This historical novel in prose and verse tells the story of a deadly secret hiding in plain sight and of the women?who risk everything to provide care for those with nowhere else to turn, perfect for fans of Blood Water Paint and The Lost Apothecary.
Early Seventeenth-Century Rome
For as long as she can remember, Carmela Tofana has desperately wanted one thing: to be allowed behind the counter of her mother's apothecary in Campo Marzio, Rome. When she turns sixteen, she's finally allowed into the inner sanctum: the workroom where her mother, Giulia Tofana, and two assistants craft renowned remedies for their customers. But for every sweet-smelling flower extract in the workroom, there's another potion requiring darker ingredients. And then there's Aqua Tofana, the apothecary's remedy of last resort for husbands who are just as deadly as any disease. In all Carmela's years of wishing to follow in her mother's footsteps, she never realized one tiny vial could be the death of them all.
| ISBN: | 9780593855874 |
| Publication date: | 14th January 2025 |
| Author: | Joy McCullough |
| Publisher: | Dutton Books for Young Readers an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 304 pages |
| Genres: |
Children’s / Teenage fiction: Historical fiction Children’s / Teenage general interest: Girls and women Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Teenage pregnancy Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction |