To my mother, for wandering the streets of London with me in Kell’s footsteps, and to my father, for taking me seriously when I said I was writing a book about cross-dressing thieves and magical men in fabulous coats. In fact, to both of my parents, for never scoffing when I said I wanted to be a writer.
To Lady Hawkins, for traipsing with me through the streets of Edinburgh, and to Edinburgh, for being its magical self. My bones belong to you.
To Patricia, for knowing this book as well as I do, and for always being willing and able eyes, no matter how rough the pages.
To Carla and Courtney, the best cheerleaders—and the best friends—a neurotic, caffeine-addicted author could ask for.
To the Nashville creative community—Ruta, David, Lauren, Sarah, Sharon, Rae Ann, Dawn, Paige, and so many others—who welcomed me home with love and charm and margaritas.
To Tor, and to Irene Gallo, Will Staehle, Leah Withers, Becky Yeager, Heather Saunders, and everyone else who has helped to make this book ready for the world.
And to my readers, both the loyal and the new, because without you, I’m just a girl talking to myself in public.
This is for you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
V. E. Schwab’s first adult novel, Vicious, debuted to critical praise and reader accolades. Schwab is the author of YA novels The Near Witch, The Archived, and The Unbound. She is also currently writing a middle-grade fantasy series with Scholastic. You can sign up for email updates here.