A darkness takes shape beneath the waters of Venice . . .
and somewhere in the Ospedale della Pieta,
there are two girls breathing beside each other,
legs entwined.

Maddalena and the Dark is an opulent and sensuous Venetian fairytale, full of music, magic, passion, and betrayal, perfect for fans of The Binding and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

Venice, 1717. Before Maddalena arrived at the Ospedale della Pieta, Venice's most illustrious music school, fifteen-year-old orphan Luisa has only wanted one thing: to be the best at violin. Luisa is good at violin, but she is not the best. She has peers, but she does not have friends. Until Maddalena.

Sent to the Pieta until her noble family can find her a husband, Maddalena is cunning, passionate, and unlike anyone Luisa has ever met. Maddalena can promise the world to Luisa, and when she does, their fates intertwine.

But Maddalena has made a dangerous wager and, for both girls, there will be an unimaginable price to pay.

About the Author

Julia Fine is the author of The Upstairs House, winner of the Chicago Review of Books Award for Fiction, and What Should Be Wild, which was shortlisted for the Bram Stoker Superior First Novel Award. Her third novel, Maddalena and the Dark, is forthcoming in June 2023. She teaches writing in Chicago, where she lives with her husband and children.