Sacrifice by Sarah Singleton

Published by Simon & Schuster Children's Books

Price £6.99

At the time of the Crusades a band of knights received a lily from an angel to help them defeat their enemies. But over the centuries, the lily's mysterious powers have warped and darkened, leaving madness and death in its wake.

Now it is 1890 and Miranda, in Victorian London, is obliged to live with her cold grandparents when her mother is committed to an asylum. French Jacinth lives alone in a tower in a Bohemian forest, where she develops her magical talents, and Jack, who lives in Ireland, discovers a mysterious old man in an abandoned house. The three young people are connected, and only by combining forces can they turn around the curse that has befallen their families for generations.

Quite a complex mix of character, setting and plot creating a vivid tale of deceit and treachery.  First class.