for a promising future with Berthier, the son of a Count. It should be a comfortable life, but is that what she truly wants...? Fate introduces her to Pierrot, a charming street magician who sweeps her off her feet and reveals what her sheltered life lacks. Fascinated by Pierrot, Cléa follows him to his hidden treehouse in the woods, where wonders unimaginable unfold. The boundaries of possibility expand before her, but is she really chasing freedom, or is she trapped in Pierrot's spell...?

What begins as a fairy tale romance turns gradually into a fantasy thriller with dark twists and dangerous repercussions that will keep you turning the pages through to its deadly climax. This is not your typical storybook of whimsical witchcraft -- Jim Bishop deftly manipulates the tropes and reader expectations to explore the delicate line between devotion and independence.