ago"--

Splinters of Scarlet

Ellen Ivey

Jillian Clare

Never have I been so excited to have my high hopes completely surpassed. Splinters of Scarlet is a gorgeously written book, with engaging characters and a lush atmosphere, filled with so much love and mystery and atmosphere. The magic and world-building instantly stood out to me, and I think is what makes this book stand out from the rest I've read this year. I was instantly drawn to the richness of the details of the historical Denmark setting, and I fell completely in love with the characters and the way they fit into this world. To put it bluntly, I was completely dazzled by this book, and I'm not sure anything else will shine quite as brightly for me this year! 

Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for my early e-copy of this book!

‘Emily Bain Murphy weaves an exquisite tale of mystery, enchantment and valor. I loved this spellbinding book!’ Rebecca Ross, author of The Queen’s Rising Magic, murder and a search for the truth: a thrilling fantasy adventure from the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-shortlisted author of The Disappearances Marit vowed never to use magic again – its force can be fatal. But when her best friend Eve is adopted by a legendary former dancer, Marit draws upon her powers to secure a job with the wealthy family so that she can watch over her. But Marit has another, secret motivation: her father died while working in the family’s mines, and she has reason to believe he was murdered. Among the glittering surfaces and intrigues of her new life in Copenhagen, Marit begins to investigate her father's death. But every step closer to the truth brings more danger and soon she is caught in a deception that goes all the way up to the king. Magic may be the only thing that can save her – if it doesn’t kill her first.

ellie chase

** spoiler alert **
           Hygge. "It's being warm here"- she touched her heart- "even when the world is cold."

There wasn't anything about this story that I didn't love. The worldbuilding reminded me of Hans Christian Anderson's worlds in general, magic in Denmark, and it was so beautifully done. The romance was the absolute sweetest and I was screaming when Jakob finally told Marit he loved her. I also really adored how Emily weaved ice skating and ballet into the stories; I thought that was simply the best. Marit and Eve's relationship was absolutely precious, and the banter that went on with all the characters, was engaging and incredible.

Jennifer

Set in the 19th Century Denmark, Splinters of Scarlets weaves magic, fairytales, and mystery - redeeming it a pretty fun read. 

What I like:

+ The writing style: the sensory details and the magic jumped right out
+ I found the concept really cool and I think the fairytale / magical elements worked really well
+ Pretty solid characterisation. I think Marit's headspace is pretty well fleshed out.
+ I'm subjective here but I love the Christmas & wintry vibes! It feels really cozy and it's brimming with hygge stage of mind <3 

Quotes I love:

"The warm sense of contentment, of home, even when the rest of the world is cold." - this is what I felt with the book. It feels cozy and heartwarming even if it's set during wintertime.

"The best stories are always spun around a kernel of truth." - a wonderful quote on storytelling

"Perhaps each magic makes its own beautiful colour. Perhaps that's how you know what sort of power is waiting inside it." - I really vibed with this poetic quote on the colour of one's aura and how that's related to the magical powers someone possesses

"I always pictured the colour of vengeance to be deep crimson red. The colour of anger and blood, of prostitute, and sometimes of magic." - I love the colourful descriptions like this in the novel. On how it relates to colour theory and directly to the character traits.

What could be better:

- The pacing was a bit slow. While I appreciated the historical details (and it's seems really well researched), there's not much plot until around midway through the novel.
- I wasn't completely sold into Philip's POV since his chapters are significantly shorter than Marit's. But I still found the politics and darker side of the novel quite interesting told from his perspective.

Overall, this is a pretty enjoyable and unique historical fantasy novel. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's into historical fantasy & fairytales.

N.B. This book contains the following content triggers: death, murder, weapons / sharp objects, and blood

(3.5 stars out of 5)

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this book from pdf access provided by the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Splinters of Scarlet

Author: Emily Bain Murphy

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Recommended For...: mystery, historical fiction, ya

Publication Date: July 21, 2020

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

Recommended Age: 15+ (death, violence, gore)

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Pages: 352

Synopsis: For Marit Olsen, magic is all about strategy: it flows freely through her blood, but every use leaves behind a deadly, ice-like build-up within her veins called the Firn. Marit knows how dangerous it is to let too much Firn build up—after all, it killed her sister—and she has vowed never to use her thread magic. But when Eve, a fellow orphan whom Marit views like a little sister, is adopted by the wealthy Helene Vestergaard, Marit will do anything to stay by Eve’s side. She decides to risk the Firn and uses magic to secure a job as a seamstress in the Vestergaard household.

But Marit has a second, hidden agenda: her father died while working in the Vestergaards’ jewel mines—and it might not have been an accident. The closer Marit gets to the truth about the Vestergaard family, the more she realizes she and everyone she’s come to love are in danger. When she finds herself in the middle of a treacherous deception that goes all the way up to the king of Denmark, magic may be the only thing that can save her—if it doesn’t kill her first.

Review: Overall, this was a good book! I loved the amazing detail that went into this book and its ability to not bog down the story. The book was also filled with a lot of dance terms. The book also had well developed characters and the magic system was well explained.

The only issue I had with the book is that the pacing was really slow for me. The mystery took a long time to unravel and I easily guessed the ending at 25% in.

Verdict: It was a well done book!

Samantha Bass

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

From the start, this book had my full attention. There wasn't a moment where I wasn't enthralled with what was going on. We have a historical fantasy, set in Denmark, and a mystery all packed into one? I was smitten.

I loved the alternating POV's in this book. We get to see the story through Marit and Philip's eyes with Philip going between the past and the present. I thought it added extra mystery to the story instead of just seeing the world through Marit's eyes. I kind of wish we got to see the world through Eve's eyes as well, but I have a feeling it wouldn't add that much to the story.

Plot wise I loved this book. We are shot forward from the very beginning as we follow Eve and Marit from the orphanage to the Vestergaard home and meet all the new people in their lives. As Marit tries to uncover what happened to her father, please Mrs. Vestergaard, and prevent the Firn from killing her, this story gets intense. The last 25% I was absorbed as we find out what exactly is going on.

Another aspect I love about this story was Marit and Eve's relationship. Sister's by choice stories just make me so happy and the love these two girls have for each other is endearing. It melted my heart every time they interacted with each other, especially with how Marit treats Eve. As the oldest of three girls, I know the feelings Marit has towards Eve, even if she doesn't go through moments of rage like any normal sisters might. The love and protectiveness she has towards Eve hits home, even if they are much kinder to each other than me and my sisters are.

There wasn't much I disliked about the story except I wish we got more background on some of the other people in the house. Liljan and Jakob become friends with Marit quickly, but we don't really get to learn about them as much as Marit or Eve. I wanted a bit more time to get to know some of these other characters before we're thrown into action.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I adored this story. I was so sad to finish because I didn't want it to end.

K.J. Haakenson

First Thoughts:
Holy cow I loved this book...Review to come!!

Official Review:

I stumbled across this title in a 2020 release post and was instantly captured by the pitch. Little did I know that this book would not only become my favorite read of 2020, but one of my most favorite books of all time. "Splinters of Scarlet" by Emily Bain Murphy is pitched as Downton Abbey meets Frozen which not only sold me on reading this book, but it's actually an amazing representation on what the book is like.

Set in Denmark during the 19th century, this story is centered around Marit Olsen, a destitute seamstress with a dangerous magic running through her veins. Let me start off by saying Marit is an amazing and relatable main character. Her courage and desire to be a good sister to Eve is so inspiring. It was so interesting to see Marit balance the fear of her own magic and the need to keep Eve safe all while trying honor her dead family.

Two of my favorite characters are servants and siblings Lilian and Jakob. Their banter is hilarious and extremely relatable. Liljan is fierce, loyal, quick-witted, loud and loves “grotesque” trivia. Jakob is shy, quiet, bookish, smart, brave, kind and a little bashful (aka my new book boyfriend).

In this book, each and every character has hopes and fears, making them all feel like real people with real lives. I find that this is very rare in stories these days so I was pleasantly surprised that every side character had growth and resolution.

I adored the magic system in this story. If someone had the Firn, it wouldn’t be the same type as another person - there are many different kinds of the magic. Marit has the ability to sew gorgeous things just by touch, other may be able to grow plants, or cook food, or work glass. But each ability is just as dangerous as the next since the more you use it, the more the Firn builds up like ice in your veins until the user is frozen from the inside out. It made reading about each beautiful and magical thing tainted with the fear of death.

One of the biggest themes in this story is family and sibling relationships. There aren’t a lot of books out there that I find are very realistic when it comes to siblings. But this book got it right. All sorts of sibling dynamics are included in the book and I love Emily Bain Murphy for that. We have biological siblings, adopted siblings, siblings by marriage, and even chosen siblings! No relationship was the same or perfect and none of that cheesy "hey little sis" nonsense.

"Splinters of Scarlet" is also a stunning story from start to finish filled with beautiful aesthetics of freezing ice, blooming flowers, and ornate homes as well as the magic of ballet and fashion. This story had mystery and enchantment, worry and wonder. There are sad scenes, intense scenes, and happy fluffy scenes. Even the prose is amazing. Every description seems to have a purpose and aids readers in understanding Marit’s thoughts or state of mind. I was fully immersed in this book, totally invested in the plot, and never wanted to leave. (In fact, I even snuck this book into work so I could finish the last chapters right away. Don’t judge me ;P)

"Splinters of Scarlet" caught my imagination and whisked me away with magic. This story made me laugh and it made me cry and I literally just want to give this book a hug.*

All of these things combined make this book one of my new favorites!

I give "Splinters of Scarlet" 5 out of 5 plums.

Marit doesn't like to use magic too often; it always comes with a heavy price. When her best friend Eve is adopted by a legendary former dancer and placed in an elite ballet program outside of Copenhagen, Marit draws upon her powers to secure a job with the wealthy family so that she can watch over her. But Marit has another, secret motivation: her father died while working for the dancer's family, and she has reason to believe he was murdered. While Marit adapts to her glittering new life in Copenhagen, she starts to investigate her father's death in earnest. With every step she takes to get closer to the truth, she and everyone she loves is put in greater danger. Soon Marit finds herself at the centre of a power struggle that goes all the way up to the king, and magic may be the only thing that can save her - if it doesn't kill her first.

Hannah Adamson

I absolutely adored this book! Everything about it was just magical✨
I will be posting my review soon

Manon van Heumen

This started off amazing, and I highly enjoyed the first half of this book! The second half, I sadly enjoyed a little less, and I couldn't help but find myself distracted while reading it. Still, I think it was an amazing read, one that I definitely would love to give a reread some day!

Liz Griffin

Though most of the book felt a tad slow, the writing is lush and whimsical. The final 75 pages made the difference between 3 and 4 stars. Action and magic and mysteries revealed. Can’t say too much more because of spoilers, but I do think the ending was a little bit too tidy.

Splinters of Scarlet

Reviews