Enter an extraordinary magical adventure about family, fate and finding the courage to be truly yourself – perfect for fans of Nevermoor, Lemony Snicket and The Swifts. On her tenth birthday, Meticulous Jones – known to her friends as Metty – receives her fate, as all children do, in the form of a magical tattoo on her hand. She hopes for something a tattoo that will symbolise travel, or discovery, or adventure. What she gets is a skull, balanced in the palm of a violet glove. Metty’s fate is to become a murderer. Metty is swiftly hidden away by her father, Moral Jones, in a remote Welsh farmhouse, with only a miserable housekeeper (who’s terrified she’ll become Metty’s first victim) for company. But when Moral goes missing, his sister – Aunt Magnificent – arrives to sweep Metty off to the glittering city of New London. Metty is mesmerised by the magic and enchantment of the city. But when she starts to hear rumours of a mysterious and dangerous organisation known as the Black Moths, she wonders if they might be connected to her father’s disappearance – and to her own fate …

Return to the world of Indie Next Pick Inkbound in this exciting sequel that finds Meticulous "Metty" Jones in a race against time to save her family from a mysterious blackmailer. Perfect for fans of Nevermoor and The Swifts. Meticulous Jones knows the power of her name. Descended from the great Joneses, including the cofounder of New London, Majestic Jones, Metty also inherited the abilities that give them power over life and death. When she is recruited to enlist in the mysterious League of Shadows, a secret society for others with impressive abilities, she’s hesitant. After all, why should she join another group that seemingly wants to use her for her powers, especially after her Aunt Mag all but forbids her? Then a blackmailer threatens to reveal Aunt Mag’s most dangerous secret—related to her adopted charge, Sundar—and Metty sees the League as her only chance to save him. She becomes determined to complete the three initiation tasks required to join in order to gain their protection. But as the clock winds down, Metty is forced to come to terms with the consequences of magic and the limits of her powers.