The Giftsnatcher

In London’s gaslit shadows, magic is currency—and Alana Daubery knows exactly how to spend it.

With a single touch, Alana can strip the magic from anyone else and pass it to anyone willing to pay. It’s a dangerous trade, but a lucrative one. She asks no questions, leaves no trace, and trusts no one. But when she attempts to sell the gift of focus to a brooding, guarded man named Edgar, something goes terribly wrong. Her magic doesn’t just fail; it’s rejected, violently, unleashing a force so dark and ancient that Alana barely escapes with her life. For the first time in her career, she’s encountered something she cannot steal, cannot sell, and cannot walk away from.

What begins as a single unsettling transaction quickly unravels into a conspiracy centuries in the making.

Edgar’s affliction is no ordinary curse. It’s a legacy of blood and shadow, and it has drawn the attention of powerful, ruthless players, a secretive cabal of Spellcasters who will kill to protect their agenda, and monstrous creatures called Shades that hunt in the darkness between worlds. Forced into an uneasy alliance with Edgar and the enigmatic Dr. Joseph Bell, a brilliant man who makes it his life’s work to hunt the supernatural, Alana finds herself at the center of a hidden war she never knew existed. And as the murders attributed to Jack the Ripper grow more frequent and more grotesque, she begins to realize the killings are no random act of madness. They are steps in a ritual. A ritual that demands something only she can provide.

With her enemies closing in, and her own origins shrouded in lies, Alana must decide who to trust, and what she’s willing to sacrifice.

The answers she seeks about her parentage and Edgar’s curse are deeply, devastatingly connected. But the truth has been buried for a reason. And the people who hid it will do anything to keep it that way. In a world built on illusions and powered by secrets, Alana is learning one terrifying lesson: the most dangerous gift of all is the one she was born with.

Download the List of Characters.

Included Tropes:

The Chosen One, The Mentor, Family Curse, Hidden World, Secret Organization, Magical Sibling Rivalry (Figurative), Psychic Link, Dark Secret, The Beast Within, Big Bad Ensemble, Dream as Reality, Forbidden Magic, The Masquerade, Urban Fantasy, Haunted House, Secret History, The Reveal, Heroic Sacrifice, The God-Figure, Physical Manifestation of Magic, Morally Ambiguous Mentor, Involuntary Sidekick, Wound That Won’t Heal (Magical), Subterranean Labyrinth.

Similar Novels:

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, Truth vs. Illusion/Deception, Redemption and Forgiveness, Destiny vs. Free Will, Family and Legacy, Fear and Courage, Good vs. Evil, Sacrifice, Identity and Belonging, The Cost of Secrecy, Morality and Justice, The Human Condition.