Some maps lead to treasure. Others lead to other worlds. But the Map of Shadows could rewrite reality itself.

Sienna Farren thought the hardest choice she faced was whether to stay in Oxford after university or finally move to London. Then her estranged grandfather is found murdered in Bath, his body carved with symbols of ancient cartography, and Sienna inherits more than just his antique map shop.

She inherits a legacy that will shatter everything she thought she knew about the world.

Beneath the elegant Georgian streets of Bath lies a porous border to the Borderlands, a twilight realm where lost cities still stand and mythical creatures prowl the edges of reality.

For centuries, Mapwalkers—people with the rare ability to step through maps into other worlds—have protected this border. Sienna's grandfather was one of them. So was her father, who didn't die on an Antarctic expedition ten years ago.

He's trapped somewhere in the Borderlands ... And he's still alive.

When Bridget, a Ministry operative, reveals that Sienna shares the Mapwalker bloodline, she's thrust into a secret world of blood magic and cartographic power. The Ministry of Maps has protected the borders for generations, but Shadow Cartographers are rising—dark mages who seek to redraw the boundaries of reality itself. They're creating the Map of Shadows, an artifact so powerful it could merge the Borderlands with Earth, unleashing feral creatures and remaking civilization.

Sienna must join an untested team of Mapwalkers to find the Map of Shadows before it's completed: Mila, who walks through water and canal paths; Perry, a reluctant aristocrat who wields fire; and Xander, an Illustrator whose drawings can come alive. Together, they'll step through the medieval Mappa Mundi, entering a realm where lost civilizations endure, where the rules of physics bend, and where the line between map and reality dissolves.

But the deeper they venture into the Borderlands, the closer Sienna comes to the castle dungeon where her father's team disappeared—and to the terrifying truth about what the Shadow Cartographers are planning.

Perfect for Readers Who Love:

• V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic series (parallel London worlds)
• Lev Grossman's The Magicians (hidden magical world, portal fantasy)
• Genevieve Cogman's The Invisible Library (books and libraries with magical properties)
• Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere (urban fantasy in Britain's hidden places)
• Deborah Harkness's All Souls Trilogy (magic hidden in Oxford's ancient places)
• Unique magic systems based on maps and cartography
• Strong female protagonists discovering hidden powers
• British settings steeped in history and mythology
• Team dynamics and found family
  

Series Information: Map of Shadows is Book 1 of the Mapwalker series. Each book builds on the previous installments as Sienna develops her abilities and uncovers the mysteries of the Borderlands. While the series arc continues, each book offers a complete adventure.

Themes & Content: Set in the atmospheric cities of Bath, Oxford, and Hereford, Map of Shadows blends real historical locations—including the famous Mappa Mundi and Bath's Roman history—with portal fantasy and urban magic. The story explores themes of heritage and destiny, the power of borders and boundaries, and what happens when we redraw the maps that define our world. The book contains scenes of violence and peril, including references to flayed skin and mythological creatures.

Story Details:

• Genre: Urban fantasy, Portal fantasy, British fantasy, Contemporary fantasy, dark fantasy
• Length: Full-length novel (approximately 70,000 words)
• Reading time: 6-8 hours
• Mood: Atmospheric, mysterious, adventurous, Gothic
• Setting: Bath, Oxford, and Hereford, England; The Borderlands (alternate realm)
• Series: Mapwalker Book 1 - series continues
• Content note: Violence, peril, dark imagery

Author's Note: "I've always been fascinated by old maps and the way cartographers shaped our understanding of the world. What if maps weren't just representations of reality—but doorways to other versions of it? Map of Shadows grew from that question, from wandering the streets of Bath and Oxford, and from wondering what lies beneath the places we think we know." - J.F. Penn