The Book of Dead Days (New Windmills) - Tapa dura

For the magician Valerian, time is running out and he must pay the price for the pact he made with evil many years ago. His mistreated apprentice is Boy, a child with no name who serves his master well and finds solace in the company of Willow, a girl who serves the singer at the theatre where Boy and Valerian perform. Set in crumbling cities and frozen countryside in a distant time, Boy and Willow battle to help the cruel Valerian cling to life. Longlisted for the Guardian Children's Book Prize