A Tale of Plagues and Perfumes - by Jake Halpern & Peter Kujawinski (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"A stunningly original fantasy world that will blow your mind." --Eoin Colfer, #1 New York Times-bestselling author

"A delightful, redolent adventure--I couldn't put it down! . . . I'll never sniff a spice drawer the same way again." --Catherine Gilbert Murdock, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Book of Boy

Impossible Creatures meets The Inquisitor's Tale in this immersive middle grade fantasy adventure that follows a girl who must use her remarkable sense of smell to save the world from a terrifying plague.

Every scent tells a story.

The last thing Nia wants is to be branded a "Sinsory." Where she comes from, that's just as deadly as the plagues that sweep through the land. That's why she keeps her unusually keen sense of smell a secret. Only two people in the city of Yerat know of her special abilities: her beloved Auntie and her best friend, Fox. But when the worst plague in a century hits their desert continent, all of that suddenly changes.

An invitation arrives in the shape of a jar of blackcurrant jam. Nia is asked to attend the Cloister, a select and secluded school for children with heightened senses. There she meets Scentiers, like her, but also Gazers, Whisper-Gatherers, and many more, whose sensory powers go far beyond what regular folk can smell, see, or hear.

It's there that Nia learns her nose knows far more than she ever dreamed . . . maybe enough to find the cure for the plague. Or even sniff out the sinister secrets hiding in the Cloister's walls.

Review Quotes

★ "High tension, high stakes, and obstacles at every turn make this novel unputdownable. Fantasy and science fiction blend nicely for a nail-biting experience." --School Library Journal, starred review

"A stunningly original fantasy world that will blow your mind. This will be huge!" --Eoin Colfer, #1 New York Times-bestselling author

"I loved getting lost in this fun and rich fantasy adventure and its captivating magical world. A terrific read."--Anne Ursu, author of The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy

"What a delightful, redolent adventure--I couldn't put it down! Thank you, thank you, for this fantasy. I'll never sniff a spice drawer the same way again." --Catherine Gilbert Murdock, Newbery Honor-Winning author of The Book of Boy

"A Tale of Plagues and Perfumes mixes the familiar scent of our post-Covid world with an enticing aroma of magic and adventure that will satisfy even the pickiest high fantasy fan. Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski have created a world that will bring your senses to life and a heroine, in Nia, whose power to sniff out both friendship and danger will keep readers turning the pages." --Katherine Marsh, National Book Finalist and author of The Lost Year

"Phenomenally enjoyable, inventive, and thought-provoking. . . also just plain fun." --Kirkus Reviews

"A wealth of sensate details grants the story a vivid atmosphere against which intrepid heroes quest to save their friends, family, and home." --Publishers Weekly

"Richly crafted. . . Fantasy readers who are drawn to secrets and intrigue will find this a gripping story, as the stakes are about as high as they come." --BCCB

"An adventurous riff on the witch fantasy. . . . A fun (and fragrant) underdog tale." --Booklist

About the Author

Jake Halpern is a New York Times-bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose work can be found in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He is host of the acclaimed podcast, Deep Cover, and he teaches writing at Yale University. His favorite smell is his 100-pound dog, Milo (after his bath).

Peter Kujawinski is a New York Times-bestselling author, an award-winning travel and feature journalist, and formerly an American foreign service officer. He lives in Chicago with his family. His favorite smells are all cheeses, the moldier and more pungent the better!

Together, Jake and Peter are the New York Times-bestselling authors of Nightfall, its sequel Edgeland, and the Dormia trilogy: Dormia, World's End and Shadow Tree.