Identical twins Sonja and Charlotte are musical prodigies with extraordinary powers. Born on All-Hallows-Eve, the girls could play music before they could walk. They were found one night by Tatty, the Tattooed Lady of the circus, in a pail on her doorstep with only a note and a heart-shaped locket. They’ve been with Tatty ever since, roaming the Outskirts in the circus caravans, moving from place to place.

But lately, curious things have started to happen when they play their instruments. During one of their performances, the girls accidentally levitate their entire audience, drawing too much unwanted attention. Soon, ominous Enforcers come after them, and Charlotte and Sonja must embark on a perilous journey through enchanted lands in hopes of unlocking the secrets of their mysterious past.

Reviews

The Trilogy of Two is full of inventiveness, with a world that’s constructed ingeniously and characters who are vivid and attractive

Philip Pullman, author of 'His Dark Materials'

The world [Malouf] creates, through her appealing prose and her positively addictive illustrations, feels weird and true, vivid as a dream but way more entertaining

Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay'

Fans of Philip Pullman’s sophisticated fantasy will love Juman Malouf’s intricate, strange world of urchin children in a shadowy world full of evil cats, mysterious spheres, circus performers and a remarkable cast of ragtag characters… a complete joy

BookTrust

A rollercoaster fantasy adventure… a combination of Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, His Dark Materials and more, this novel is sure to leave you breathless

Children's Books Ireland

From the very first chapter, this whimsical book gripped and enraptured me in its original plot

Liza, age 12, SCOOP Magazine

An original slant on the power of self belief and the perceived value of the arts

Never Imitate (blog)

A classic adventure story… there is never a dull moment to be had… a lot of fun

Blogger's Bookshelf

The setting was gorgeously and intricately described… the illustrations were beautiful and made the whole novel that much more magical

Delightful Book Reviews (blog)

The author’s imagination is fantastic, the story/characters are magical and whimsical… would make an amazing film if directed by Tim Burton!

Of Beauty and Nothingness (blog)

The Trilogy of Two thoroughly blew me away! I felt like I’d been swooped up into an adventure with new friends in magical lands and I didn’t ever want to leave. I was sad when the book was done. I haven’t had the joy of feeling like this about a new book in such a long time now. It was a lovely treat! I truly couldn’t recommend it enough! 5/5

Sorcery & Swords (blog)

Vivid, exciting and beautifully illustrated. The talented Juman Malouf creates a world that you will want to delve back into immediately

Volume

A new YA novel that shuffles the teen-dystopia deck with some Narnia-style fantasy… Designer and illustrator Juman Malouf sets quite a few plates spinning in The Trilogy of Two, her first novel. She keeps it all whirling with aplomb and no broken crockery – a bit of a circus performer herself. Plus, her line drawings are exquisite

Vanity Fair

YA fiction’s new spellbinder… The book’s eccentric characters and the worlds-within-worlds they inhabit are richly illustrated… [Malouf’s] prose is lyrical and evocative

The Daily Beast

Whimsical… Malouf shows enough talent to stand on her own where whimsy and intrigue are concerned

TIME Magazine

Fans of Miéville’s Un Lun Dun will enjoy debut author Malouf’s intricate worlds, each teeming with its own customs and creatures, as well as her equally intricate pencil illustrations, which highlight the characters’ eccentricities… themes of sisterhood and believing in oneself will entrance readers

Publishers Weekly

An imaginative fantasy adventure with a unique arts focus

Booklist

So what if Juman Malouf’s new book, The Trilogy of Two, is meant for children? The sweeping tale of twin girls travelling the country with their adoptive mother is a full 416 pages – gorgeous illustrations and all

PopSugar

Quirky… with hints of L. Frank Baum’s Oz and C.S. Lewis’s Narnia

School Library Journal

Meticulously drawn and imaginative

Vogue.com

Juman Malouf brings her talent for conjuring the dark and whimsical to her debut young adult novel, The Trilogy of Two… [Malouf renders] every character in wonderfully moody and evocative pencil drawings. Filled with stray creatures of all kinds and nods to the occult, the author’s morose tale will comfort clever children of the same stripe

Interview Magazine

A work of deep and powerful imagination… The twins’ adventures are riveting, but they’re always connected to human traits: love, estrangement, treachery, wonder, and, above all, bravery. The exquisite pencil drawings are meticulous shaded, giving shape, with the utmost detail and wit, to the people, animals, and oddities that Juman has created

Town & Country

Charming… The lavishly illustrated fable of twin orphans growing up in a travelling circus in what Malouf calls a ‘futuristic Dickensian world’ was inspired by personal touchstones ranging from Charlotte Brontë to August Sander to her superstitious grandmother who believed in fortune-telling, and reflects Malouf’s distinctive sense of style, which seems vaguely late Victorian but ultimately unmoored to a time or place

T Magazine