First off, I have to thank my parents. Literally, have to. They’re forcing me. Help! (Kidding.) Mum, Dad, you guys are more than I could ever have wished for. I’m so happy to have you by my side, championing me whatever I do.
To the rest of my family, who are far too big to name, and far too wonderful for words. And, of course, to Nick, because although times will change, these acknowledgments never will. I love you. You’re not getting in my book.
To Daniel, who insists I named a character after him before we even met. Who makes me laugh every day and who still gives me first-date butterflies, even now. You’re my favorite person. Even if you are the world’s slowest reader.
Thank you to all my friends in the publishing world and outside of it. To Leanne and Becca, as always, for being the best of friends. To Sasha Alsberg, Sarah Glenn Marsh, N.J. Simmonds, Brigid Kemmerer, Melinda Salisbury, Rebecca Kuang, and Tricia Levenseller. And to Siiri, for always bouncing into my life when I need a smile!
And, gosh, all the people that made this book possible!
Emmanuelle, thank you for being the best agent a writer could ask for, and a great friend to boot. Your championing of all my stories, and all the possibilities they could hold, makes me believe anything is possible. And to Whitney, for helping to bring those words to people and countries I’d never have dreamed of.
To all of the people at Macmillan and Feiwel & Friends who have helped make magic a reality. To Holly, for being a rock-star editor and helping me find the story I wanted to tell. To Morgan, for being the best publicist and always throwing exciting things my way. To Liz and Yehrin for creating a masterpiece of a cover! To Kaitlin, Jessica, and Starr, and to everyone else on the team who played a part in making this book, this series, great. I appreciate you all so much!
To everyone at Bonnier Books and Hot Key Books, my fellow UK crew! You guys are the best and I’m so grateful for all of your hard work, your vision, and your endless enthusiasm for all the stories I throw your way. Thank you, thank you, thank you. To Fliss, to Carla, to Lizz, to Isobel, to every single person who has brought so much laughter and positivity to this whole experience! And to Tina, who I hope to get to work with again someday.
Of course, how could I finish with anything else but a thanks to YOU. Dear reader. Dear friend. Dear person who picked this book up, cracked its pages, and dove straight in, headfirst, ready to be swallowed by adventure.
I created this world for you. I hope you loved it.
I hope it helped you find the magic you have inside of yourself.
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FEIWEL AND FRIENDS BOOK.
The Friends who made
CITY OF SPELLS
possible are:
JEAN FEIWEL, Publisher
LIZ SZABLA, Associate Publisher
RICH DEAS, Senior Creative Director
HOLLY WEST, Senior Editor
ANNA ROBERTO, Senior Editor
KAT BRZOZOWSKI, Senior Editor
DAWN RYAN, Senior Managing Editor
CELESTE CASS, Senior Production Manager
ERIN SIU, Associate Editor
EMILY SETTLE, Associate Editor
RACHEL DIEBEL, Assistant Editor
FOYINSI ADEGBONMIRE, Assistant Editor
LIZ DRESNER, Associate Art Director
STARR BAER, Associate Copy Chief
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OUR BOOKS ARE FRIENDS FOR LIFE.
About the Author
Alexandra Christo decided to write books when she was four and her teacher told her she couldn’t be a fairy. When she’s not busy making up stories, she can be found organizing food crawls over London and binge-watching Korean dramas. Alexandra has a BA in creative writing and currently lives in England with an abundance of cacti (because they’re the only plants she can keep alive). She is also the author of To Kill a Kingdom and Into the Crooked Place. alexandrachristo.com, or sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Map
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2021 by Alexandra Christo
A Feiwel and Friends Book
An imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271
fiercereads.com
All rights reserved.
Feiwel and Friends logo designed by Filomena Tuosto
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Christo, Alexandra, author.
Title: City of spells / Alexandra Christo.
Description: First edition. | New York : Feiwel and Friends, 2021. | Sequel to: Into the crooked place. | Audience: Ages 14–18. | Audience: Grades 10–12. | Summary: As the Kingpin’s dark magic spreads and his army conquers Creije, four unlikely friends have to decide just how far they will go—and how much they are willing to sacrifice—to win.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020019859 | ISBN 9781250318404 (hardcover)
Subjects: CYAC: Magic—Fiction. | Swindlers and swindling—Fiction. | Fantasy.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.C548 Ci 2021 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020019859
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First hardcover edition 2021
eBook edition 2021
eISBN 9781250318411