An epic love story infused with West African mythology. For fans of The Gilded Ones, Children of Blood and Bone, and Circe, this book is a powerful new imagining of a devastating time in history, told through the eyes of a bold and unforgettable heroine.

This is the story of a great love - a love that will threaten worlds and anger Gods.

This is a story that will change history.

Simidele is one of the Mami Wata, mermaids duty-bound to collect the souls of those who die at sea and bless their journeys back home to the Supreme Creator.

But when a living boy is thrown overboard a slave ship, Simi saves his life, going against an ancient decree and bringing terrible danger to the mami wata.

Now Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends - a journey of vengeful gods, treacherous lands and legendary creatures. If she fails, she risks not just the fate of all Mami Wata, but also the world as she knows it.


""A compelling, moving YA fairytale, richly woven with west African mythology"" - The Guardian

""One of the most epic and original fantasies Ive read in a long time. Natasha Bowen has crafted a world full of heart and imagination"" - Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Instructions for Dancing

""The most engrossing, thought-provoking, beautiful novel...knocks your socks off and leaves you wanting more"" - Namina Forna, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Ones

""A triumph of storytelling"" - Kalynn Bayron, bestselling author of Cinderella is Dead

'This poignant supernatural romance stands out for its sensuous prose' Financial Times

'Fantastical creatures and vengeful gods form a vivid backdrop to this rich and original story of one girl's journey to find herself' Observer (YA Books of Month)

SHORTLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE

Mrs Death tells her intoxicating story in this life-affirming fire-starter of a novel

Mrs Death has had enough. She is exhausted from spending eternity doing her job and now she seeks someone to unburden her conscience to. Wolf Willeford, a troubled young writer, is well acquainted with death, but until now hadn't met Death in person - a black, working-class woman who shape-shifts and does her work unseen.

Enthralled by her stories, Wolf becomes Mrs Death's scribe, and begins to write her memoirs. Using their desk as a vessel and conduit, Wolf travels across time and place with Mrs Death to witness deaths of past and present and discuss what the future holds for humanity. As the two reflect on the losses they have experienced - or, in the case of Mrs Death, facilitated - their friendship grows into a surprising affirmation of hope, resilience and love. All the while, despite her world-weariness, Death must continue to hold humans' fates in her hands, appearing in our lives when we least expect her . . .

Salena Godden FRSL is an award-winning author, poet and broadcaster of Jamaican-mixed heritage based in London. Her debut novel Mrs Death Misses Death won the Indie Book Award for Fiction and the People's Book Prize, and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards and the Gordon Burn Prize. Film and TV rights for Mrs Death Misses Death have been optioned by Idris Elba's production company Green Door Pictures. Godden has been shortlisted for the 4thWrite short story prize and the Ted Hughes Prize. Her work has been widely anthologised and broadcast on radio, TV and film. Her poem Pessimism Is for Lightweights is on permanent display at the People's History Museum, Manchester. She was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2022.

@salenagodden | salenagodden.co.uk