This beguiling historical romantasy debut blends dark academia with the glamour of Bridgerton , as a scholar of magic investigates her sister's murder--perfect for fans of Heather Fawcett and H. G. Parry. In an alternate London alive with botanical magic, Elswyth Elderwood is a thorn among roses: a bristly, scarred scholar in a world of socialites. Her sister Persephone is the opposite: a graceful debutante seeking a marriage that will save their family from ruin. At least, until Persephone is murdered. Suddenly the last scion of her house, Elswyth must abandon her studies and find a wealthy husband. She is thrust into a London fueled by floromancy: hedge witches sprout nightshade from their fingertips, high-born ladies weave gowns from wildflowers .

and a serial killer called the Reaper transforms his victims into plant-human hybrids. When clues suggest the Reaper is a powerful nobleman, Elswyth's search for her sister's killer and her hunt for a husband become one and the same. But she is drawn to bastard-born archaeologist Silas Blackthorn--who may have dark, twisted secrets of his own. Elswyth must determine friend from foe and lover from liar--or suffer the same fate as her sister.