The Giftsnatcher (An Enchanters Novel #3)

In the gaslit alleys of Victorian Edinburgh, some secrets are best left buried. But Alana Daubery makes her living by digging them up.

Alana and her sister Irina run a lucrative charade, convincing the city’s elite of their psychic abilities. While Irina’s séances are smoke and mirrors, Alana’s gift is dangerously real: she can steal the magic of others with a single touch. She is a Giftsnatcher, a power she uses to feign fortune-telling and keep their coffers full. But their world of calculated deception is shattered when a desperate lord hires them to cure his grandson, the handsome and maddeningly skeptical Edgar Tremain.

When Alana attempts to bestow a gift of focus upon Edgar, her magic is violently rejected, unleashing a force she has never encountered. She soon realizes this is no simple curse; it’s a legacy of blood and shadow stretching back centuries. This single encounter plunges her into a hidden world of ancient conspiracies, monstrous creatures called Shades that hunt in the dark, and a shadowy cabal of Spellcasters with a deadly agenda.

Forced into an uneasy alliance with Edgar and an enigmatic doctor, Joseph Bell, who hunts the supernatural, Alana finds herself at the heart of a secret war. As the grisly work of a killer the papers call “Jack the Ripper” terrorizes London, Alana discovers the murders are tied to a dark ritual—one that requires a power only she possesses. With her own stolen magic missing and her life on the line, Alana must unravel the truth behind Edgar’s curse and her own mysterious origins. But in a world of lies and illusions, trusting the wrong person could be her final mistake.

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Included Tropes

The Chosen One: Alana possesses the rare and powerful Giftsnatcher ability, making her central to the conflict between the Conclave and the Spellcasters. Her unique power is essential for the ritual and breaking the curse.

Skeptical Love Interest: Edgar Tremain initially dismisses Alana’s abilities and the supernatural, challenging her claims with a desire for “reasonable evidence,” but is gradually drawn into the magical world and becomes her ally and eventual love interest.

The Mentor: Dr. Bell acts as a knowledgeable, if sometimes mysterious and morally ambiguous, guide for Alana and Edgar, teaching them about the supernatural world and training them to fight its dangers.

Family Curse: The Tremain family is afflicted by a centuries-old curse that causes one child in each generation to succumb to madness and transform into a “wolf” or monster.

Hidden World: Magic, spirits, and ancient organizations like the Conclave and Spellcasters exist secretly alongside normal Victorian society, largely unnoticed by ordinary humans.

Secret Organization: The Conclave is a clandestine group of gifted individuals dedicated to maintaining the balance between good and evil, operating in secret to protect humanity.

Magical Sibling Rivalry (Figurative): While not direct rivals, Alana’s genuine magical abilities contrast sharply with her sister Irina’s reliance on elaborate deceptions for séances, highlighting different approaches to their shared heritage. Irina’s later use of blood magic further emphasizes this contrast.

Psychic Link: Alana and Edgar develop a mental connection, allowing them to share thoughts, emotions, and even magical “sight” when their powers are combined.

Dark Secret: A past crime is a central hidden truth driving much of the plot.

The Beast Within: A family curse manifests as an inner “wolf” that threatens to consume its host, turning them into a violent, feral monster.

Big Bad Ensemble: The narrative features multiple antagonists with overlapping and sometimes conflicting goals, including the mastermind of the ritual, a powerful Shade, and a vengeful Shade with her own agenda.

Dream as Reality: The power of a “Dream Caster” allows illusions and events within dreams to affect or even manifest in the real world, blurring the lines between the two.

Forbidden Magic: Blood magic, necromancy, and other dark practices are explicitly dangerous and morally condemned, often with severe consequences.

The Masquerade: The Conclave and other magical factions work to keep the existence of magic and supernatural events hidden from the general human populace.

Urban Fantasy: The story blends supernatural elements with a real-world, historically accurate urban setting (Victorian Edinburgh and London), utilizing familiar landmarks and societal structures.

Haunted House: Tremain Hall is described as a “grim old place, and probably haunted,” filled with hidden passages, illusions, and echoes of its dark past, contributing to its unsettling atmosphere.

Secret History: The world’s past is filled with hidden magical conflicts, curses, and the true origins of historical events (like the Jack the Ripper murders) are tied to supernatural forces.

The Reveal: The narrative is punctuated by significant revelations, such as Kasaria’s true nature as a Shade, a trapped spirit, and the climactic final twist.

Heroic Sacrifice: A character ultimately sacrifices himself to save Alana, demonstrating a moment of redemption for his past wrongs. Alana’s mother also made a sacrifice.

The God-Figure: Sebastian, the library cat, is revealed to be a powerful, ancient, and benevolent entity, implied to be a manifestation of God, guiding the protagonists and intervening in critical moments.

Physical Manifestation of Magic: Alana’s hair turning white, initially in streaks and then almost entirely, is a visible physical change directly linked to her intense use of magic and exposure to dark forces.

Morally Ambiguous Mentor: Dr. Bell, while ultimately on the side of good, is pragmatic and sometimes withholding of information, using manipulative tactics (like the “butterfly” Shade) for the greater good.

Involuntary Sidekick: Edgar, despite his initial skepticism and attempts to distance himself, is consistently drawn into Alana’s magical adventures, often against his will or better judgment, making him her reluctant companion.

Wound That Won’t Heal (Magical): A throat and face are deeply scratched by a Shade, and the injuries are severe enough to leave scars, representing the lasting consequences of magical encounters.

Subterranean Labyrinth: The London Underground (not the train system, but ancient tunnels) serves as a hidden, dangerous, and magically concealed network of passages used by various magical factions.

Books in the Same Genre with Similar Tropes:

Soulless (Parasol Protectorate series) by Gail Carriger: Set in a Victorian-era London with a hidden supernatural society of vampires, werewolves, and a secret organization (the Bureau of Unnatural Registry). Features a strong, unconventional female protagonist and a blend of humor and adventure.

The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers: A rich historical fantasy set in 19th-century London, involving hidden ancient Egyptian magic, time travel, secret societies, and a protagonist thrust into a dangerous supernatural conspiracy.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke: A sprawling historical fantasy that explores the return of practical magic to England during the Napoleonic Wars. It features powerful, complex magicians, ancient fae lore, and the moral ambiguities of power.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker: A historical fantasy set in late 19th-century New York, focusing on two supernatural beings (a golem and a jinni) navigating human society while dealing with their own origins and hidden powers.

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett: A historical fantasy set in an alternate 18th-century England where magic is returning. It features a young woman with latent powers, ancient prophecies, and a fight against a dark, encroaching evil.

Prominent Themes

The Nature of Power: The manuscript constantly explores different forms of power (gifts, blood magic, influence, observation) and how they corrupt or enable.

Truth vs. Illusion/Deception: A core theme, with characters frequently encountering magical illusions, hidden truths, and personal deceptions, forcing them to question reality.

Redemption and Forgiveness: The possibility of breaking cycles of ancestral sin and finding forgiveness, as seen in Viktor’s arc and the breaking of the Tremain curse.

Destiny vs. Free Will: Characters grapple with prophecies and inherited fates, particularly Edgar with the wolf curse, and ultimately choose their own paths.

Family and Legacy: The profound impact of ancestral actions and curses on descendants, and the desire to protect or defy one’s family heritage.

Fear and Courage: The importance of confronting and controlling fear, both internal (Shades) and external (Spellcasters), as a means to harness one’s true strength.

Good vs. Evil: The explicit conflict between the Conclave (representing good) and the Spellcasters (representing dark magic), complicated by the moral ambiguities of characters like Bell and Irving.

Sacrifice: Characters make significant personal sacrifices for others, from Mother’s protection of Alana to Viktor’s saving Alana, and Alana’s giving her magic to Edgar.

Identity and Belonging: Alana’s journey to understand her unique gifts, her true parentage, and her place within the magical world and her family.

The Cost of Secrecy: How keeping secrets, even with good intentions, can lead to misunderstanding, mistrust, and devastating consequences.

Morality and Justice: The varying moral codes of different magical factions (Conclave vs. Spellcasters, Bell vs. Irving) and how justice is administered or sought.

The Human Condition: The exploration of human flaws, compassion, the struggle with inner demons, and the capacity for both profound cruelty and unwavering love.