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Half a Dark Heart

Brief Description
A gloriously gothic Victorian YA horror-romantasy about first love, sisters, and how far we will go to protect the ones we love. The Horrors gain strength when things in our world are broken. A bone. A promise. A heart. Ever since she first encountered the Horrors,... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2200
Elsewhere:
$2400
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Releases 3rd February 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Half a Dark Heart" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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Half a Dark Heart

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A gloriously gothic Victorian YA horror-romantasy about first love, sisters, and how far we will go to protect the ones we love.

The Horrors gain strength when things in our world are broken.

A bone. A promise. A heart.

Ever since she first encountered the Horrors, Alice has hidden herself safely behind the walls of her family's Whitby guest house. Only her beloved sister, Lucille, knows whyβ€” that Alice can see thingsβ€”gruesome, terrible thingsβ€”in the darkest corners of our world. Shadow-monsters which will do anything to satisfy their violent cravingsβ€”and seemingly nothing can stop them. Of course, no one would believe them if they told themβ€”and so the girls stay silent.

That is, until Lucille goes missing, and the boy she was in love with turns up dead. All of which coincides with the arrival of Austinβ€”a dashing young actor from London, who claims a demon has stolen his voice, and only Alice can help him.

Faced with a world and powers she never even knew existed, Alice must race against time to save her sister, herself, and perhaps the only other person who's ever cared about her. As well as send a demon or two back to where they came from...

Half a Dark Heart is a tale of suspense and supernatural adventure, where courage and love battle against the very darkness of the soul.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241738429

Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 29 January 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Audience: Children, Teenage

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 35.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 500g

Pages: 400

About the Author

H.F. Askwith is the author of three YA gothic fantasy thrillers - A Dark Inheritance, A Cruel Twist of Fate and Half A Dark Heart. She is a Northern Writers' Award winner and has an MA in Creative Writing. When she's not writing, she loves solving puzzles, playing board games with her family and running.

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