Strong characters, complex relationships, and important themes of family, belonging, identity, love and loneliness, drive this absorbing story of magic and painful family secrets Book Trust Brignull's The Hawkweed Prophecy is a deft exploration of friendship, sacrifice and betrayal. I can't decide who I love more, the sweet and trusting Ember or the spunky, dark Poppy. You can't help but cheer for both girls, and ache when they are pitted against one another. I was completely absorbed in the sinister, complicated world of magic and witches. The coven is described so confidently and beautifully, it's hard to emerge from the novel without wondering if these women are operating somewhere just below the surface of our world. Full of romance, heart and suspense, readers will find themselves staying up all night just to spend a little more time with Ember and Poppy. Madeleine Roux, author of the New York Times bestseller Asylum The Hawkweed Prophecy was bewitching from the get-go. Irena Brignull does an amazing job weaving a tale of pure magic in this debut novel. She'll have you on a roller coaster of emotions from the very first page. Get ready to be spellbound. Paige McKenzie, author of the New York Times bestselling Haunting of Sunshine Girl series Wildly delightful Laini Taylor, author of The Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy I loved this book! Irena has created such beautifully complete world--our world, and nestled within it, a simmering world of magic. The Hawkweed Prophecy has everything: friendship, desire, delicious earthy magic, secrets and spells and at its center, the wonderful young Poppy, on a journey of self-discovery. I so hope there is more to come! Karen Foxlee, author of Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy and A Most Magical Girl Irena Brignull's THE HAWKWEED PROPHECY is a book of wicked, beautiful magic. Compulsively readable and delightfully gritty, one does not mess with these Hawkweed witches. Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood and Three Dark Crowns Isolation and loneliness are terrible things to have in common. Poppy has moved from school to school, her poor mother institutionalized. Ember, a witch with no magic, is picked on and shunned in her coven. When they accidentally meet in a junk filled glen, both girls realize a fascination with the other's world. Poppy is driven to the magic, and the power, while Ember wants to know about conveniences and boys. A homeless boy named Leo seeks comfort and acceptance. A cat named Minx wants to save Poppy. Despite early plot revelations, the story grabs you. All three characters are in untenable situations, not knowing who to trust. All three will have to make decisions that will change the course of their lives. Fantasy with a real world touch! Margaret Neville, Bookseller, The King's English Bookshop I couldn't put The Hawkweed Prophecy down. It was captivating and devastating and full of the reading magic that changes the way you feel about the next book you pick up. What a great story - I immediately made a list of the people I'll share it with as soon as it is available! Thanks for giving me a chance to read it in advance - I can't wait to talk about it! Rene Kirkpatrick, Bookseller, Eagle Harbor Book Company The Hawkweed Prophecy is awesome! The writing is excellent and the characters are so lovable Kelsy April, Children's Book Buyer, Mystic Books Inc. Wise, weird, a touch evil and totally charming, Irena Brignull's tale of magic in our time is as rich and complicated as sisterhood. From the first page, I felt drawn into a modern classic. Anna Godbersen, author of The Luxe and Bright Young Things series I loved the friendship between Ember and Poppy, it's always wonderful seeing positive, strong female friendships. Blog of a Book-A-Holic At heart, this is an entrancing, emotionally-charged book about growing up and forming deep bonds of friendship. Younger YA readers with a penchant for the paranormal will be spellbound. Lovereading4kids This was like a fairy tale and modern story in one... I recommend this to all YA fans who like their fiction with a bit of mysticism. Edel Waugh It's a fantasy with the air of a classic, yet one that's also entirely contemporary in its tight focus on identity, friendship, and romance Publisher's Weekly Strong characters, complex relationships, and important themes of family, belonging, identity, love and loneliness, drive this absorbing story of magic and painful family secrets Book Trust Strong characters, complex relationships, and important themes of family, belonging, identity, love and loneliness, drive this absorbing story of magic and painful family secrets Book Trust Brignull's The Hawkweed Prophecy is a deft exploration of friendship, sacrifice and betrayal. I can't decide who I love more, the sweet and trusting Ember or the spunky, dark Poppy. You can't help but cheer for both girls, and ache when they are pitted against one another. I was completely absorbed in the sinister, complicated world of magic and witches. The coven is described so confidently and beautifully, it's hard to emerge from the novel without wondering if these women are operating somewhere just below the surface of our world. Full of romance, heart and suspense, readers will find themselves staying up all night just to spend a little more time with Ember and Poppy. Madeleine Roux, author of the New York Times bestseller Asylum The Hawkweed Prophecy was bewitching from the get-go. Irena Brignull does an amazing job weaving a tale of pure magic in this debut novel. She'll have you on a roller coaster of emotions from the very first page. Get ready to be spellbound. Paige McKenzie, author of the New York Times bestselling Haunting of Sunshine Girl series Wildly delightful Laini Taylor, author of The Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy I loved this book! Irena has created such beautifully complete world--our world, and nestled within it, a simmering world of magic. The Hawkweed Prophecy has everything: friendship, desire, delicious earthy magic, secrets and spells and at its center, the wonderful young Poppy, on a journey of self-discovery. I so hope there is more to come! Karen Foxlee, author of Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy and A Most Magical Girl Irena Brignull's THE HAWKWEED PROPHECY is a book of wicked, beautiful magic. Compulsively readable and delightfully gritty, one does not mess with these Hawkweed witches. Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood and Three Dark Crowns Isolation and loneliness are terrible things to have in common. Poppy has moved from school to school, her poor mother institutionalized. Ember, a witch with no magic, is picked on and shunned in her coven. When they accidentally meet in a junk filled glen, both girls realize a fascination with the other's world. Poppy is driven to the magic, and the power, while Ember wants to know about conveniences and boys. A homeless boy named Leo seeks comfort and acceptance. A cat named Minx wants to save Poppy. Despite early plot revelations, the story grabs you. All three characters are in untenable situations, not knowing who to trust. All three will have to make decisions that will change the course of their lives. Fantasy with a real world touch! Margaret Neville, Bookseller, The King's English Bookshop I couldn't put The Hawkweed Prophecy down. It was captivating and devastating and full of the reading magic that changes the way you feel about the next book you pick up. What a great story - I immediately made a list of the people I'll share it with as soon as it is available! Thanks for giving me a chance to read it in advance - I can't wait to talk about it! Rene Kirkpatrick, Bookseller, Eagle Harbor Book Company The Hawkweed Prophecy is awesome! The writing is excellent and the characters are so lovable Kelsy April, Children's Book Buyer, Mystic Books Inc. Wise, weird, a touch evil and totally charming, Irena Brignull's tale of magic in our time is as rich and complicated as sisterhood. From the first page, I felt drawn into a modern classic. Anna Godbersen, author of The Luxe and Bright Young Things series I loved the friendship between Ember and Poppy, it's always wonderful seeing positive, strong female friendships. Blog of a Book-A-Holic At heart, this is an entrancing, emotionally-charged book about growing up and forming deep bonds of friendship. Younger YA readers with a penchant for the paranormal will be spellbound. Lovereading4kids This was like a fairy tale and modern story in one... I recommend this to all YA fans who like their fiction with a bit of mysticism. Edel Waugh It's a fantasy with the air of a classic, yet one that's also entirely contemporary in its tight focus on identity, friendship, and romance Publisher's Weekly

Irena Brignull is a successful screenwriter. Since working on the screenplay of The Boxtrolls, Irena has been writing an adaptation of The Little Prince directed by Mark Osborne and starring Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams and Marion Cotillard. Previously, Irena was a Script Executive at the BBC and then Head of Development at Dogstar Films where she was the script editor on Shakespeare in Love, Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Bravo Two Zero to name a few. Irena holds a BA in English Literature from Oxford University. The Hawkweed Prophecy is her first novel.