Nevin Holness writes stories that explore magic within the Jamaican diaspora and she is passionate about creating complex and fantastical narratives that young Black readers can see themselves reflected in. She is a graduate of the Penguin Random House WriteNow Programme that has produced acclaimed writers such as Manjeet Mann, winner of the Costa Children's Book award and Emma Smith Barton, shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. When she's not writing, Nevin spends most of her time listening to Beyonce.
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. -- Author of the Walter Award Honoree Root Magic * 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. -- Author of The Sunday Times Bestseller Thread Needle * 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! -- Author of New York Times Bestseller Skin of the Sea and Soul of the Deep * Natasha Bowen *